Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Hometown Heroes

Two of my great writing friends (great as writers and great as friends), Matt and Brooklyn Evans, race every year to raise money for the Huntsman Cancer Institute. They asked this year if they could race for Jacob.

After I finished weeping, I said yes :)

Here's the information from Matt and Brooklyn on how to donate if you feel so inclined.


Hello all,

Well, it's that time of year again! Matt and I are participating in Hometown Heroes and training for the Salt Lake half-marathon on April 19th, 2008. This will be our first official race since we had our baby in October, so we're running with a jogging stroller these days! This year our training has a special urgency. We found out recently that Jacob Andersen (the 11-year-old son of our friends Laura and Chris) was diagnosed with a form of cancer called Childhood Rhabdomyosarcoma. We're dedicating our training to him as we raise funds for cancer research and education at Huntsman Cancer Institute. Jacob is a brave, happy kid who's determined to continue his normal life to the maximum degree possible despite undergoing chemotherapy. He's being treated at Huntsman Cancer Hospital. To see a picture of Jacob and read updates on his progress, you can visit the blog his mom created for him at http://www.jacobsjourney2008.blogspot.com/ Few of us can be oblivious to the specter of cancer. This is our third year participating in Hometown Heroes, and Matt and I have been deeply moved by the effect of this insidious disease on family members and friends. That's why we keep braving the winter weather to test our endurance and to enlist support along the way as we fight back.

Please consider making a donation to help people like Jacob, especially if you or someone you know has struggled with cancer. Simply go to http://www.active.com/donate/huntsman08 and click on the drop-down box under View Fundraising Pages. This will allow you to select our individual webpages by name. Incidentally, don't worry about donating to both of us if you'd like to help. The monies all go to the same place (Huntsman Cancer Institute). Please know too that if you can't give at this time, moral support is also appreciated.

Feel free to pass this message on to others who might be interested in contributing or who would like to join the Hometown Heroes team.

As always, thanks so much for supporting this wonderful cause! Yours, Brooklyn Evans and Matt ( a.k.a. "Glorious Calves") Evans

4 comments:

Brooklyn said...

We appreciate you posting this, Laura. We are excited to run for Jacob. Thanks also to Katie Jeppson for donating to our cause!

Katydid said...

Hey, thanks for keeping everyone informed. Your story is so the normal at the beginning, it just made me cry. I am hoping to do this same thing for Paul's mom. That race is great. It is the only thing that made me feel like I was helping!

Julia Buckley said...

Laura,

I just found your post on DL and clicked on this blog--I had no idea! I'm so sorry to hear what you've all been going through.

I'm so impressed, though, by what a great mom you are, how strong you are, what a beautiful son (and family) you obviously have.

I will be thinking of you all, and keeping you and Jacob in my prayers.

Julia

Wendy said...

Laura,
Thanks for posting this on DL. That way we can stay up on Jacob's news and you won't have a zillion emails.
Keeping you in our hearts,
Wendy Bartlett