40 Years and Counting

Blood cancers do not discriminate. They do not care about your age. They do not care about your gender. They do not care about your socio economic background. They do not care if you're a republican or a democrat. They do not care if you're gay or straight. They do not care about your race. They do not care if you are fat or thin. They do not care if you eat organic, vegan recipes or junk food. They don't care what language you speak or where you come from on Planet Earth.

There is absolutely nothing you can do to prevent leukemia, lymphoma or myeloma. Anyone of any age can get blood cancers. I have seen newborns with leukemia. I have seen serious healthy athletes with lymphoma (my husband). I have seen rich people die of blood cancers and I've seen poor people die of them. I have witnessed first hand as people of all kinds of backgrounds suffer through the hell and torment of blood cancers.

For 40 years, I have been opening my mouth and my pocketbook to fight these diseases. The good news is that although I've been to way too many funerals, I have also been a witness to the incredible advances in treatments for blood cancers. Since 1977, when I first saw childhood leukemia as my baby brother fought for his life at Texas Children's Hospital, I have seen as the statistics changed from 90% chance of dying of childhood leukemia to 90% chance of living.

So, I am tired. But I gain strength when I see the graphs. I gain strength when I meet survivors. This gives me hope that my 40 years of warfare against blood cancers has been worth it. I have incredible hope that a decade from now, we'll see even more improvement.

However, if you are depending on the federal government to fix our cancer crisis, you will be greatly disappointed. Researchers work diligently to develop therapies that are less toxic and more effective for cancer patients, but some of them are at a standstill as funding runs dry. Thankfully, good hearted people donate to organizations like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). I am very careful about which charities I promote. I know the LLS and have been fundraising with them since 2004 when my own husband's blood cancer went into remission. Not long after, my mom told me that the LLS (which in 1977 was called the Leukemia Society of America) helped pay for my brother's chemotherapy. So, this organization has been a personal friend of mine for 40 years. They fund researchers who are developing therapies to save the lives of the millions of men, women and children who are diagnosed with blood cancers.

Every 3 minutes, another person in America hears the ugly words "you have blood cancer". It is always quite shocking. There are no screenings for blood cancers and there are no preventative steps you can take. It is very often diagnosed in advanced stages and it's extremely aggressive. Unlike some cancers with solid tumors you can see, blood cancer is liquid cancer and it can spread to any part of your body like wildfire.

We are all at risk. Please take a moment today to make a donation to my team's fundraising page for the Light the Night Walk, one of the fundraising campaigns for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. In honor of my 40 years of fighting cancer, would you please consider donating $40 to our campaign?

Your donation is tax deductible and I promise you- the funds go into legitimate research. I have actually been in some of the labs and met the researchers. They truly desire to save life.

Thank you!

Donate Here: http://pages.lightthenight.org/txg/montcty17/TeamBCRR

Team BCRR

A few years ago, I heard a quote by Michael Douglas: "Cancer didn't bring me to my knees, it brought me to my feet." I only partly agree with Michael. For me, cancer brought me first to my knees. Without my faith in God, I could never have endured the many times that cancer has come into my life. Hearing that word "cancer" means falling on my knees and turning all of my fears and doubts and pain over to the Lord Jesus Christ.

But the next step is exactly what Michael Douglas said. After falling on my knees, I rise. I get up and I take up the sword and I fight. On my feet, I wage war against a monster enemy. And the good news... I have never had to fight alone. Through the years, God has brought family into my life. I call them family, not because we are necessarily genetically linked, but because we have an unbreakable bond. They are people who are willing to grab a sword and fight with me!

In October 2003, when my husband was diagnosed with stage four, incurable blood cancer, my family of warriors was the Sonkids crew. These ladies with whom I worked teaching school surrounded me and my family with love that strengthened us in our weakest moments. They showed me what true faith means. They did not love in word only, but in deed. I will never forget them. They took the sword and fought for my children and for me and made me believe even more in angels on Earth.

The sword is a huge symbol in our family. Not long after my aforementioned teacher friends gathered to pray for my husband one night, he had a very vidid dream in which God handed him a sword and he and God both took their swords and slaughtered his cancer cells. Two weeks later on January 26, 2004, we walked into an exam room and heard the words, "you're in complete remission". 

