10/24/2010

Holiday Cards Featuring Artwork by Max and Other Awesome Kids!

This holiday season, it will be very easy to take something that most of you already do, and turn it into something that helps kids fighting cancer.

The artwork featured on Cure to the Kids holiday photo cards has been created by a nationwide group of pediatric cancer patients, by artists, and by siblings of pediatric cancer patients who are greatly impacted by the disease. When you purchase your holiday cards this year, you can help change the future for these children by ensuring they are alive to experience it.

Max made this snowman in December 2007, right before things went awry and his cancer effectively started to explode in him.

By buying your holiday cards via Cure to the Kids, 50% of the purchase price will go to the NMTRC - which is the childhood cancer research and clinical trials consortium that was started, and is led by, Max's oncologist in Vermont Dr. Giselle Sholler.

BUY NOW!

10/16/2010

Purple, vacuums, and a little boy named Lucas

Three years ago today Lucas Tran died. His story and battle was one that I followed diligently throughout 2007, ironic that it would somewhat parallel our own experience with Max not more than 10 months later in 2008. I always felt a particular fondness for the Trans, beyond the intense affinity that I feel for any other family and child going through the nightmare of relapsed neuroblastoma, or any childhood cancer for that matter. But knowing that your child is doomed to die soon, perhaps painfully, while you just sit and watch it all happen, understandably brings strangers closely together even if they've never met before.

The Trans lived in Palo Alto when Lucas was alive. After Max died, I heard that they moved about 10 miles away from us in San Diego. GOOD, I thought. We would finally be able to meet. We've since seen them from time to time, and it always makes me feel good to be close to such good people that have suffered so much, much like ourselves.

Strange as it may seem to outsiders (ie, not angel parents due to childhood cancer), a powerful, brave, poignant, yet delicate photographic slideshow of Lucas' life, death, cremation and celebration of his life on their website, inspired us when we were forced to walk the same path with Max. It's important that we all remember the cost of this disease. It's children suffering intense pain. Dying. Families shattered. The brutal reality should not, can't, won't be forgotten. That's why it's important to show the world not only the smiling pictures of our cute bald kids, but the not-so-nice ones too. After all, as Hannah so eloquently wrote, "death is a natural as birth."

Lucas loved the color purple, and vacuum cleaners. Today, the Trans are going to enjoy some purple ice cream and vacuum around their house. We're going to do the same. Please join us or visit Lucas' site to let they know you were there, and remember.

10/04/2010

Touch-A-Truck 2011 - Volunteer Call!

We are waving the green flag here at
Touch-A-Truck San Diego Headquarters!
Yes – planning for 2011
has begun and we need
YOU
to make it to the finish line!

Follow this link to the MROF website to view the volunteer opportunities.

Once you've had a chance to look it over, call or email me with any questions. I'm here to help and get you excited about our next event and your role in bringing it to the finish line! Join our Pit Crew!