Vince's Journey

As I've mentioned on several occassions, there have been several ongoing fundraising efforts where friends have taken on the task supporting the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in honor of me. A couple weeks ago, Jim Pustinger ran the Flying Pig Marathon and it was quite an honor to run the last 3 miles with him, Julie and her sister, Jeanne. On Sunday, May 21, Molly Brown-Boulay will compete in the Memphis Triathalon and while I'm not able to be present when Molly crosses the finish line, I will be there in spirit and wish her tremendous success. I'm not sure how much Jim and Molly raised through their efforts but I do know they reached their goals and appreciate all the support they received.

Last night was the finals of the Cincinnati LLS Man and Woman of the Year event. Two very good friends ran for the man and woman awards, Chris Hodge for the men and Diane Faigle for the women. Both did a wonderful job and when all the dollars had been tabulated, they had raised close to $40,000 combined and Diane actually was 'crowned' woman of the year! There were 13 total candidates for the event and the grand total of dollars raised was over $200,000! Its efforts like this that will eventually lead to the cures for these blood related cancers.

So I simply want to thank my 'heros' for all that they've done to support the fight against these worthless diseases. You have been an inspiration to me and given hope to many others in my situation. You guys are the best!

I'd also like to mention one more 'Hero'...my mother-in-law, Vivian Riestenberg. Last fall things didn't look very good for Vivvy. She had been diagnosed with lung cancer, had surgery to remove part of her lung and struggled to recover from the surgery. She was weak, frustrated and actually wound up spending some time in Hospice. Amazingly, the day we went to visit her after learning of my situation, we walked into Vivvy's room at Hospice and she was sitting up in a chair. That may not sound like much of an achievement but having seen where she had been, it was quite an inspiration. I knew right then that she had decided to fight...and fight she did. Vivvy may be one of the first persons ever evicted from Hospice! She continued her recovery at the West Park Retirement Facility and after countless hours of rehabilitation and physical therapy, she was able to move back home in January. She was in attendance last night at the Man and Women event and is doing wonderfully. Her recovery has been nothing short of a miracle and I simply wanted to take the time to let her know how much her recovery has inspired me. Vivvy, you're the greatest!

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend....

Vince