On July 31st, I've volunteer to photographer the 2010 Relay for Life of Downtown Indy. I've been scouring Craigslist looking for opportunities to volunteer, and this one screamed at me. I've had loved ones battle and lose to cancer, and while photographing an event may not have the biggest impact, I feel as though I'm contributing to the cause just by getting the word out. So please, come join me on July 31st. Here's a link with all of the information to sign up!
And on August 14th, I'm volunteering to photograph a 5k run and walk to benefit my friend, Jill Goode O'Neil. She has been battling cancer for the last 6 years, and her fight and spirit have been truly amazing and inspirational to me. I must admit that I didn't know the extent of her fit until I read it on her website, and I was shocked. See, I met Jill through my full-time job. She worked as a phlebotamist, and since I was down there several times a month for my kidney disease, we struck up a friendship. She was always so hopeful about MY situation..little did I know what she was going through. I remember the day I found out. I went to get a blood draw and I commented on how nice her hair looked. It was all curly and very pretty. I just couldn't get over how nice she looked, and I went on and on about it. And then she told me it was a wig, and that she didn't have any hair from chemo. And I felt like the biggest, most selfish idiot. There I've been, complaining about my situation, when she had been fighting this terrible disease for about a year longer than I. That day helped me put things into perspective. Sure, I still wallow sometimes, but whenever I get REALLY down, I think about Jill and how she's handling everything, and I'm inspired.
To my surprise, I went down a couple of weeks ago to get another blood draw, and noticed that all of Jill's pictures were gone. I asked the phlebotamist that was there, and she said that Jill was no longer working. I was sad that I never got a chance to thank her for always being so kind to me. As luck would have it, when I got back to my desk, there was an email for me from one of Jill's friends saying that Jill wanted to get in contact with me. Soooo relieved!!!! I guess this is a much longer story than I had intended, but if Jill ever reads this, I want her to know how great I think she is! And I also wanted to promote her 5K run/walk on August 14th. Please go to the Jill Goode O'Neil 5K Run/Walk website to donate. I'm photographing the event, and I'm also putting together a photography package for a silent auction that organizers are holding.
I feel so thankful to be able to give back....
0 comments:
Post a Comment