To celebrate that date, five years later, I created the Bill Crews Remission Run (BCRR). Again, surrounded by family (the men, women and children who have been bonded to me for life), we raised many thousands of dollars for cancer research. More importantly, however, we honored the people who deal every day with a cancer diagnosis. We pulled out our swords and we fought together.

From my blood related family to my family at Team In Training to my family at the Hurricanes Swim Team and Happy Feet and everyone who helped me organize our beloved Bill Crews Remission Run, I have witnessed the great things that happen when people come together with a sword and fight.

From the moment you get up off your knees and RISE, you change the world. When you RISE, you find your strength. When you RISE, you save lives.

The mission of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is to cure leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma and to improve the quality of life of patients and their families. Cancer patients, young and old, endure great pain and sickness. Fortunately, we are seeing more and more people win their war on cancer. But the truth about war is that it can leave you feeling exhausted on the other side. That's why we love the part of the mission of the LLS which includes improving the quality of life of patients and their families. After you RISE to fight, you must find time to RESTORE.

The dictionary definition of the word "restoration" is "the action of returning something to a former owner, place, or condition". When a family is struck with cancer, it changes things. Health, safety, peace of mind, and even life can be stolen. For years, we have fought to bring cancer to an end and one of our new goals is to lead these families who have beaten cancer, to restoration.

The 23rd psalm of David reminds us that "He restores my soul". This tells me that sometimes, it is not well with my soul. When the agony of living through a traumatic experience leaves us with constant fear and pain, it's time to RESTORE.

BEAT CANCER. RISE. RESTORE.

Friends, you are my family. You have been there in the good times and the bad. You have been there in sickness and in health. You mean more to me than words can describe. Some of you have moved far away, but we are bonded. We are family. I want a reunion. But I don't want just a typical reunion. I want us to go out and do what we do best- pick up those swords! Let's BEAT CANCER. Let's RISE. Let's RESTORE. Let's do this in honor of the men, women and children who have had to endure cancer. And let's have fun while we do it.

Please join Team BCRR for the Light the Night Walk in The Woodlands, Texas on October 22, 2017. It's free to join the team. When you join, you will create your own page within our team page. If you raise (or just donate) $100 to your personal page, you will receive the food and lantern at the walk. Here's how the walk works: you show up at Town Green Park and if you've raised $100 or more, you receive a wrist band. With that wrist band, you get a LTN t-shirt, food and a lantern. There are 3 colors of lanterns. White lanterns are carried by cancer survivors. Gold lanterns are carried by those walking in memory of someone who died of cancer. And red lanterns are carried by those who are walking in honor of someone. As it gets dark out, the two mile walk begins. We light our lanterns and walk those two miles together as a TEAM! As Bill Crews always says, our enemy, cancer, comes like a thief in the night to steal, kill and destroy. But we will LIGHT THE NIGHT and conquer that enemy. That's right, y'all. We will BEAT CANCER. We will RISE. We will RESTORE!

Instructions for Team BCRR (Beat Cancer. Rise. Restore):

1. Click on the team page: Team BCRR
2. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the red "JOIN" button
3. Create a new account with the LLS using your email. You will also create a password.
4. Once you have created your page, you can personalize it. Add photos of the cancer patient you are walking in honor or memory of (maybe there's more than one!). Donate to your own page and/or send out the link and get friends, family and co-workers to donate.
5. Every donation you receive on your individual page will be added to our team total as well as to your personal page. So, basically, it's like swim team- it's an individual sport and a team sport in one. You're earning points for yourself and our team!

*I would love our team to raise $17,000. If that doesn't happen, I'll be ok. Seventeen is my favorite number. Long story, but I love 17. Also, this is the year '17, so I think $17,000 is a good goal. If you have any contacts to businesses who would be willing to donate, please ask if they'd be willing to be a corporate sponsor for Team BCRR. I can send you all a corporate sponsor packet from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society if you need one.

Last thing... in addition to the LTN shirts you'll receive if you raise $100, I would like us to create our own team shirt for Team BCRR. I'll work on that design ASAP and let you know the price. The night is only one small part of being a LTN team. There is a kick off party. There's a post walk party. There's all kind of fun stuff along the way. This really will be a blast.

Love y'all and look forward to Team BCRR and our family reunion.

Cheers,

DS

crewsds17@gmail.com