"This, That & The Other"This: Got my haircut today and I need to wash it right now & rearrange it. You know the feeling after your hairdresser styles it, and you just HAVE to do it YOUR way? (Yes, Julie, I know you do!)
That: We have a meeting tonight to discuss our FRENCH exchange program. Next month, our school is welcoming students from the school that hosted David's group last year; they are coming all the way from the small village of Ste. Tulle, in the south of France! We are very excited to host the younger daughter of the family that graciously opened their home to David. So again, I must go wash my hair and fix myself up a bit.
The Other: Yesterday, I went to the University of Washington to participate in a panel discussion (of sorts). A group of parents of pediatric patients met with Physical Therapy Ph.D. candidates to answer their questions about "family-centered care." We broke into small groups and answered questions for about an hour. I was with a group of four or five wonderful students. Some of the parents brought their children with them, but obviously, that wasn't an option for me. I brought in photographs of Katie, told her story briefly, and fielded questions. It was a great learning experience for me, and good practice, I think, for Indianapolis.
In case you've forgotten, Indianapolis means the Hope and Empowerment Event, hosted by the Henry Tucker Foundation on March 19th and 20th. On Friday night, March 19th, we will be treated to a screening of the movie, "Letters To God," and the movie's writer and co-director, Patrick Doughtie, will be our keynote speaker on Saturday, the 20th.
I will speak in breakout sessions; also speaking in these smaller sessions will be Henry Allen (father of Cameron & founder of the Brain Candy Project), Heide Randall (mother of Jessica) & Diane Killian (co-founders of Team Unite), Bob Piniewski (father of A.J. and founder of PAC2 [People Against Childhood Cancer]), Dr. Bassem Razzouk (Medical Director of St. Vincent Children's Hospital's Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases) and other people who are active in working to improve the lives of cancer patients and their families. If you live in the area, or know someone who does, please tell them about it. It's a free event, and 250 tickets are already gone!
As Michelle Tucker (mother of Henry) says, awareness = funding = research = CURE!
More information can be found here.
9 comments:
This: I understand!
That: How wonderful. Your exchange student will be treated to time with a wonderful family!!!!
The Other: Oh, I am so proud of you for doing this...you are the best.
I am so excited about your big event coming up...a big deal!!!
It's so great that you get to go and tell your story. There is so much there for others to learn! I totally know the feeling about the hair thing. I always leave with a wet head, come home, rewash and fix it myself. : )
Your hair looks wonderful -- so stylish and chic. It sounds like it'll be fun to host a young French girl -- our family did that when my youngest sister was in high school. The French girl was only about thirteen or so but effortlessly chic -- we still talk about how she'd throw her scarf over her shoulder --
The panel discussion that you talked about reminds me of the work I do for the National Initiative to Improve Children's Healthcare Quality (NICHQ) -- it's so good to hear that "patient-centered" care is becoming a buzzword all over the country.
And I can't WAIT to hear about your talk!
I am so proud of you too. You have such great courage to give to others what you have learned at such a price. Blessings on you.
Tell David that we like a good Switzerland tee-shirt down here in Los Angeles (my boys are half-Swiss!).
Such great work you are doing Karen. I smile at the thought of all the families you are helping.
Funny -- I always AVOID washing my hair after returning from the salon. They do it so much better than I can. Yours, in every picture, looks wonderful. Enjoy your exchange student!
This: has always been my problem until I found Don. No one ever was able to tame my hair and give me exactly what I wanted. I would follow him to the ends of the earth or until I go bald.
That: I think it is one of the greatest things to do for our young people. I envy you.
The other: You are so wonderful to do this. We need more people to turn a tragedy into a miracle and you and all those wonderful human beings in that band of miracle workers are doing just that. I am proud of you and send you my best as always. Hugs from here.
Karen! You're catching the Suz comedy bug. I love it!
I'm with you on the hair salon styling. I always tell them not to put any gel or mousse or hairspray in my hair, and they ALWAYS do it anyway. Grrrr. I don't use that stuff since I have stick straight thin hair that doesn't listen anyway. All that the products do is weigh my hair down.
I just realized I never responded to your question about my friends who are attending the event. They are podiatrists' assistants (hahaha!) at one of the hospitals sponsored by Peyton Manning.
Will do, Elizabeth! =)
I'd love to hear more about your panel discussions with NICHQ.
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