A Wish for Ashley

Cancer sucks.   I haven’t had it (knock on wood) but I hear it’s not fun.  My Uncle Will put up an incredible fight when he was first diagnosed with Prostate cancer (that’s all you got?) and later bone cancer (ok, ignore mocking of previous challenge).  Formidable opponents… but Will was an extraordinary contender.  For each ‘you have X amount of time to live’ prediction, he kicked butt and surpassed the estimate by months, weeks and days.  While he received a great amount of support and cheerleading from my family and his close friends, he couldn’t have done it without the people at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.  Sure, I was angry for months on end that they couldn’t cure him, but now I am grateful to them for granting us the amount of time to be with him that they did.

So when my friend-since-first-grade Janis mentioned to me that she’s participating in the upcoming Jimmy Fund Walk, she got me thinking.  The Jimmy Fund Walk raises money for cancer research at Dana Farber… and considering what we put Dana Farber through during Will’s extended stays (are you sure you’re watching his meds? Really sure? No, I think we know what we’re doing more than you do, let me have a look at that… really, you expect him to eat this? He should be eating nutritious meals? No, I think he wants a surf and turf platter- oh look we brought one with us!  That’s pudding?  I don’t think so.  And even so, pudding is not dessert.  No, let me run downstairs to Au Bon Pain and get him a cookie…) I think we owe them.  And really there are only three things that could get me, Miss-I-finagled-every-medical-excuse-in-the-book-to-get-out-of-running-or-walking-the-mile-in middle-school, to agree to walk 13.1 miles:  1) guilt, 2) Will and 3) Ashley.  Therefore drum roll please I am officially announcing the formation of the Will McFarland / A Wish for Ashley Jimmy Fund Walk team!!!  

So if you’re thinking, hmmm… I’m guilty/want to honor Will/need to work off summer ice cream/want to exploit this opportunity to shamelessly advertize A Wish for Ashley/am curious about who this Audra girl is and want to meet her, the mother, Sister Two (sorry, Sister One is across the country and might have to be a Virtual Walker), Brother or ZAK! WILL’S DOG!… join our team and walk with us on September 13th!  Mind you, Mother, Sister Two, Brother and Zak have not yet volunteered yet to participate, but like how I’ve thrown them under the bus here?  Yes the course is ridiculously long but you can join it for any distance (and I promise I won’t heckle you if you can only do 1 mile… I’ll probably be begging you for a piggy back).  I’ve told you my family is crazy, so therefore in this circumstance I can guarantee you a good time.  I have no doubt our lot will be dancing and singing during most of the experience- can you find more fun on a Sunday morning?  I think not.  

Or, if the idea of meeting/walking/dancing/singing with our sure-to-be certifiable crew terrifies you, you can at least dissipate some of that guilt/honor Will/promote A Wish for Ashley by donating to our team’s fundraising efforts.  To join or donate check out our team page here: www.jimmyfundwalk.org/willandashley.  

In the meantime, I will be hitting the gym and peer-pressuring my family and friends into participating in some fashion.  Ooooooh and designing special team wear!!!  Like I said, shameless advertising opportunity…

With love (and gratitude that Fake Stepdad has signed up to join me in the walk if all my other family members turn me down),

Audra