Fighting For A Worthy Cause

I rarely (if ever) talk about my wife Jen (to the left here) in this blog. This isn’t an intended slight but just the fact that the subject matter here rarely crosses into that territory. If you ask her, I think she prefers it that way too. So if this post is a slight deviation to what you normally read here, I hope you’ll understand that the reason it is making it on here is because it is more important than anything else I have to share with you.

A year ago this month, Jen learned that she had thyroid cancer. This revelation came after six months of non-specific symptoms (being tired frequently), bad doctors, several encounters with very long needles and countless sleep-deprived nights. It was followed by two surgeries, radiation, hefty medical bills, and a maintenance medicine she’ll be taking for the rest of her life.

Through it all, she has complained very little about what she had to endure. I hope that if I ever have to do what she has done, I will be just as tough (but I know I won’t). Jen has also continued to support me while I’ve been starting a new job, blogging, starting a new website and getting more involved online. She is so strong that I often forget what she has gone through over the last year. She is truly my hero.

While I am busy gushing about my wife, it is important to note that three months before her diagnosis, my grandfather (to the left) died from colon cancer complications. This hit our entire family hard as it was believed his chances for survival were high after he was completely cancer free just a few years ago. It is one thing to face cancer with a dose of optimism and hope for the future, it is quite another to face it after just personally experiencing the worst thing that could happen with your disease.

I have no doubt that other people have their own stories about hope, survival, difficulties and death in the face of cancer. I wanted to share my own personal story because I know that this blog, HRM Today and everything else I have worked so hard on wouldn’t be possible without the love and support of my wife. I wanted to give her the recognition she deserves for being an integral part of this blog. I think you as readers can appreciate that.

More importantly, I wanted to encourage others to tell about their experiences with cancer over the next two weeks. Whether that be a victory, defeat or just a short thought, I believe educating people about cancer is an incredibly important part about fighting for this worthy cause. If you do write something about cancer (before Sept 27th), send me a quick note letting me know. I would like to highlight what you’re doing to spread the word on the following Monday.

If you don’t have a blog, leave a comment or send me an e-mail. I would like to highlight any stories I receive (even if you don’t have a blog).

If you have the financial means, I am encouraging you to donate to the American Cancer Society through a campaign I’ve set up. I’ve set a goal of $1,500 to reach by September 27th. I’ve added $500 to that pot to get it going (so there is only $1,000 left). I think that we can raise the rest of the money. In my opinion, no organization does more for cancer research or education than the ACS. I will be keeping a widget on my sidebar that shows the amount we have left to hit our goal. Even $10 can help.

I understand if you can’t donate but I knew I couldn’t do this post without having something that people could do to help. Helping to spread the word is free though so if you can do that, it would be as good as any donation you can give.

Thanks for allowing me to deviate from HR issues and for letting me focus on a human issue that is near and dear to me.