This might not make sense to everyone.But bear with me. During the holiday season, requests for donations really go up and the one that gets me is St. Judes. I love all of the work they have done and I know it's places like this that have created the protocols of chemotherapy that have made success rates for diseases like leukemia skyrocket to 75-80%, which is amazing and wonderful. But, I go into the movie theater to escape life for a while and I am confronted by stars like Jennifer Aniston with sweet little bald people asking for money. They ask on behalf of our healthy kids. Well, I didn't have a healthy kid and reminders of things like this bring some bad feelings back. It always closes my throat and makes it hard to swallow. I don't know when feelings like these are going to go away. Maybe five years out when she officially becomes a long term survivor.
I guess I am just saying I wish I knew when these commercials were coming on so I could avoid them. I appreciate their work, but I don't appreciate bawling during "The View" when Marlo Thomas comes on and talks about her work. (I didn't know she was going to be on there either). 
**** Just to show I'm not truly ungrateful, check out these stats!! I cannot believe that one form of leukemia gets cured more often than Wilms Tumor, which is what I had and used to be the "good" cancer. Also, in the beginning I was happy that Fiona had lymphoma and not leukemia. Maybe I should rethink that.
5 comments:
I can see how that would be hard. Those things make me cry and my boys are both healthy. I am so glad to see that statistically things have improved so much. Fiona will be a long term survivor, it runs in the family.
I think that's a legitimate vent, especially in your situation. Nobody wants to be blindsided with reminders like that.
I always think of you and Fiona, especially when Jennifer A. says, "Your daughter's beautiful hair ..."
I personally don't mind the commercials because they do serve as a reminder to be grateful for my kids' good health, which I sometimes take for granted. But I understand your side of the story and I wish there was some way to warn you!
Can you email me your snail mail address ... I'm up late working on Christmas cards tonight! I'm determined to get them sent out on Monday (finally!) ranellw@verizon.net
I've been thinking of you. I'm glad you're feeling well - take it easy though!
A friend offered to take me to the movies after Lillian died. We bought our tickets, delicious treats and hunkered down in our seats. And then...the stupid St. Jude's ad comes on screen. Bigger than life. I will admit, I uttered a non-PG word at that point.
Everytime they come on, it's like a sucker punch right to the gut. I love their work, I hate their PR.
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