As I sit here in my house looking at the pile of papers from the ACS - the commitment papers to participate in Relay for Life this year. i shake my head in disbelief. Why did I choose to take on yet another commitment? Yet another thing on top of everything that I am already doing.
I look back to moments before at the Relay for Life Kick off and my new Friends Emma & Jeff. And as I sit there with no expectations other than learning about the cause that my own father loved so much and my mom worked after he passed on. They asked "Who will be the first team to sign up for Relay in Westlake?" I can't even begin to explain it, but I jumped out of my chair with excitement. Unsure of what I had to face ahead of me ad unsure of what had lifted me out of my seat - knowing in the back of my head that I still had so much to do for my own organization's survival.
So now, I am back home.... crying. I have no idea why I took this on, when I have so much already. And then the voice of my mother is above me "Your father loved the ACS, he volunteered for them for 5 years- two of those years he was battling his own cancer." Somewhere in the depth of my heart and my memories I knew that this step had to be taken, not only for myself and other survivors, but in memory of my father, who loved me as long as he could. U+If it was up to him, he never would have left my side, and I know this it true. So for you Dad, I have started TEAM UCAAN, because I want anyone and everyone who is affected by cancer to know that They CAN - UCAAN Make a difference by participating in these replay events!
So in memory of you Dad, I take this HUGE STEP, something bigger than what I am doing with UCAAB, something that YOU believed in, something that you supported, and something mom supported when you were gone. I Love and miss you dad. I wrote this small poem for you:
Memories, only picture pieces I can see
Memories, I learn and stories I hear
from those who told them to me
If only I had the real chance to know you
To see how much of me was in you
You loved me from what everyone else
could see, and I felt the same
You worked for the ACS NY, even before the disease
struck your life
But you didn't let it stop your fight
The options were null, you took it into
your own control - vitamins were the only way
You worked for ACS NY for 2 years until
the disease secummed your life.
You were strong and held on for 2 years
It was far too soon for you to go
Only January 26th of 83'
My daddy, I didn't even know you
It was too soon for you to go
When it all happened , mom was working for NYU Medical
center
and decided to do what you loved
She took your job at ACS
I don't remember your face, or your voice.
The only memories I have now are the stories & Pictures
But I know how much you loved me by smile on your
face as you looked at me in those pictures.
Here I am Remembering you
What else can I do
But remember you
And take your passion of working with ACS
and make it a part of my life.
Daddy I miss you and all I can do is
Remember You,
the way that you will always remember me.
You're missed. This one's for you Dad.
TEAM UCAAN
will be participating in the Relay for Life event for ACS in Westlake Village on Sat & Sun Aug 6th & 7th, 2010 at Oaks Christian High School
To Be a part of TEAM UCAAN, Contact Rachel Shur 805-479-1032 or UCAANorg@yahoo.com
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
12-06-10 UCAAN Help!
*Cancer - affects all of us in one way or another, a friend, family member, a neighbor, a child, even ourselves.... This year, it's been expected that there will be over 1.5 million new cases, and a 1/3 of them will pass away. These statistics are startling, but we must see it as a growing epidemic.
Being diagnosed with cancer is beyond scary and when dealing with so much already it's hard to know what priorities to set into play. Focusing on appointment after appointment and numerous tests can be discouraging. But we need to realize that there is more help for us out there. There are people who have been heir too and can provide others with their strength, hope, inspiration & knowledge.
People like Rachel Shur, who is a 2-time young cancer survivor. Shur was diagnosed in December 2006 with end stage Leukemia and was given a 10% chance of survival. Shur is coming up on her 4 year anniversary December 11th, when the doctors initially diagnosed her. Despite all of the trials & tribulations she had to overcome over the past 4 years, she has surpassed the doctor's original expectations. She has even started her own non-profit organization called United Cancer Advocacy Action Network (UCAAN) and she's been helping fellow survivors for over a year. By not only providing them with the resources and information that they need but also by donating small handmade gifts of hope to survivors, which include handmade plaques, bracelets and pendants that Shur makes herself. Her favorite gift to give away is the "Share the Hope" bracelet because she says "It's a way to give to those survivors who need it, and if they ever meet a fellow survivor or caregiver that needs it more - they are meant to share it by giving it away to them."
