When I first set the goal of $15,000 (to celebrate 15 years cancer-free), I had high hopes of achieving the full amount but my goal was just that: a hope, wish, or dream. Nothing was definite, except that it was not going to be easy. Donny, who rarely worries, began to prepare himself for my inevitable meltdown when my cancer-fighting fundraising goal wasn't met. But as all of you know, Donny did not have to console me (at least not for that reason). Before I even started training, donations were coming in from all over the country; from people I knew and many that I did not know. I spent some evenings teary eyed after reading emails and hand-written letters about those cancer-fighters that touched your lives (Thank goodness Donny had prepped himself for some consoling). Overall, I was blown-away by the generosity and genuine support that I received. Thanks to this huge response, the donation amount largely exceeded the original goal of $15,000 and reached:
$22,613.68 !!!
Many marathoners train with the goal of achieving a PR- that's "Personal Record" for those of you like me who are not quite at the point of worrying about running a faster marathon. Well, fundraising for DFMC is not dissimilar from training - we want a fundraising PR for every Boston Marathon. I can safely say, that many members on the team put in more time fundraising than training- my 4:58:00 finish is evidence of that. Fortunately, the hard-work paid off as I am thrilled to announce that the DFMC team achieved a PR! The 550 members of our team rallied support from friends, family, colleagues, and complete strangers to collectively bring in a whopping:
$4,598,628.50 !!!
While presenting this check to the Claudia Adams Barr Program (and trying not to look like I just sprinted one mile down the road in heels), I quickly realized that my wish for celebrating 15 years cancer-free in some worthwhile way, more than came true. There I was, presenting a check for almost $4.6 million dollars and all $4.6 million will be used to fight cancer. I cannot possible express how thankful I am for all of your support!
On to more good news...
The Miracle Baby (a.k.a. Gus), turned TWO!
It feels like it was just yesterday when Donny and I were staring at each other in disbelief as we discovered that we were going to have a baby- a feat that we were told was impossible after my cancer treatment.
Now The Gustus, as his cousin lovingly calls him, is a walking, talking, dancing, jumping, mom-ignoring, singing, not-so-little, little boy. His primary jams consist of the wheels on the bus and the song from Babe. He is a Boston College Football season ticket holder and will do the infamous Nittany Lion roar (yes, while rubbing his head) if he sees the logo. Obviously, his birthday was a reminder of how fortunate I am, but, as most other AML-survivors are infertile, it is also a reminder of how much further cancer treatment must come.
On behalf of the entire Hall Family, THANK YOU so much for supporting this cause!
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