Are you ready for this? CureSearch, one of my faves for childhood cancer, is bringing a walk to Salt Lake. Yes, that's right! A walk for childhood cancer, right here in SLC!! Okay, stop jumping wildly, if you don't calm down you won't hear everything I have to say. Are you settled? Good.


There are two things per year that I will beg, plead, grovel for. Donations/support for our annual Alex's Lemonade Stand, and participation in this walk. While it is a fundraising walk, I am going strictly for team members. The reason for this is I will soon be asking for donations to our Lemonade Stand, and I don't want this to take away from it, and I don't want all of you to roll your eyes when you see me coming. So what do I want? I want you to come walk with us. Simple as that. Come walk with us.

$10 for adults to register, free for kids. Please bring the whole family, it will be a very fun event for the kids!!

When we first formed "Team Brinley" we were going to try and recruit 20 people. Then a couple things happened. This young man, Tanner, lost his battle to cancer. A few days later I received word that one of the young men on our CureSearch committee, Nick, was put on Hospice. He passed away today. Please read about them both, and you will understand why 20 people on our team is not enough. I want this walk to be big. I want to show these amazing, young, warriors that our community cares about them. I wondered why anyone available would not be at this walk.....so step one is to change our goal to 50.

The frustration comes in at step 2. So I announce this walk in my aerobics class over the microphone. There are about 100 women with children/grandchildren. How many people would you say would approach me for a flyer to show interest in a family walk? 50 maybe? Twenty five? One out of every four? NO, try 6. Six people!! For the love!! One of the conversations went like this:

Woman from class (we'll call her Jane): What time is the walk going to be?

Me: It starts at 9:00am.

Jane: Oh. (Hands back flyer). I'm just afraid by 9 it will be scorching hot.

Pause. Now really, what should I say here? I have a few options. I could say any of the following:

#1 - You have obviously never rocked your 2 year old, sick from chemo, wondering if she would live or die, put on gloves to change her diaper because you can't touch the poison you intentionally injected into her body, said goodbye as your husband rushed her to the hospital with 104 fever and septic and wondered if that would be the last time you ever saw her, or prayed with all your might that you could suck the disease out of her and put it in you. Because if you had, 85 degree weather would not be stopping you from a walk that wants to put an end to this crap.

Option #2 - TOO HOT?? I'm from Vegas honey, we put on jackets in 85 degree weather!

Option #3 - Yes, you are right. It will probably be too hot. You better not come.

Option #4 - Could you at least keep the flyer and pretend to check your schedule and then make up an excuse. That would have gone over better. Maybe try that next time.

Anyone care to vote on which one I should have said? I'm leaning towards #1.

To keep this lighthearted so you aren't afraid to tell me no on this one, I will now give a list of legitimate and illegitimate excuses.

Illegitimate:

1. It is too hot. Please, oh please, don't tell me that these kids are not important enough to participate in a walk that might be a little warm. I beg you. It hurts my heart to know that. I love these children. If that is the case lie to me (please see legitimate excuses for a good one.)

2. I like to sleep in on Saturdays.

3. I don't think I can do the actual walking. **There will be a shorter walk for those who cannot walk the 5K

4. I don't have a babysitter. **It is for the whole family!

5. I'm afraid it will be too sad. **There will be a small ceremony in the beginning, a balloon release, a moment of silence for those who have lost their battle, and an introduction of survivors. Then we will party it up after the walk!! It will not be a sad event! We want you to come back every year!

6. I don't even live in your state. **You can be a virtual walker on our team still!! I know it won't be the same, but it is still a way to support our team and CureSearch if you desperately want to be here but can't.


Acceptable excuses: (If you are still not going to make it because one of the unacceptable excuses, please choose one of the following excuses to tell me)

1. I am already participating in a race/event that day, I have paid the fees and am in training!

2. I have a family reunion.

3. My child has a sports game (or other activity). **I have missed important things for my children's stuff too, they come first.

4. I have an injury (this one is somewhere in the middle, because you can actually sign up to be a virtual walker).

5. I don't really like you much. Fair enough. That would hurt less that the too hot one.

6. We will be out of town.

7. It isn't in the budget, and we plan to support/donate to/show up at the Lemonade Stand in September. We just can't do both. **Coming from us who have barely had our heads above water financially for the last 3 years, we understand.

So we're clear then.

If there is an excuse you have not on this list, you will have to use your judgement.

If that didn't persuade you, please watch this. It will do the job. It is a video of our Utah cancer kids, kids that our family knows and loves. And so I can attest, they are real, and they are facing a dreadful disease that wants to take them from us.


Moving on....since surely I have successfully persuaded most of you to join Team Brinley, I shall now provide the link. I know there will be an insane response here, so please be patient if we freeze up the whole site. Keep trying, you will get through :) An optimist I am.








4 comments:

Crystal and Skyler said...

All I can say is I love you and you are AWESOME! Now I think I shall read this post again :)

Aubrey said...

I love this Kristin! Why can't I come up with stuff like this? You are awesome!

mCat said...

Please tell me you responded with #1 - and if you didn't, you better invite me to your aerobics class so I can say it for you. Over the MICROPHONE.

Now headed to the website.

Briana said...

Fantastic Kristin!! I have a couple of people I have wanted to slap across the face. :)

You write the funniest blogs!