The Story Behind the Journey ...

Ok, most of you are probably wondering what you are looking at and WHY..?  This would be a CT Scan of my Sister, Rebecca.  This was taken April 1st of this year.  Now, let me tell you that this was NOT an April Fool's Day Joke.  At the time, I was setting up the Sock Hop   ( my first fundraiser of the year ).  I got a very shaken call from my brother -in -law, Matthew.  As you can see by his labeling of the CT Scan he has a "cheeky" sense of humor.  When he called he was not himself, and he was having a hard time telling me what had just happened to my sister.  With what little information I had at the time, I was left with the decision to tell my parents or wait till I had more information to give them.   
 ( Just a little back information before I go on ), both Rebecca and Matthew are very skilled skier's and snowboarders so this was not an accident due to being a novice of the slopes.  I should also add that Rebecca is a highly skilled Doctor with many years of experience, graduating from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.  So, back to the story... Apparently, there was a male skier that was not paying attention and slammed into Rebecca at a high rate of speed.  She suffered a horrific blow, having ribs broken as well as her Spleen being split into two separate parts ( Not Normal ) and her one Kidney being severely damaged.  Being knowledgable of her surroundings, and knowing that it was a bad accident ( not the total extent of her injuries, but knowing   enough ) she made the difficult decision, to have Matthew by pass the nearest medical center and take her to a Hospital that she knew could take care of her.  In making this decision, it almost cost Rebecca, her life.  By the time that Matthew got to the Hospital she almost bled out,  they rushed her in to Emergency Surgery.  This is were I was left at the time just knowing that she was in a really bad skiing accident and that she was currently in surgery.  So, I told Matthew to concentrate on things there and to do what he could for my sister and I would take care of the rest.  To tell or not to tell... I know that most of you are thinking that this would not be a difficult decision to make.  However, it was extremely hard for me, as our parents are older and you always want to know as much as possible before you deliver this kind of news.  I took a moment and tried to weigh the options that lay before me.  Finally, I placed the call.  I told my parents all I knew at the time and asked them to try to be patient. Blowing up Matthew's phone would not get us the answers that we wanted any faster.  Waiting, is always one of the most difficult and frustrating things to do, because we always want to know now!  Once the surgery was over, Matthew called me to tell me what had happened and I relayed that I had talked to our parents.  He felt that he was now able to call and talk to them.  She was still far from "out of the woods", but she made it through the surgery.  Three months later she is still working on her recovery.  It is a slow, painful process.  Ok, for those of you that know me, you already know how tenacious I am.  Let's just say, that my sister is just as determined.  Now to the part of WHY? Why did I just tell you ALL of this?  Well, Rebecca decided long before the accident that she wanted to walk in the 2011, Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure in Arizona with me.  For those of you that have participated in one of these events, you already know the level of commitment that you need to be ready for that weekend to come.  The amount you need to raise and the miles you need to walk even before you get to the event.  With that being said, I believe in letting people have their own experiences and journey.  If it were not for the skiing accident, I would help my sister any way I could to fundraise, but would not do it for her.  As I think it is all part of the experience.  However, this is not the case.  I want my sister to concentrate on getting better and doing what she can at her own pace.  I am happy to report that BOTH of my walks, Cleveland and Arizona I have already raise my minimum of $2,300 for each walk.  I was thinking of adding a third walk either Washington DC again, or going to Atlanta.  As much as I would LOVE to see my friends that are walking in each of those cities, I felt it would be a hollow feeling, knowing that my sister was struggling.  So, with the help of my dear friend, Cathy from Cathy's Creations we took the money that we raised at our on-line auction and put it towards Rebecca's account, ( $ 1,600 to be exact ).   So, at this point I would ask you, if you were planning on donating to one of my walks this year, would you please consider taking that same donation and put it towards Rebecca's account. Here is the direct link to her Susan G. Komen 3-Day Account.  http://www.the3day.org/site/TR/2011/ArizonaEvent2011?px=5844949&pg=personal&fr_id=1600 

It would mean the world to me!  I know this blog entry was LONG today & Thank you for sticking it out with me, but I felt like it was a story that deserved to be told.  I look forward to November, in Arizona with great anticipation not only to see  my sister, but to share the 3-Day experience with her and everything that those 60 miles hold for us.