A Pause for the Cause

Taking a quick break from book stuff to share a little bit about a cause that is near and dear to my heart...

Last night was our comedy night fundraiser for Team Lena's Smiling PHACE and Boston Children's Hospital.  With the help of the guys from Funny 4 Funds and a lot of very generous prize donors and table sponsors, we raised more than $4000.

If you're looking for a way to raise money for a good cause, I can't say enough about Funny 4 Funds.  These guys put on a 90-minute comedy show that had us laughing the whole time.  Check them out at funny4funds.com!

As for me, I wrote Lena's story up to have on the tables.  I thought I'd share it here:

 

Why We Walk

Lena's Story

 

 

Lena is the reason our family walks for Boston Children's Hospital.  Eight years ago, she was diagnosed with PHACE syndrome which is "the uncommon association between large infantile hemangiomas, usually of the face, and birth defects of the brain, heart, eyes, skin and/or arteries." (Definition from www.angelphace.com).

 

In Lena's case, she had a hemangioma in her throat and an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) in her head.  The one in her throat was blocking 95% of her airway, which for an infant left her a very tiny area to breathe through.  A hemangioma is a knot of blood vessels - these were causing her heart to work overtime pumping the blood through.

 

Lena spent most of her first summer in the hospital.  Before surgery, the doctors attempted to shrink the hemangioma in her throat with steroids.  She likes to laugh at the pictures of herself with the "chubba-cheeks" that the steroids caused.  When the steroids didn't work, they surgically removed the hemangioma.  To do this, they had to remove some of the cartilage in her throat.  They repaired it with a little piece of one of her ribs.

 

In addition to that surgery, Lena has had multiple embolization procedures to close off the blood flow to the AVM in her head.  Her most recent embolization was earlier this year, hopefully her last.  She will continue to have MRIs for many years to come.

 

Thanks to the doctors and staff at Boston Children's Hospital, Lena is a happy,  healthy, and very active little girl.  She takes ballet and tap dance classes, as well as piano lessons.  She is a smart, creative second-grader who loves to draw and write stories.

 

Lena has been to (and still goes to) more doctors than most eight-year-old girls, but they don't even phase her.  In fact, this past winter, when I was complaining again about getting a flu shot, Lena said, "I don't like needles either.  But I just do what I have to d."

 

Boston Children's Hospital is near and dear to our hearts because they have made it possible for Lena to be the sweet, loving little girl that we all adore.

 

To help support Boston Children's Hospital, visit my page at http://fundraise.childrenshospital.org/site/TR/Walk/Walk?px=1018955&pg=personal&fr_id=1290.


Rhett Butler's People

I have only two requirements for the books I read in bed:
1) Nothing scary. Thanks to my overactive imagination, I have been prone to nightmares since I was a kid.  Reading anything spooky right before I fall asleep can be a trigger, so I try to avoid it.  I keep the creepy books for daytime.
2) It has to be something that I can read in small increments and still follow.  There are nights when I can get into bed and read for an hour, but most nights I am lucky to get more than a page in before nodding off.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings, though, I love nothing more than to read in bed for a while before I start my day.  This morning, I took a little extra time and finished Rhett Butler's People by Donald McCaig.  I've been reading this one for a while - an alternate take on the events of Gone With the Wind through the eyes of Rhett Butler and the people in his life: his sister Rosemary, Belle Watling, Belle's bastard son, and Scarlett herself, to name a few.

Gone With the Wind is an old favorite, so I was hesitant to read this one.  I worry when another author takes on a classic like this.  But I enjoyed Rhett Butler's People as it gave some insight into what was going on in Rhett's life while the action in Gone With the Wind is focused on Scarlett.  The familiarity of the story made this an easy read.  Revisiting the characters was like seeing old friends after a long absence. 

I will say, however, that it makes me want to re-read Gone With the Wind to compare the two stories.  And because Rhett is one of my favorite "bad boys" in literature.  I never could understand how Scarlett could fall for mild-mannered Ashley Wilkes over Rhett Butler. 


In other news...
The family is busy planning our Funny 4 Funds Comedy Night fundraiser for Team Lena's Smiling PHACE and Boston Children's Hospital on May 30 at the West Warwick Elks Club.  We have been gathering donations and table sponsors, and selling tickets in hopes of raising a good amount for the walk this June.  Boston Children's Hospital is near and dear to all of our hearts for the care they have given to my niece Lena.  Tickets are still available for $20.  Contact me for more information.

I have finished Heart Shaped Box, but will hold off on reviewing it until after book club meets in June. 

Nephew Ryan and I read the first chapter of Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone on Friday and he is intrigued.  He said, "I think you're right, I think I am going to like this book."