"People are very familiar with the Pink Ribbon." Shur says "We see it everywhere all throughout the year, everyone knows that the pink ribbon stands for breast cancer. But do you know what the other colors of the other cancers are?" Shur asks. The truth is that most people don't, unless they knew someone who was diagnosed with another type of cancer. "I was diagnosed with Leukemia and my cancer color is orange." Shur replies. When Shur first was designing her logo for UCAAN she had a great idea and used purple ribbons for the "A's". "What does purple stand for?" Shur asked me. I didn't even know what to say, and she quickly answered it for me. "Purple is the universal color of all cancers! My organization helps people with All Types of Cancer!"
UCAAN continues to help survivors of cancer and plans on having more and more events in the near future where survivors can get involved. "I wanted to build a strong organization of volunteers & survivors who really want to make a difference in the lives of other survivors. I really want survivors to feel like they are apart of something and UCAAN is where they need to be!" Shur says. As we approach the holiday season, we must keep in mind that there are many people out there that need to know about UCAAN and all it has to offer them & all it plans to offer in the future. UCAAN is sponsoring the "Gift Wrap 4 a Cause" fun-raiser at The Janss Marketplace starting Wednesday December 15th thru Friday December 24th. Gifts will be wrapped by volunteers and they will be accepting donations. But that's not all UCAAN is doing:
* They have a L'il Elves Workshop where kids can decorate holiday cards that will be sent to cancer survivors in the hospital at UCLA Medical Center & The City of Hope.
* They have a gift basket giveaway, where every $20 donation gets you entered into the drawing.
* Hope jewelry will be available for sale there, and customizable pieces are available as well! 100% of proceeds from these sales go to UCAAN.
* Tax Deductible receipts are available upon request.
UCAAN hopes to spread the cheer to as many people as possible. Shur adds "If you're a survivor of cancer, we'd love for you to come visit us. If you tell me your cancer story, I'll have a special gift for you!" This sounds like a lot of fun, a great cause and if you want to participate or volunteer, please contact Rachel Shur directly at: 805-479-1032 or ucaanorg@yahoo.com
Being diagnosed with cancer is beyond scary and when dealing with so much already it's hard to know what priorities to set into play. Focusing on appointment after appointment and numerous tests can be discouraging. But we need to realize that there is more help for us out there. There are people who have been heir too and can provide others with their strength, hope, inspiration & knowledge.
People like Rachel Shur, who is a 2-time young cancer survivor. Shur was diagnosed in December 2006 with end stage Leukemia and was given a 10% chance of survival. Shur is coming up on her 4 year anniversary December 11th, when the doctors initially diagnosed her. Despite all of the trials & tribulations she had to overcome over the past 4 years, she has surpassed the doctor's original expectations. She has even started her own non-profit organization called United Cancer Advocacy Action Network (UCAAN) and she's been helping fellow survivors for over a year. By not only providing them with the resources and information that they need but also by donating small handmade gifts of hope to survivors, which include handmade plaques, bracelets and pendants that Shur makes herself. Her favorite gift to give away is the "Share the Hope" bracelet because she says "It's a way to give to those survivors who need it, and if they ever meet a fellow survivor or caregiver that needs it more - they are meant to share it by giving it away to them."
"People are very familiar with the Pink Ribbon." Shur says "We see it everywhere all throughout the year, everyone knows that the pink ribbon stands for breast cancer. But do you know what the other colors of the other cancers are?" Shur asks. The truth is that most people don't, unless they knew someone who was diagnosed with another type of cancer. "I was diagnosed with Leukemia and my cancer color is orange." Shur replies. When Shur first was designing her logo for UCAAN she had a great idea and used purple ribbons for the "A's". "What does purple stand for?" Shur asked me. I didn't even know what to say, and she quickly answered it for me. "Purple is the universal color of all cancers! My organization helps people with All Types of Cancer!"
UCAAN continues to help survivors of cancer and plans on having more and more events in the near future where survivors can get involved. "I wanted to build a strong organization of volunteers & survivors who really want to make a difference in the lives of other survivors. I really want survivors to feel like they are apart of something and UCAAN is where they need to be!" Shur says. As we approach the holiday season, we must keep in mind that there are many people out there that need to know about UCAAN and all it has to offer them & all it plans to offer in the future. UCAAN is sponsoring the "Gift Wrap 4 a Cause" fun-raiser at The Janss Marketplace starting Wednesday December 15th thru Friday December 24th. Gifts will be wrapped by volunteers and they will be accepting donations. But that's not all UCAAN is doing:
* They have a L'il Elves Workshop where kids can decorate holiday cards that will be sent to cancer survivors in the hospital at UCLA Medical Center & The City of Hope.
