Kickin' MS with HSCT

My load is slowly being lifted up off my shoulders, thanks to many friends and family helping us out.  This is happening in many ways; closing on our house in Florida, my family helping unpack and getting settled in our house in Little Rock, Fundraising efforts in full swing, many prayers and positive thoughts for us, and many other small things are just working out.

One big thing is the fund raiser in Jacksonville, Florida I just attended on Tuesday night, what a party. The design community really came out in full force to help out. We had 125 attend and raised $16,000!!! Wow! Even more amazing was how these groups of people that are normally competing against each other all came together to put on this wonderful event. OK, except for the highly competitive side bets of who could raise the most money.

So, my load is being lifted and I’m so ready to get to Russia and Kick MS out the door.

So, thanks everyone for your help, “take a load off Sally/Vicki”  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmRDM7GyJXE&list=PL3EC386125CE3FE50&index=2

VW

There is little difference in people, but that little difference makes a big difference. That little difference is attitude. The big difference is whether it is positive or negative.Robert Collier

I met an amazing woman yesterday, full of energy and positive attitude. You couldn’t walk away from the meeting without feeling energy and motivation. You think, “sure, nothing bad has happened to her”, oh, how wrong you are. She and her husband have both suffered terrible injuries this year, but they are both recovering and looking forward to their next adventure. Getting back on the bicycle so to speak. She is the type of person I hope to be, someone that inspires you to push forward and help others, to be uplifting. We all go through difficult times in life, the difference is how you come out at the end. Full of self pity, or drive and motivation to push through and get to the other side a better person, we all have the ability to make this choice. I’ve been to a couple of MS support group meetings and I must say, those were the most depressing few hours of my life. I couldn’t get out of there fast enough. They all seemed to be drinking the kool-aide, and just accepted what the doctors told them. They didn’t have any drive or fight to find other answers. I can’t have those types of people around me, I’ve made the choice to fight this disease, it’s not taking me down without kicking and screaming. So, let’s just see who is still standing in a few years, I’m putting my money on me.

A lot of times people look at the negative side of what they feel they can’t do. I always look on the positive side of what I can do.
Chuck Norris

A little Bob Marley for you this morning… “No woman, no cry”

“Everything’s gonna be alright”
VW

Last night Thomas and I went to my parents house for dinner to celebrate the 4th of July, Independence Day. This was the first time in many, many years I’ve been in town for this holiday, or any holiday other than Thanksgiving. When I walked in everyone was wearing my fundraising shirts, Keep Calm and Kick MS, what a nice surprise to see the family all out in support to do what they can to help me get to Russia.

The treatment in Russia is very expensive and insurance does not cover it, since it is overseas, but this treatment can save my life, so I’ll do anything possible to make it happen, including one of the things I like the least, asking for help. All shame has gone out the window for me at this time.

Many people have asked what they can do to help, so here is a list of things you can do.

1. Prayers and positive thoughts have gotten me this far, keep them coming.

2. Buy a T Shirt, $15 or wrist band, $5.

3. Make a donation through PayPal on my web site. http://www.kickinms.com (guess you know that since you are reading this blog :0)

4. Tax deductible donations can also be made to The Pointe Church, with a cover sheet stating it’s for Vicki’s treatment in Russia. Just ask me or any member of my family for us to e-mail specific instructions on how this needs to be made out. 100% of those donations will go for my treatment and expenses.

A little Bon Jovi to get you going this morning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abzbVFuxigg

Keep Kickin’ it!

VW

Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone enjoys this Independence Day! Just wanted to share some quotes.

“All men are created equal…„

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
~ The Declaration of Independence July 4, 1776

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4, not with a parade of guns, tanks, and soldiers who file by the White House in a show of strength and muscle, but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.
~ Erma Bombeck

My friends from the design community in Jacksonville, FL are hosting a bowling event to help raise money for my treatment in Russia. This is an amazing group of people that have worked so hard to make this a stress free event for me, they’ve done everything.

Check out the link below to learn more.

