I feel like there are truly no words to describe how it feels to be in a place where over 10,000 people come together one one night for the same cause. When G-d provided a beautiful weather night and it was an amazing night of celebration and acknowledgement and memorial at the same time. The highlight moment is different for everyone I am sure but mine was surely during the lighting ceremony itself. At first when all are gathered together 10,000+ strong in silence for a moment to recognize those that have lost their battle with a blood cancer there were many yellow lanterns lit. Too many. Way too many. That is the goal of this night. To reduce this number and that is the goal of this night. The mission of this group. United with a cause. This group raised $1.2 million dollars last night for the Rocky Mountain Region to help towards this goal. I hope one day to see less or no yellow lanterns. Then it was time to light the red lanterns for those supporting those fighting . All the friends and family that have been there through it all and supported, loved, helped , funded, held hands, fed, cried, laughed, read, shopped, hugged, played, danced, waited, prayed, feared, and listened along with every person that has a blood cancer lit their lantern and the sky glowed red with the power of love. Then came that moment that was the most special of them all. That moment reserved for the real super heroes. The survivors. The selected star of the walk got up and shared her difficult journey and it's phenomonal success today as she called for all survivors to raise and light their white lanterns with pride. Although I wish Daniel was beside me, I know he was in my heart, but instead he was with his friends where he wanted to be. I hope he fely proud and strong raising his lantern. At that moment I looked out on the crowd and I was in tears. I was supposed to be in tears of joy but for some sad reason I realized I was in tears because in that sea of lanterns I saw so few white lanterns. So few. And I was sad. I was sad that I was sad and sad that I wasn't feeling happy to be there like I wanted to on this night. I wanted to be so happy for us and so proud of our accomplishment for us and yet it turned to sadness for a few moments of all the lost white lanterns. and all those that are not strong enough to be there. It made me think of every person there and that every one of those people have a story just like ours. Not like ours but one of there own. How many blogs like mine are out there? I thought about this the whole 2 mile walk how every family has been on their own path and they all have stories to tell. I am so proud of every one of them.
I am so determined to make next year's walk bigger and better and more of our own for Daniel. Next year we will have our own team shirts (Thank you Cindy) and next year we will have a food truck or something and a strong team and our family is going to come into town and take Wash Park by the storm. But tonight was really for Rob ans I about celebrating and enjoying where we had come in a year with Daniel. The walk was just over 2 miles around the beautiful park and lake and during that time Rob and I and friends and I spoke of several different thing. Mostly though it was what we accomplished over the year. Mostly Daniel of course. Last year at the walk we talked about so many unknowns ahead and Daniel was so, so sick. We were so unsure about the future. If there would be a future. I spent so much time telling Rob about the walk last year but until he was here to experience it , he didn't understand it's grandeur. I now realized that until you are somehow affected by this disease that you just just don't know what is going on out there. I guess it is the same for any disease. We went through this two years back with breast cancer. Once someone in your family is affected it is like diagnosis start coming out of the wood work. This year Hannah from work and her family joined us as well to walk for her little brother Sam. We all walked for Sam too as Sam is another diagnosed this past year with a blood cancer. When you see 10,000 people strong in front of you at Light the Night or 1 million at Race for the Cure it is powerful. it means a lot. What meant a lot is that Daniel's friend Hannah honor's Daniel, dedicating her walk to her friend. What means a lot is that Daniel's friend Aaron came with us and walked the whole way with a cast and a broken leg and today he is back on crutches and feeling the pain. What means a lot is that my girlfriends that were way to busy last night with a million other things going on came out last night to support us and Patti's Team. They are certainly our team-our red lantern.
We all finished the walk strong and proud, happy and hopeful for the future and I am ready to devote myself to a year of involvement of making next years walk big and better. I can only imagine how amazing and full this next year will be.
I am so determined to make next year's walk bigger and better and more of our own for Daniel. Next year we will have our own team shirts (Thank you Cindy) and next year we will have a food truck or something and a strong team and our family is going to come into town and take Wash Park by the storm. But tonight was really for Rob ans I about celebrating and enjoying where we had come in a year with Daniel. The walk was just over 2 miles around the beautiful park and lake and during that time Rob and I and friends and I spoke of several different thing. Mostly though it was what we accomplished over the year. Mostly Daniel of course. Last year at the walk we talked about so many unknowns ahead and Daniel was so, so sick. We were so unsure about the future. If there would be a future. I spent so much time telling Rob about the walk last year but until he was here to experience it , he didn't understand it's grandeur. I now realized that until you are somehow affected by this disease that you just just don't know what is going on out there. I guess it is the same for any disease. We went through this two years back with breast cancer. Once someone in your family is affected it is like diagnosis start coming out of the wood work. This year Hannah from work and her family joined us as well to walk for her little brother Sam. We all walked for Sam too as Sam is another diagnosed this past year with a blood cancer. When you see 10,000 people strong in front of you at Light the Night or 1 million at Race for the Cure it is powerful. it means a lot. What meant a lot is that Daniel's friend Hannah honor's Daniel, dedicating her walk to her friend. What means a lot is that Daniel's friend Aaron came with us and walked the whole way with a cast and a broken leg and today he is back on crutches and feeling the pain. What means a lot is that my girlfriends that were way to busy last night with a million other things going on came out last night to support us and Patti's Team. They are certainly our team-our red lantern.
We all finished the walk strong and proud, happy and hopeful for the future and I am ready to devote myself to a year of involvement of making next years walk big and better. I can only imagine how amazing and full this next year will be.