I began to feel the urge to do something! I wanted to put together a fundraiser for sarcoma research in his honor. As I began researching, I found several great, but small, foundations and struggled to settle on just one on which to focus. I also was questioning what kind of fundraiser? All of the standards ran through my head--walks, a 5k, golf tournaments, etc. As I surfed online, I hunted for one in particular I remembered reading about in Self magazine, Cycle for Survival. This was founded by a sarcoma patient with a story similar to Dane's. She wanted to do something to advance research for orphan cancers and with the help of friends hosted an indoor cycling event, as she was a regular of spinning classes and loved cycling. I was incredibly impressed with her story and their focus on research for orphan cancers like sarcoma.
I first thought, yes, we can put together a Cycle for Survival event here in Oz. But wait...Mr. 1inamillion does not cycle. This needed to be something that he can be a part of whole-hearted. He doesn't run and he doesn't golf. What does he do? He sits. He waits and does chemo...all of his energy is spent in waiting rooms and treatments. Ugh....... He fishes and likes to bowl....maybe a tournament or 'a-thon' of some sort? When was the last time he did that? He doesn't have the energy left for it, it all goes to fighting this stupid cancer. Ugh..... What if?
What if we can raise money just doing what he does? Runners run, Golfers golf, Swimmers swim and they gain sponsorships doing it to raise money for their cause. Patients wait. Who says we can't sponsor that?
It began to take shape in my mind, and the shape it took was a snow ball rolling down hill. It got bigger....this could be every patient like Dane with orphan cancers. And bigger...patients with common cancers, too....leukemia...breast cancer....and bigger......Parkinson's patients like my mom could raise money to fund their research too.....Alzheimer's patients like my friends' mother and, heck, even people like me with chronic illnesses such as arthritis, fibromyalgia, diabetes. The list just grew. The potential to fund numerous research foundations for countless afflictions is huge.
We all have one thing in common, our fight takes patience. We all spend time and energy in waiting rooms, tests and doctors offices. The time and energy we spend might vary, but that's no different than the effort varying between a one mile walk, a 5k or a marathon.
I should share with you that my real job involves helping design systems and web applications. Now understand that I'm not smart enough to develop it myself, I simply say things like, 'we need a button over here that does this when we push it' and then someone, way smarter than I, writes the code and makes it better than I ever imagined. Then I market it, so to speak. I help communicate the changes to those that use the system and train them to use it. So as Waiting-Place began to really take form in my mind, it began to look like a site that patients can track their appointments and time and share with their social network to potentially sponsor. Those who have a heart for a cause but aren't connected with a particular patient could potentially find someone to sponsor as well.
So a patient has an added purpose to their waiting, the sense of uselessness diminished. My prayer was being answered for Mr. 1inamillion and many, many more. Wow.
I looked up the definition of patience and there are two:
- The bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, delay, hardship, pain, etc. with fortitude and calm and without complaint, anger, or the like
- quiet, steady perseverance; even tempered care; diligence
Loving what was behind door number 2, I looked up the definition of perseverance:
- steady persistence in a course of action, a purpose, a state, etc., especially in spite of difficulty, obstacles, or discouragement
- continuance in a state of grace to the end, leading to eternal salvation
Waiting-Place has the potential to completely change the patience demonstrated in waiting rooms! No more 'suck it up and wait', but steady perseverance in the course towards a cure, just through sponsorships that fund research. How cool is that?
I learned of the Pepsi Refresh opportunity through the Kyrie Foundation's effort. They were in the running for a $250k grant in October. A friend is on their board, so we saw a lot of the pleas for votes on Facebook and answered them. They didn't get it, but they did come so very close; they ended the month in fourth place but needed to be in the top two. I am amazed that we were even accepted for voting this month with the $50k opportunity and that we are currently sitting in the top third. It takes an enormous number of votes and we must make it into the top ten. We have a long way to go, but this funding would give us the money Waiting-Place needs to launch in a big way.
The Kyrie Foundation is focused on pediatric brain cancer and is just one of the many foundations that could potentially receive funds from sponsorships through Waiting-Place. I recently learned that another foundation I found supporting sarcoma patients is closing. I am unsure of the reason, but I guess the battle for funding may have played a part. It's tough, and takes so much effort. I wonder about the difference Waiting-Place could have made for them. Imagine the accomplishments research foundations can make with funding that took little to no effort on their part? Such huge potential for medical research awaits in Waiting-Place. Potential for so many more answered prayers.
So again, I ask for your support. Please vote, please spread the word, and please pray for Waiting-Place.
- Text votes by sending 105175 to 73774 on your cell phones.
- Vote online at www.refresheverything.com/waitingplace
- Vote on Facebook with Pepsi's Refresh Everything application
- AND if you have an Android or iPhone, find the free Refresh Everything application, search & vote for waitingplace there, too!
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