...The Loud Librarian is there. :-)
I was surprised and honoured to discover I had been nominated as Posey County's "Good Neighbor of the Week". I got interviewed by the Posey County News, got a glamor shot taken, and voila! My fifteen minutes of newspaper fame! :-)
(Click to imbiggen)
I love how I'm listed as a single parent of Zoe. Hee!
I was surprised and honoured to discover I had been nominated as Posey County's "Good Neighbor of the Week". I got interviewed by the Posey County News, got a glamor shot taken, and voila! My fifteen minutes of newspaper fame! :-)
(Click to imbiggen)
I love how I'm listed as a single parent of Zoe. Hee!
Labels: library, newspaper, relay for life, theloudlibrarian
Relay for Life in TinyTown has come and gone for another year, and was the first one without Mum as our "tentertainment" for the day. It was hard to see her name on the track "in memory of", but I'm once again so proud of the amount of money this little town can raise to fight cancer.
In particular, I'm exceedingly proud of the over $2,000 I raised individually, thanks to so many friends and family. My thanks to ALL of you. :-)
One of the coolest things I got to do this year was be a participant, and a tent volunteer, for our Cancer Prevention Study #3, a study being conducted at only 167 sites around the country. We signed up over 100 participants, and hopefully the data collected will help us eradicate cancer someday...
In fact, my sister and I were the subject of an article in our tri-state's major newspaper about the study (even if they did put an extra "r" in my first name!). You can read it right here:
"Sisters Who Lost Mother Sign Up for Cancer Study"
My other exciting news is that I was announced at Relay as the Co-Chair of the event event for the next two years. I'm excited (and yes, a little nervous!) about this amazing opportunity. I think Mum would be proud. :-)
Survivors take to the track...
Me working as a CPS3 volunteer...
Family portrait...
Miss you, Mummy...
Me working as a CPS3 volunteer...
Family portrait...
Miss you, Mummy...
Labels: cancer, mum, relay for life
It's getting to be that time of year again...time for another TinyTown Relay for Life, to be held June 6-7.
This will be my first Relay without Mum, and though I'll ache for her all day, I know that the walking we do, the money we raise, is so important to giving other people a chance against this dread disease. As always, I'm accepting donations...just click on Zoe there, and it will take you to my donation page.
Even if you aren't able to donate in these tough economic times, just send positive thoughts our way. They go a long way too. :-)
This will be my first Relay without Mum, and though I'll ache for her all day, I know that the walking we do, the money we raise, is so important to giving other people a chance against this dread disease. As always, I'm accepting donations...just click on Zoe there, and it will take you to my donation page.
Even if you aren't able to donate in these tough economic times, just send positive thoughts our way. They go a long way too. :-)
Labels: donations, mum, relay for life
Well, we did it.In typical Priddis family style, we thrashed, we ate, we laughed, we sweated, we walked, we napped, we thrashed some more, and we made it 15 hours at the track in a row without air conditioning or a shower at TinyTown's annual Relay for Life.
We had a few changes this year:
*Mum didn't walk the survivor lap, as she is still "chemo girl", so we walked for her. Proudly.
*Michelle and Don came down for the weekend, joining in the festivities (thereby, the entire family missed the colossal flooding in Columbus, the most notable of which has shut down the hospital for months. Luckily, all the houses survived).
*We actually won a basket from the Basket Booth! (Well, Dad did. Way to go, Dad!)
*We had a rainbow of shirts to wear, we sweated right through them, but we made it all the way through the luminary ceremony without a costume change
*This year, I was asked to help read the names of the "in honor" and "in memory" luminarias, which was an amazing experience. It's completely dark but for the candles, and then the names of every survivor, and those we've lost, are read.
*This year, I was asked to help read the names of the "in honor" and "in memory" luminarias, which was an amazing experience. It's completely dark but for the candles, and then the names of every survivor, and those we've lost, are read.
But most of all, we did it.
As a whole family.
Initial reports place our Relay as raising $105,000 - not bad for a town of 7500 souls.And I'm so grateful to the people who helped me raise more than $1200 of it.
You are my stars.
But really, truly, Mum, you are the biggest star.
