I DON'T HAVE ANY PROBLEMS

I love days like today that really put things into perspective for me. I mentioned in my last post that I was going to be attending an event today for HopeKids. What a great organization! We arrived a little late to Thanksgiving Point. E*TRADE and eBay hosted an event in the Museum of Ancient History. We had lunch provided by Chik-Fil-A and they also had a Star Wars garrison present for pictures. There were approximately 400 people that attended the event. The kids had a blast. As I spoke with some of the families, I was so touched by their strong spirits and will.

HopeKids puts on periodic events for children with cancer and other life threatening illnesses. One of the Dads came up to me and some of our volunteers to thank us for the event. His 1 1/2 year old son recently finished treatment for Leukemia. Another family was there with their son that had a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy. Unless something changes soon, he will not live much longer. I knew his Mom from a previous employer. I told her how brave I thought she was and that her son was doing so well. She confided in me that it hasn't always been that way. She knows she is going to lose her son at a very young age. My heart broke!

I stopped to visit another family whose son was obviously going through chemotherapy. I can't tell you what kind of cancer he is battling but his Mom mentioned that one of the drugs was doxyrubicin (the red devil). I told the boy that I just finished chemo and that I had the same drug. He suddenly became interested in what I had to say. We had something in common. I told him that he must be a tough kid because he was handling the chemo so well. He is 12 and I can tell that he is a fighter.

Michelle became enamored with a cute little girl that must be in remission. Her Mom had dressed her up cute and she had short curly hair. Attached is a picture of her.

This was the highlight for the kids. They got to play in the water and sand and find different things. It was fun to see the smiles on their faces as they got to be kids and forget about these "challenges" that face them.

I'm so glad that my friend Rebecca called me to be part of this event. I told the Executive Director that I want to partner with them again. We can't do enough to help these wonderful families. My whole E*TRADE team kept telling me how great this event was and how grateful they were that they had the opportunity to participate. If any of you are interested in this great organization and what they do, please visit their website www.hopekids.org for more info.

It is so easy to get caught up in our own problems and sometimes even feel sorry for ourselves. I don't feel that way today. My heart goes out to all of those families that were at Thanksgiving Point today and any other families that are going through similar challenges. I really don't have any problems! I've attached a few other pictures of the kids and some of the volunteers (including some bad pictures of me). :)