A New Year to #WageHope on the war that is #PancreaticCancer in #Cleveland & Beyond!

It is extraordinarily difficult for me to wrap my little brain around the fact that, come this summer, Ed will be gone for four years.  Four Years - What!  It feels like yesterday we just started our relationship, which officially began in January of 2006 - by April I was incredibly smitten and knew he was "The One" .... And when you lose your "The One" nothing is ever quite the same again.

I still mourn, I still get sad - but I also laugh when things are funny and live life to the fullest. Because, to truly honor the ones you love and have lost, there is no choice.  And to be honest, they would want us to move forward and be happy. 

We had such a successful 2014 with regards to our PurpleStride Team and our fundraising & awareness efforts!  Ed's 2014 PurpleStride Cleveland Team raised just over $10,000 - this funds free patient/care giver support services, funds research and helps the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network advocate for a cure with our government.  It's important stuff to be sure!

Our 2015 Team registration link is up & waiting for members and donations - you can do both here: http://purplestride.kintera.org/cleveland/marykaye  Even a $5 (hell $2) donation makes a difference with this disease, when I say every single dollar counts, I mean it!

This year we have a new logo, which we will be incorporating onto a Team T - they will be $6 each with all proceeds going to our team's fundraising goal of $6,000.  As I am not shaving my head this year, I think this is a realistic goal and one I truly hope we meet.  Our new logo was the brain child of my cousin, Rushelle Barsa - chief principal at Elegant Embroidery in Strongsville, Ohio.  Last year on PurpleStride, when returning to their car, Rushelle, my other cousin Jill, and their children found the vehicle covered in butterflys - it was taken as a sign that Ed was with us on that glorious morning.  And, as a butterfly emerges from darkness into something beautiful, our Team is truly something beautiful born out of this awful monster, Pancreatic Cancer.  Since 2011, our team has raised just over $28,000 and we are looking forward to getting that number well over 30K this year!

I also had the incredible experience of being awarded the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network Media Representative of the Year - a national award.  Incredible. Seriously.  When I began volunteering in late 2010 I had zero clue what I was getting into, but I embraced the role - learned from the experienced Media Rep's from around the country (shout out to Andrea from Pittsburgh and Todd from NJ to name a few) .... became great friends with other Media Reps (Jake a.k.a. Baby Bro from Kansas City and Karl from Denver) ... and worked hard to achieve good things.  Cleveland, I truly believe, is now very aware that there is a Cleveland Affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network - and that we are working hard to change the future.

So - Happy, Healthy New Year all - and let's #WageHope in 2015 and beyond!  Learn more ways to help by clicking on one of these links:

www.pancan.org   -or-  www.wagehope.org