* They have a gift basket giveaway, where every $20 donation gets you entered into the drawing.
* Hope jewelry will be available for sale there, and customizable pieces are available as well! 100% of proceeds from these sales go to UCAAN.
* Tax Deductible receipts are available upon request.
UCAAN hopes to spread the cheer to as many people as possible. Shur adds "If you're a survivor of cancer, we'd love for you to come visit us. If you tell me your cancer story, I'll have a special gift for you!" This sounds like a lot of fun, a great cause and if you want to participate or volunteer, please contact Rachel Shur directly at: 805-479-1032 or ucaanorg@yahoo.com
11-27-10 Why Spreading Joy is Important 2 UCAAN & I
I don't remember every bit of my holiday experience back in 2006, when I was initially diagnosed with end stage leukemia..... but I do remember little pieces of it. I was at the City of Hope for a month, and most of the time I was in a drug induced coma or relearning how to do the simple things - walking, reading, writing, eating, etc. I know that I was put into the drug induced coma quickly after I was admitted into the City of Hope, and I know that when I woke up - people said I was crazy - coming off of the morphine. But it's the stuff after that I remember the most. I remember not being strong enough to get myself up out of bed without help, I remember passing out if I sat in a chair too long, and I remember the days when I first started learning to walk again. Those were tough times, but my perseverance was strong!
I also remember how I slept all day most days and how hard it was for me to read my holiday cards that came in from friends and loved ones. I always appreciated the cards that I received, but was always discouraged because I couldn't read them well enough to know what they said. Often I had to have a nurse read them to me. :) Which was nice. While I was in the hospital I remember meeting fellow survivors, who were far from home and only heard from their families in emails or calls every once in awhile. And some survivors didn't have family to call them or send them anything......
This is where the importance of spreading Joy is important not only to me by also for UCAAN. Part of what I do with UCAAN is give gifts to survivors of cancer - CDs to the radiation oncology department at The City of Hope, Star of Hope necklaces & Hope bracelets are given to social workers who get them to patients. I am all about spreading that extra dit of joy, inspiration and love to these fellow survivors!
This is where you come in! For those of you who live near me, UCAAN come down to our Gift Wrap 4 a Cause location and choose to decorate a holiday card or two that will be in turn sent to cancer survivors at The City of Hope & UCLA Medical Center this holiday season 2010. I know that if I was in the hospital now, I would appreciate it if I received a card from a stranger who understood cancer, and who was there for me. So come on by- The Janss Marketplace - right next to Radio Shack & Aaron Brothers - Store #173-D. :)
Please help me help others by spreading the joy and the hope!!!
I also remember how I slept all day most days and how hard it was for me to read my holiday cards that came in from friends and loved ones. I always appreciated the cards that I received, but was always discouraged because I couldn't read them well enough to know what they said. Often I had to have a nurse read them to me. :) Which was nice. While I was in the hospital I remember meeting fellow survivors, who were far from home and only heard from their families in emails or calls every once in awhile. And some survivors didn't have family to call them or send them anything......
This is where the importance of spreading Joy is important not only to me by also for UCAAN. Part of what I do with UCAAN is give gifts to survivors of cancer - CDs to the radiation oncology department at The City of Hope, Star of Hope necklaces & Hope bracelets are given to social workers who get them to patients. I am all about spreading that extra dit of joy, inspiration and love to these fellow survivors!
This is where you come in! For those of you who live near me, UCAAN come down to our Gift Wrap 4 a Cause location and choose to decorate a holiday card or two that will be in turn sent to cancer survivors at The City of Hope & UCLA Medical Center this holiday season 2010. I know that if I was in the hospital now, I would appreciate it if I received a card from a stranger who understood cancer, and who was there for me. So come on by- The Janss Marketplace - right next to Radio Shack & Aaron Brothers - Store #173-D. :)
Please help me help others by spreading the joy and the hope!!!
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