Giving Back

You know when something doesn't sit quite right in your soul....there is a stirring....a call to action.....a nudging of the Holy Spirit asking you to do something, but you are not quite sure what that something is, but when you finally realize it, your soul is at peace again and the unanswerable questions are solved? 

That's kind of how it's been for me the past few weeks.  I've realized that my heart has been hearing it, but my brain has taken a few weeks to catch up. 

The Walking with Emma Kait benefit walk/run is approaching on Oct 1 and there was something about the planning that was not quite finished, I just didn't realize it.  Our dear friend Jen, has been working in the background, planning, organizing, asking for volunteers, ordering number badges and t-shirts.  She is working tirelessly on our behalf to help in the celebration of Emma's half way point of treatment.  Many of you have already signed up to walk or run or serve as a volunteer.  We thank you so much for your support. 

There is more that this day needs to stand for.....a giving back.....a paying it forward.....a greater good than our own benefit.  This day will be a day to raise money for others in this fight.  We have been touched personally and truly felt the weight of what a cancer diagnosis does to kids and their families.  We have smiled with, cried with, hugged and waved at many families in the Oncology department at Sutter Memorial hospital and beyond.  We would like to take this opportunity, with many generous friends and family, to raise funds to help those families who are on a longer journey than our own, with more hills to climb and harder packs to carry. 

We would like to donate the proceeds from the Walk with Emma Kait to some of the families that have been fellow travelers with us, as well as donate to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for research.  This will be an opportunity to share with others and hopefully lift some of their burden as well as help in the fight for more research on treatment and cures for this disease.  We have a few families in mind, but would like to get permission to share their stories on our blog.  Emma and I are also walking in memory of Max Herlehy at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk on October 22 to help raise money to fight blood cancers. After a 6 ½-year struggle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, 9-year-old Max lost his battle with cancer in May.  Please visit our team's homepage for more information.  Mercy's Team Max 

Max

We have been so generously blessed by support during Emma's journey.  We have been touched by your cards, letters, financial support, gift cards, meals, offers to transport kids.....the list goes on.  We would be honored to be able to help others in the same way with the proceeds from Emma's Walk.  We don't know how much will be raised, but we can't wait to donate it to others.  We thank you a million times over. 

Maybe, just maybe, this can become an annual event.....marking a very hard time in our life......celebrating the good that can come from this kind of a journey......and a rallying of support for others that will be forced to walk in our same shoes in the future, but can be helped along the way. 

Thank you supporters. 

-Rebecca