You are a big damn chemo taking, straw hat stealing, court holding, camel mode, cancer kicking rock star.
I'm so proud to be your daughter, and so proud of your fight to kick cancer's ass.
That makes all the sweat, work, tears, pain, money and time so, so worth it.
Until next June...
The candles on the opposite stands read "Cure". When I stepped out of the booth after reading all those "in memory" names of those who have lost their battle and then saw the candles and the fireworks and then that word, I burst into tears.
Labels: cancer, relay for life
For the last five years, I've been beyond proud to be a part of the TinyTown Relay for Life effort. Below is the letter I just sent to my nearest and dearest...if you are so inclined, I would absolutely love to have your support (and your dollars) for this cause...Hi all!
You know, it's been kind of a whirlwind year for me.
I was promoted to director of the library (what were they thinking?!), I bought my very first house (what was *I* thinking?!), I went to places like Seattle, Chicago, Washington, DC, Philadelphia and North Carolina and even a demolition derby, Hoosier style. I dressed like a pirate, I rode a bike slow and a motorcycle fast, I saw 300 in IMAX, I dyed my hair red, went tubing on the lake, wrote a novel and cooked Thanksgiving dinner.
One thing was a constant throughout the year, though.
My mother's continual battle with cancer.
Chemotherapy is again a daily part of our lives, a litany of pills and instructions, and the pride that Mum is the first patient at the hospital to try THIS particular cocktail - kind of like being a bartender's guinea pig, but with less dancing on tables at 2am.
Mum just got a month off (for good behavior, we joke) from chemo before she has to jump back in again...just in time for this year's Relay for Life.
I know she is going to struggle to walk that track and to take on the heat of the day, feeling how she feels, but I know she's going to do it.
And so will I.
Each year, TinyTown comes together in this huge cacophony of tents, events, Relay walkers, luminarias, food, fun and, yes, the occasional sunburn or two, in a 24-hour fight to raise money for cancer research. If you haven't witnessed firsthand an entire town circling a track all day to benefit others, I really can't do the sight justice. This year, the track will be a riot of color, celebrating our theme of "Celebrate. Remember. Fight Back".
I am once again proud to be heading up the library team - gathering walkers, soliciting donations, putting together a raffle basket, digging out our team tent from the recesses of storage, and stocking up the drinks cooler with plenty o' water.
As in past years, I'm going to be spending all day, all evening, all night at the track on the weekend of June 7th - 8th, but there's only one way that can happen.
With your help.
Without your pledges, I'll never be able to walk around the track in the heat and humidity of a June day and night for 24 hours, while cheering on my team as they do the same.
This is where you come in. :-)
With your contributions, we can raise money for a great cause, help me and my team meet our goal, and give me motivation to stay awake, walk in circles for long amounts of time, and generally annoy my co-workers. I do that now, but this won't be on library time. ;-)
Here's the best part - you can donate online!
What? Online? Tell me more!
You can make a secure online contribution right from my Personal Donation Page:
http://main.acsevents.org/goto/marissa
If you prefer to snail mail your contribution to me, that's fine too. I just want to raise oodles of money and impress everyone in TinyTown with my flush friends. ;-) Donate early! Donate often!
If you are unable to contribute...I totally understand. Send me an email instead, saying hello. It's enough that your thoughts are with us as we walk to beat this disease that touches so many lives.
Thank you for your support (and your dollars) in an event that is so close to my heart.
You are my stars.
Best,
Marissa
Labels: relay for life
For the last four years, I've been beyond proud to be a part of the TinyTown Relay for Life effort. Below is a portion of the letter I just sent to my nearest and dearest...if you are so inclined, I would absolutely love to have your support (and your dollars) for this cause...
Hi there!
It's been 9 years since my mother was first diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer. She underwent a radical mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation and even a stem cell transplant in her battle with cancer.
Three summers ago, she again battled cancer in the other breast, undergoing months of chemotherapy and a mastectomy to struggle back into remission.
Even as I type this, my mother is once again undergoing chemotherapy on some suspect cells in her liver to keep this dread disease at bay.
Watching her fight for so much of the last 9 years is the reason I Relay.
