Team Up! to fight leukemia and lymphoma!

I have a really awesome family and really awesome relatives. Among this group of awesomeness is my Cousin Lilly. I have looked up to her my whole life. She is fun, talented, adventurous, and she treats me really well for no reason at all. (Whereas, I try to treat her well because she has a huge collection of embarrassing stories about me.) Today, I got this lovely letter from her. I totally didn't get her permission... but I'm sharing her letter because as usual, she is doing something wonderful. So many of you (including Cousin Lilly) have already gone far beyond what I could have imagined to show your support these past few years - through time, prayer, energy, donations, hugs, happy thoughts, sharing, food, encouragement, messages, etc. etc. etc. So this isn't so much a plea for donations as it is a huge shout-out to my wonderful Cousin Lilly, her super cool friend Lauren, and the rest of their team. Note that they are going UP 69 FLIGHTS of stairs... not 69 steps (although for some of us, that would still be a notable event!). I love you, Cousin Lilly!!!!

Hi friends and family,

Around this time of year, most of you are used to getting a letter like this from me asking for your help to fight HIV and AIDS. While I still am participating in the AIDS LifeCycle this year, I will not be riding, and instead will be serving as Medical Director again. (That means you won't get that letter!)

So, this year I finally get the chance to raise money for another cause near and dear to my heart--leukemia and lymphoma. 1 1/2 years ago, Joe Lin, a family friend of mine since childhood, and husband of my dear cousin Karen, lost his courageous battle against leukemia at the tender age of 33. When I served as a bridesmaid in Joe and Karen's wedding in April 2005, I had no idea that only 14 months later he would be diagnosed, and begin a grueling journey to include 11 bone marrow biospies, transfusions too numerous to count, chemotherapies, and a stem cell transplant. In the end, the leukemia proved to be too strong, and Joe passed away in September 2007, touching the lives of so many along the way.
joekaren.blogspot.com

Next Sunday March 22, I'll be doing the Big Climb, a climb up the Columbia Tower (the tallest building in Seattle), in memory of Joe, using his inspiration as motivation to climb those 69 flights of stairs. I'll be climbing with my friend Lauren (and hopefully some of you others!) as the team "Team Up!" I realize that we are all feeling the pressure of these tough economic times right now. The last thing I want to do is to make things more difficult for anyone--that is, I don't want anyone to donate money they don't have for this cause! However, if you are lucky enough to be in a position to help in this fight, I'd greatly appreciate ANY amount you feel comfortable donating, by Sunday March 22.

To donate to our team:
http://www.llswa.org/site/TR/Events/BigClimb?team_id=13040&pg=team&fr_id=1040

To donate to my personal page:
http://www.llswa.org/site/TR/Events/BigClimb/309549176?px=1133761&pg=personal&fr_id=1040

Also, if you'd like to join us, we'd love to have you on our team, "Team Up!" For more information about the event, go to www.bigclimb.org. And note, registration is almost full and expected to sell out, with the deadline of 3/16.

Thank you for reading, and as always, for your friendship and support!!

Lillian