Fundraiser December 8th, 2008

Welcome to our blog about Arnie and his journey to Seattle for his Stem Cell Transplant. The trip feels as though it really got going with a huge fundraiser at the Odeon Event Centre on December 8th. Over 300 people came with their love and support to help us with on our way. With all those friends, two bands, a live desert auction and a silent auction the evening was quite a celebration. We hope everyone felt as great as we did at the end of the night.

An attached copy of the thank-you speech from Brenda sums up our heartfelt thanks to all our friends.

Thank you so very much everyone. You cannot begin to understand how much your presence here tonight means to our family. We are so blessed to have your friendship and support. This benefit means the world to us and we will carry your love, and prayers and good wishes with us through the months ahead.

Arnie was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in December 2002. Here we are 6 years later, planning for an allogeneic or unrelated donor stem cell transplant to keep his disease in check. We know that Arnie has had a good response to his current round of chemo (cytotoxic drug therapy) and that he has a stem cell donor that is a good match for him. We don’t know any specific details about the donor, but we do know he is a generous individual to offer to help us in this important way. We also don’t know exactly when the stem cell transplant will occur or where it will take place. Because allogeneic stem cell transplants are not performed in Saskatchewan, Arnie and I will be away from home for 3-4 months to complete his treatment and immediate recovery period. We anticipate traveling to the transplant center in early 2009. Saskatchewan Health will cover the medical costs of Arnie’s treatment. The funds raised tonight will be used for our travel to the transplant center, housing and other costs. Thank you so much for your incredibly generous contribution.

As a small thank you, we want to share 3 thoughts with you tonight and here they are:

· Plant a tree

· Look around you

· We’re all on the bus

First: “Plant a tree”

Arnie and I belong to Resurrection Lutheran Church here in Saskatoon. A few weeks ago, the sermon included a quote from Martin Luther. I’ll paraphrase it. Martin Luther was asked what he would do if he knew the world would end tomorrow. He replied “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant a tree”. For some reason, this statement has come back to me over and over in the days that followed. This may be because Arnie is a landscape architect and I have learned how important it is to plant trees; how they provide beauty and shelter and joy. It’s also because I love the sense of hopefulness in Martin Luther’s answer. Even when times are uncertain, we can choose to be hopeful. We can choose to plant a tree, believing it will grow and flourish. Our family strives to live our lives with this hope.

Trees begin as tiny seeds but you must never doubt the power of seeds. They are small but mighty. I want to gratefully acknowledge my friends and colleagues in Pharmacy who first thought of holding this party. The idea for this benefit was a tiny seed planted at the end of an ordinary work day, when 2 wonderful, generous friends paged me to the 5^th Floor Pharmacy Satellite. Thank you so much for planting this seed. Look what has grown: an amazing gathering of friends and family and an outpouring of love and support.

Plant a Tree

Look Around You

Arnie and I have been overwhelmed by the support we have received over the past few weeks: hugs, handshakes, prayers, cards, words of encouragement, shared tears and shared laughter. Your very presence here is a gift to us. You have shared your talents with us tonight: organizing this event, making posters, spreading the word, baking desserts, decorating the hall, donating auction items. In fact, several people have mentioned how much they have enjoyed preparing for Arnie’s Big Party. I suspect that part of the joy comes from knowing this event will help our family. Please remember how much joy comes from acting and helping others. Look around you and continue to share your gifts with others who are in need.

Plant a Tree

Look Around You

We’re All On the Bus

People often describe the experience of having cancer as a journey. We can definitely tell you that when Arnie was first diagnosed we did not want to embark on this journey. We soon discovered that whether we liked it or not, the journey had already begun and we were already on our way. Early after his diagnosis, Arnie sent an email to his brother Gene who who living in Vancouver at the time. He wrote about his cancer journey and the tremendous support we have received. Arnie talked about the many people who are journeying with us, so many in fact that he finally had to hire a bus to carry us all. So…a final thanks to you all. We’re all on the bus together, journeying through life, sharing our best with each other. We are honored to call you friends.

Thanks.