Also, the bracelets are in, they are $5 and we are selling the T-Shirts for $15. I’ve been slow to ship out the shirts, but we are moving this week, and they will all be out early next week. I will finally have time to focus more on getting to Russia once we get are moved. We have had just too much going on at once, I don’t think the reality of everything has hit me yet. So, if you see me curled up in the fetal position in the corner, just hand me a glass of wine and a tissue and move on.

Thanks for all of your support.
VW

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When people find out we are moving to Little Rock, AR, they always ask “Why??” This is a good question, especially considering where we live now, with the beach at the end of the street and a beautiful house we have been renovating since before we moved in 9 years ago, and also how much we love it here and all of our friends that are here. St. Augustine is home and has been for 14 years, why leave now?
The idea to move was actually Thomas’, not mine. And considering we are moving back to where I grew up, and away from where he grew up it’s a very big deal. As I sit in our house now surrounded by boxes, it is starting to sink in; we are leaving this place that I love so much… HOME. I moved away from Little Rock when I was 20, so it’s not “home” any longer, but the place I grew up and where my parents, sisters, and extended family all live. It’s where I go for Thanksgiving to be surrounded by the familiar smells of the holiday with family, but it’s not my home. But then I have to ask myself, “What defines home?” To me “home” is where ever Thomas’ and I are together, we make it home. So, now my new home will be in Little Rock, with Thomas’ and Dottie, with the added bonus of being closer to my family. It’s a place that I will return to when I finish my treatment in Russia and am free of MS.

“Just know you’re not alone, I’m going to make this place your (my) home.”

A little music for you morning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoRkntoHkIE

VW

“I get by with a little help from my friends”… everybody sing along!

With all we have going on; packing up a house, holding a garage sale, moving to 960 miles to Arkansas and trying to raise money for the treatment in Russia… you know, just normal stuff. I must stop and thank all of my friends and family for their help and support.

I have the best neighbors anyone could ask for, and it’s going to be so difficult to leave them all. I have had neighbors help us with inspection repairs, I have a several friends coming over this week to help pack boxes, and we have a neighborhood party this week. My parents and sisters are spearheading the LR side of the move. Not to mention the amazing group up in Jacksonville putting on a fundraiser for me July 23rd, “Strike Down MS”. So, I would like to thank them all for their friendship and support, we couldn’t do this without you.

So, I’ll leave you with you this video. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmOtWyjs8iU

V

This fund raising thing is not for wimps. I’m not good at asking for help, let alone asking for money AND help. My Stepmother likes to tell a story of when I was 4, I slid down one of those huge slides they used to have in the 70’s, I’m sure they are banned now for safety reasons. You know the ones, you climbed up what seemed like a thousand steps and then you slid down on a burlap bag. Anyway, I went down and then fell in the dirt. She ran over to help me up, and I told her I didn’t need any help and got up and dusted myself off, at the age of 4 mind you. That’s just how I am, fall down, get up and dust myself off. Today, I can’t always get up by myself, I need a hand. So, thanks for all the hands that are out there helping me up this time.

The T-Shirts arrived yesterday! I will be shipping out the pre-orders today and tomorrow. If you haven’t bought one, they are $15. You can pay on the web site, with PayPal or PM me on FB.

Well, finally getting around to my first post. With all of the free time on my hands, you’d think I would have fit it in. Between, applying to treatment facilities, getting accepted to Russia, deciding to move to Little Rock, going to Little Rock, and buying a house, selling a house in St. Augustine, (which was the most work), starting to pack the house, kicking off fundraising efforts, oh… and a little trip to Scotland that was planned waaay before we even knew what HSCT was, I have been a wee bit busy. But, now it’s almost where I can take a deep breath. That’s when the wheels on the plane pull up and we are soaring over the Atlantic.

We have a lot in the works and I have a group of elves that are doing so much to make it all happen, I couldn’t do it without them. We are going to have two fund raisers, one in St. Augustine and one in Jacksonville. Neither is totally locked in, so stay tuned. The T-Shirts arrived today, so will try and get the pre-orders out before we leave. And we have some really cool wrist bands that glow in the dark, more on those when they arrive.
All for now, I have to finish up small things for the home inspection tomorrow… one more thing getting checked off the list.