Today is my birthday.
Oh, hush. I’m not saying that for attention. I don’t make a big deal of my birthday because I prefer to count my many blessings quietly rather than get all “PAR-TAY!” about it. All I wish for these days is to have more days ahead of me than behind me. Given my age now, that wish becomes less and less reasonable, though. So I need to modify it.
What I wish for this year is for Emily to have more days before her than behind her. Who is Emily? Funny you should ask! Emily is my best friend’s daughter. She is a week older than C and it is our intent that they’ll get married someday. Because arranged marriages for 4 year olds are totally normal, right?
Emily is also a survivor of childhood brain cancer. She was diagnosed just after her second birthday and underwent surgery followed by over a year of chemotherapy. Her last treatment was more than a year ago and follow-up scans show no tumor regrowth, which is joyful news indeed.
This weekend, Emily will be an honored child for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation for the second year in a row. She will get to shave her father’s head and raise money for pediatric cancer research all at the same time. I’m donating to this event and I’m suggesting that anyone who is looking to make a charitable contribution to pediatric cancer, consider donating to Emily’s team!
A bit about St. Baldrick’s:
The St. Baldrick’s Foundation currently funds more in childhood cancer research grants than any organization except the U.S. government. The Foundation coordinates its signature head-shaving events worldwide, where volunteers get bald to stand in solidarity with kids fighting cancer and raise money to support life-saving childhood cancer research. St. Baldrick’s events are the largest volunteer-driven fundraising opportunity benefitting pediatric cancer research.
If you want to donate, simply click here to get to Emily’s team page!
