Maine Children's Cancer Program Fundraiser - 2019
Donation protected
For many of those who know me, I'm not the most outgoing person. I'm tough to open up, period, but especially up when it comes to personal matters, good or bad. But this is different, it's time to share my story about what happened 10 years ago so I can help save lives much like mine was spared after I heard the most devastating news of my life.
On June 25th, 2009, I received a phone call that would forever change my outlook on life. The Doctor on the other end told me that I had cancer and that the mass that had so suddenly formed on the side of my neck was Lymphoma. I didn't know how to react as just a week ago I was perfectly healthy. What started as seemingly a symptom of a week long cold was in fact not a cold at all, but a beast entirely different. After receiving the call I can remember sitting at my kitchen table in a daze as my parents arrived home early from work. I wasn't crying, I wasn't sad, I was just in total disbelief and utter shock and scared about so many unknowns.
Why Me? Now what? Will I have to get surgery? Chemotherapy? Will I be stuck in the hospital? Will I survive? All of these thoughts constantly running through my mind. As soon as I got stuck on the latter I began to break down. I didn't know much about the intricacies of cancer and how it's formed and how it's treated but the little that I did know wasn't good. I lost my grandfather to cancer when I was a sophomore in High School and my brother lost a friend to cancer when he was in Middle School. The shear thought about thinking long-term was very frightening. As a kid, I had always thought about what happens after death. Does everything go black? Do we go to Heaven to live happily ever after? Do we restart our lives? More, now than ever, I began thinking about these things and completely broke down. I can remember we had a family gathering not too long after June 25th and found myself constantly going upstairs to the computer to research Lymphoma and how its treated and how long it takes to treat and survival rate. Needless to say, I was scared, the most frightened I'd ever been and feared for my life. I couldn't shake the news, the diagnosis and the unknowns.
Thankfully, I soon met Dr. Speckhart and the Maine Children’s Cancer Program staff. They were calm, confident and put all my worries to rest. In a time when I needed answers to all these unknowns they were able to navigate me through what was going to happen today, tomorrow, in five years and so on. Facing the realities of some of the procedures, medications and side effects of said medications was not easy but I trusted them to take care of me and that they did. They did something for me that I will never be able to repay them for. They saved my life, they are miracle workers and I’m forever grateful that I was able to be treated by them.
Since June 25th, 2019 will mark ten years of being a cancer survivor I wanted to do something special for MCCP. I’m setting out to raise $1,000 for each year, or $10,000 total, to give to MCCP as part of their annual fundraising walk in September. Please keep in mind that I’m not the only person they’ve saved. Their wonderful staff of nurses and doctors are saving many young children’s lives right now. My hope is that this money will help enhance their quality of life while undergoing treatment so they can prosper once they end treatment and grow to become healthy adults. If any single non-profit deserves this money, I can tell you first hand, it’s the Maine Children’s Cancer Program. Let’s raise some money and save lives!
On June 25th, 2009, I received a phone call that would forever change my outlook on life. The Doctor on the other end told me that I had cancer and that the mass that had so suddenly formed on the side of my neck was Lymphoma. I didn't know how to react as just a week ago I was perfectly healthy. What started as seemingly a symptom of a week long cold was in fact not a cold at all, but a beast entirely different. After receiving the call I can remember sitting at my kitchen table in a daze as my parents arrived home early from work. I wasn't crying, I wasn't sad, I was just in total disbelief and utter shock and scared about so many unknowns.
Why Me? Now what? Will I have to get surgery? Chemotherapy? Will I be stuck in the hospital? Will I survive? All of these thoughts constantly running through my mind. As soon as I got stuck on the latter I began to break down. I didn't know much about the intricacies of cancer and how it's formed and how it's treated but the little that I did know wasn't good. I lost my grandfather to cancer when I was a sophomore in High School and my brother lost a friend to cancer when he was in Middle School. The shear thought about thinking long-term was very frightening. As a kid, I had always thought about what happens after death. Does everything go black? Do we go to Heaven to live happily ever after? Do we restart our lives? More, now than ever, I began thinking about these things and completely broke down. I can remember we had a family gathering not too long after June 25th and found myself constantly going upstairs to the computer to research Lymphoma and how its treated and how long it takes to treat and survival rate. Needless to say, I was scared, the most frightened I'd ever been and feared for my life. I couldn't shake the news, the diagnosis and the unknowns.
Thankfully, I soon met Dr. Speckhart and the Maine Children’s Cancer Program staff. They were calm, confident and put all my worries to rest. In a time when I needed answers to all these unknowns they were able to navigate me through what was going to happen today, tomorrow, in five years and so on. Facing the realities of some of the procedures, medications and side effects of said medications was not easy but I trusted them to take care of me and that they did. They did something for me that I will never be able to repay them for. They saved my life, they are miracle workers and I’m forever grateful that I was able to be treated by them.
Since June 25th, 2019 will mark ten years of being a cancer survivor I wanted to do something special for MCCP. I’m setting out to raise $1,000 for each year, or $10,000 total, to give to MCCP as part of their annual fundraising walk in September. Please keep in mind that I’m not the only person they’ve saved. Their wonderful staff of nurses and doctors are saving many young children’s lives right now. My hope is that this money will help enhance their quality of life while undergoing treatment so they can prosper once they end treatment and grow to become healthy adults. If any single non-profit deserves this money, I can tell you first hand, it’s the Maine Children’s Cancer Program. Let’s raise some money and save lives!
Organizer
Jordan Place
Organizer
Scarborough, ME