Each year, TinyTown comes together in this huge cacophony of tents, events, Relay walkers, luminarias, food, fun and, yes, the occasional sunburn or two, in a 24-hour fight to raise money for cancer research. If you haven't witnessed firsthand an entire town circling a track all day to benefit others, I really can't do the sight justice. This year, the track will be a riot of color, celebrating our theme of "The Colors of Cancer".
(We're yellow. I know, I know. It's so NOT complimentary to my pasty skin tone, but what's a girl to do?)
I am once again proud to be heading up the library team - gathering walkers, soliciting donations, putting together a raffle basket, digging out our team tent from the recesses of storage, and even sewing a quilt to raffle off the day of Relay.
As in past years, I'm going to be spending all day, all evening, all night at the track on the weekend of June 2nd - 3rd, but there's only one way that can happen.
With your help.
Without your pledges, I'll never be able to walk around the track in the heat and humidity of a June day and night for 24 hours, while cheering on my team as they do the same.
This is where you come in. :-)
With your contributions, we can raise money for a great cause, help me and my team meet our goal, and give me motivation to stay awake, walk in circles for long amounts of time, and generally annoy my co-workers. I do that now, but this won't be on library time. ;-)
Here's the best part - you can donate online!
What? Online? Tell me more!
You can make a secure online contribution right from my Personal Donation Page:
http://www.acsevents.org/relay/in/mtvernon/marissa
If you prefer to snail mail your contribution to me, that's fine too. I just want to raise oodles of money and impress everyone in TinyTown with my flush friends. ;-) Donate early! Donate often!
If you are unable to contribute...I totally understand. Send me an email instead, saying hello. It's enough that your thoughts are with us as we walk to beat this disease that touches so many lives.
Thank you for your support (and your dollars) in an event that is so close to my heart.
You are my stars.
Best,
Marissa
Hi there!
It's been 9 years since my mother was first diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast Cancer. She underwent a radical mastectomy, chemotherapy, radiation and even a stem cell transplant in her battle with cancer.
Three summers ago, she again battled cancer in the other breast, undergoing months of chemotherapy and a mastectomy to struggle back into remission.
Even as I type this, my mother is once again undergoing chemotherapy on some suspect cells in her liver to keep this dread disease at bay.
Watching her fight for so much of the last 9 years is the reason I Relay.
Each year, TinyTown comes together in this huge cacophony of tents, events, Relay walkers, luminarias, food, fun and, yes, the occasional sunburn or two, in a 24-hour fight to raise money for cancer research. If you haven't witnessed firsthand an entire town circling a track all day to benefit others, I really can't do the sight justice. This year, the track will be a riot of color, celebrating our theme of "The Colors of Cancer".
(We're yellow. I know, I know. It's so NOT complimentary to my pasty skin tone, but what's a girl to do?)
I am once again proud to be heading up the library team - gathering walkers, soliciting donations, putting together a raffle basket, digging out our team tent from the recesses of storage, and even sewing a quilt to raffle off the day of Relay.
As in past years, I'm going to be spending all day, all evening, all night at the track on the weekend of June 2nd - 3rd, but there's only one way that can happen.
With your help.
Without your pledges, I'll never be able to walk around the track in the heat and humidity of a June day and night for 24 hours, while cheering on my team as they do the same.
This is where you come in. :-)
With your contributions, we can raise money for a great cause, help me and my team meet our goal, and give me motivation to stay awake, walk in circles for long amounts of time, and generally annoy my co-workers. I do that now, but this won't be on library time. ;-)
Here's the best part - you can donate online!
What? Online? Tell me more!
You can make a secure online contribution right from my Personal Donation Page:
http://www.acsevents.org/relay/in/mtvernon/marissa
If you prefer to snail mail your contribution to me, that's fine too. I just want to raise oodles of money and impress everyone in TinyTown with my flush friends. ;-) Donate early! Donate often!
If you are unable to contribute...I totally understand. Send me an email instead, saying hello. It's enough that your thoughts are with us as we walk to beat this disease that touches so many lives.
Thank you for your support (and your dollars) in an event that is so close to my heart.
You are my stars.
Best,
Marissa
Labels: relay for life
