Blanket up for raffle Dec.31st!!

Tickets: 1-$5, 2-$8, 3-$12 & 4-$15

Donations can be made online to:
www.the3day.org/goto/ascanlon

or www.the3day/org/goto/brandy

This is to help us walk the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure Boston 2011!!!

Holidays are just about over

 My Christmas was great. Both my boys were spoiled with toys and what not, as they are every year. My husband and I didn't want much for ourselves.
 So as our holiday went on and we share the day with our family, I can't help but think of other people.
 People who are spending their 1st Christmas without their loved one, because they lost their battle with cancer. Or even just passed away. Sadly, as we were leaving my in laws house we had just heard that my father in laws uncle had just passed away a few hours ago. This poor man had passed away alone with no one at his bedside. It just broke my heart, no one should ever be alone. Let alone their last few moments.
 So I just wanna say, be grateful of all you have and keep those you love near.
 As we prepare to head into this new year, I am thankful for all I have achieved in this past year. Thankful for my health and the health of my family. I look forward to making huge changes and raising lots of awareness this year.
  Every time someone tells me to make a wish, because I'm blowing out candles, or what not I always wish for a CURE!!

One of the Joys

With fundraising, there are many joys. For example raising awareness, coming up with new ideas and my favorite hearing stories from survivors. When I come upon a survivor that is more than willing to donate and say, "Thank you, so much for doing this. I am a survivor!". I gives me chills and puts this whole thing in perspective again. Sometimes I can get caught up in the events I have going on, I look forward to hearing someones story of survival it seems to make time stand still. Whether or not it was them, their mother, sister, etc. When someone you know or love is affected by something so life changing, it also makes you a survivor.
 Amanda and I were fortunate to have met a survivor at our last gift wrapping event. We were getting ready to pack up and she had a few things and I said we'd be glad to hold out a minute longer and help her out. So as we were wrapping her gifts, she began to tell us how she was diagnosed in 2004 and is a survivor. She had asked if anyone we knew had been affected by this disease. So I had told her that my mom was diagnosed and Amanda, had mention her aunt was also a survivor.
 She was telling us how she had a lumpectomy (which is what my mom had) however their margins were big enough and they didn't get it all. So she had opted to have a mastectomy. She said she didn't want to do more and more, treatments and surgeries.
 This survivor had said, not having her breast wasn't an sexual issue. She said it's just hard because that you look at your body all your life and you know it's not there any more.
 However this woman was smiling and grateful to have her gifts wrapped that she had just bought for her grand kids. Not realizing that telling us her story was more appreciated and will go further than her donation.

  Having forever left her mark on my "Pink" heart and will stay with me always.

My kids, My reason

So I have been wrapped up in the 3-day for almost a year. My kids are one of my reasons for walking, in hopes that they will never have to. My oldest is Jaiden he is 8 yrs. old going on 22! He has supported me in this journey from the beginning, even when I had thought about cutting off all my hair. Since my mom was losing hers during chemo. I had asked him about it randomly after I picked him up from school one day. At the age of 7 said to me,"Mom if you were going to do, it should be for a good reason. And I think that's a very good reason!". He's come with me to do bake sales for last years walk. This year he has come with me to do gift wrapping and asking people to donate to cancer. His grandmother being diagnosed with breast cancer, was a hard lesson to learn so young.

 This child of mine amazes me sometimes. He drives me nuts to the point of wanting to pull my hair out. Then he has these wonderful moments, where he says something so selfless. Last year he said that he wanted to walk with me, which he's unable to do since you have to be at least 16 yrs. old. So this fundraising season we were driving to a gift wrap fundraiser. He said to me, " You know mom even though I can't walk with you, I can still help raise money for a cure for breast cancer!" AMAZING!!

My littlest one Joel, makes me just laugh. This past walk was my first so I was non-stop buying things I needed and had began my obsession with PINK. I also began collecting things that had pink ribbons and Susan G. Komen 3- day packets, etc. So every time Joel saw anything of mine for my walk he would say," For mama walk!". When I was there at the 3 day shop I wanted to get something for my boys. However everything was pink, so I needed something that would be daddy approved. So I found tattoo's, never mind they were pink. I bought them and as soon as Joel saw them he said, "Mama walk".  So now anytime Joel sees anything with the Susan G. Komen logo, he shouts,"Mama walk!".

  I would not be able to do what I do for this great cause if it were not for the unbelievable support I get from my family, friends and supporters.
    

I Did it!

So I finally managed to setup a Blog. I know I'm probably a little behind the times, But it's done. I want this blog to be a way for me to share my thoughts and stories with my friends, family and supporters. I walked the Susan G. Komen 3-day for a Cure 2010 in Boston. It was my 1st walk ever and I decided to take on 60 miles in 3 days and raise $2,300.  My mom was diagnosed in July of 2009 and was lucky enough to have caught it early. She opted to have a Lumpectomy along with chemo and radiation. She is currently in remission and we are hoping it will not return. She was my reason for starting this walk, this journey and discovering my purpose.
 My mother was the reason for starting this, you are the reason I will continue to do it. If your here because you know me then you know, I'm from Hawaii. I currently live in Massachusetts with my family. I have yet to see my mom since her diagnoses. I thought that this would be my way to fight with her as she went through her treatments. Since we were so far apart from each other. She did chemo and I did fundraising. Neither one of us are good at asking for help, but knew we needed to.
 So as I got more and more involved with my fundraising, meeting new people hearing their stories, my purpose had new meaning.
 I was now more determined than ever that I will to do this walk as long as I am able to. So that hopefully my children and future grandchildren will never have to walk because breast cancer will be a thing of the past.