BE THE MATCH!

Working with pediatric cancer patients can be very difficult because these children are fighting everyday for their lives. We celebrate with the survivors and remember the ones that fought hard to the end. More than likely you know someone with cancer, whether it is a family member or friend. Odds are that you probably know a child with cancer, too. I personally know a lot of children with cancer because I get the privilege to work with them every weekend at the hospital. These children are amazing and are so strong and brave. These children sometimes go through more in a week  (procedures, lab draws, tests, medications, transfusions) than some people go though in a lifetime. I wish that no child ever had to endure any of these things, but until a cure is found, these children will continue to go though all these things.

This is why I am begging you to do what you can to help save these children's and adult's lives by doing just a few simple tasks. First, people that have cancer are constantly needing blood and platelet transfusions. I beg you to please go donate. The 30 minutes of your day and single needle poke could in essence save a life. I am a proud blood donor and I go every time that I am able, which is every 2 months, to donate. I am just upset with myself that I waited so long to become a consistent donor. I am getting pretty close to finishing off my 2 gallon.

Sometimes when the chemotherapy treatment that patients are on doesn't work as expected they are faced with having to undergo a bone marrow transplant. The second task that I ask of you is to become a member of the National Marrow Donor Program (bethematch.com). I am currently in the process of doing this myself. With your help an individual could become cancer free. To become a donor is quite simple. You just have to go online and submit an application and they send you a kit in the mail, which consists of a couple mouth swabs. Then you return the kit and you get placed on the registry. Now being an actual donor consists of much more, but the first steps are getting registered.

I give because I am currently in good health and I can easily spare some blood to help someone that isn't. I also want to be on the donor registry because I have seen first hand some patients that had to undergo this procedure and I know how difficult of a time that it can be. If I could help someone by being the best possible match for them then it is worth it. As our pastor said recently in a message "If we don't help our fellow man, then who is going too?" He also told this story about two men that met while out fishing on vacation. The two men upon first glance looked like they would have nothing in common, except for fishing. However, over the next few days these two men began talking and found out that they actually had a lot in common. They had both been married for a long time to their wives, with 2 children a piece, and had both served in the military. Only major difference they seemed to find was that one of the men was in kidney failure and needed a kidney transplant. The other man went home and told his wife that he was going to donate a kidney to his new friend. He went to get tested and sure enough he was a perfect match for this man he had just met 3 days ago. This message and story at church just really touched me and helped me make the decision to join the national bone marrow registry and to sign the back of my driver's license to become an organ donor.

So, the third task is to become an organ donor. This subject is a little more difficult for some people. There are many misconceptions out there about how organ donation works. However, it all comes down to a decision, To be or not to be a donor. After you make this decision you need to discuss it with your family because in the end they will be making the decisions if the unfortunate does happen. I won't get into all the details of how organ donation works, but I just want you to know that there are thousands of people who could benefit from your donation. I again have had the privilege to take care of many people both waiting and recovering from a transplant. Some of these people can now live a somewhat normal lifestyle and it is all because of organ donors.

Now back to where we talked about how we all knew someone with cancer. I am sure that if that person asked you to give blood or see if you were a bone marrow match then you would do it? Right? Well, why not help out another family that is in need so you can save their loved one. You never will know as a donor how many lives you truly effect, because not only do you save that 1 individual, but you give that much hope to everyone that loves your recipient. So, please BE THE MATCH!

Thanks for reading and God Bless!

UPDATE: My kit came in the mail and I did my four cheek swabs and sent it back in to the company in order to get on the active registry list.

It was extremely easy to complete the kit. 

Please sign up to donate! You could save a life!

30 by 30

If you don't know today is my birthday and I turn 29 this year. In the last 29 years I have been privileged to do some pretty amazing things. Some of those things I have talked about in previous posts and some will be talked about in future ones. However, because of some people that have done this before me, I have decided to make a list of 30 things I would like to accomplish before my birthday next year. That gives me 365 days to complete my list. I have reviewed these with Jennifer and she says that although some of these are difficult, she believes that I can accomplish all of them if I put my mind to it.

1. Read the entire Bible - I have always wanted to do this and always get sidetracked. I will try to read from start to finish and I hope and pray that I grow closer to God while reading the scripture.

2. Lose 50+ pounds - I have always been a heavy set person, but if I don't make changes now in my lifestyle, eating and exercise habits it will make life much more difficult as I get older. I want to live to a ripe old age and be able to see and play with my grandchildren and I think this is a great start. A lot of my other goals will pertain to and benefit this goal.

3. Stop biting my nails - This is one of my extremely nasty habits. I do this most of the time out of boredom which just seems crazy because most people do this when they are nervous.

4. Finish a 5K with both children under 30 minutes - The first task will be to finish a 5K under 30 minutes by myself and after that I will add in pushing the double stroller during the race. In April I have already signed up for my 1st 5K which is the color run here in Lexington.

5. Pay for a strangers meal - I have always heard of people doing this and I have decided that I want to participate too. I think about it most of the time when we are out at a restaurant, but I have never actually gone through with it.

6. Write at least 2 blog posts a month - I have really struggled with keeping up with things that we have done as a family ever since Landon has been born. I want to make sure to keep track of these things and write a post so that the kids will be able to see what was going through my head on all our adventures.

7. Bike 1,500 miles - I recently got a stationary bike and I have started to enjoy putting some miles in after the kids go to bed. This requires me to get 4.1 miles in a day.

8. Run 500 miles - I however have not ever enjoyed running, but it is one of the best exercises that I can do while I am watching the kids and it is also free, which you can't beat! This goal will require me to get at least 1.4 miles in each day.

9. Potty train a child - I originally wanted to say both children, but Jennifer said I was crazy. So, I know how difficult it can be to get a child completely potty trained, but I am going to give it my best shot. I am sure Brinley is going to give me a challenge with this task.

10. Go an entire month not eating out at restaurants - Jennifer and I have tried this before but it always seems that something comes up and we have to go out for a celebration or something. So, I have already set aside August for this task because we don't have any birthdays or celebrations that I could think of to celebrate. We also plan to try and eat out less during the year because it gets so difficult with one child eating table foods, so I can only imagine when Landon starts in.

11. Get rid of DirectTV (cable in general) - I have wanted to do this for a long time and we have come close before and we end up backing out. I have several friends who have gotten rid of it and just watch stuff online and with netflix.

12. Register as a bone marrow donor - I have met some people that have had to get a bone marrow transplant and I just feel like if I could help save somebody's life then it is something that I should do.

13. Give up fried side items for a year or longer - Our culture is really caught up in fried side items including myself. I love french fries and onion rings like everyone else, but there is nothing healthy about it. Brinley has also seen the negative effects of my eating habits and because of it fries are one of her favorite foods. I just want to lead by example, so it starts with me.

14. Go an entire month or longer with no sweets (except immediate family members birthdays) - This means everything including cakes, pies, chocolate, candy or anything else that I usually consume. I will try to satisfy my sweet tooth instead with natures candy - fruit.

15. Go on 2 date nights a month with no kids - The past 2 years have been amazing with Brinley and Landon. However, I have not gotten to spend as much time with my best friend as I would like. We are happy to take the kids with us wherever we go, but it is also fun to relax and eat dinner without having to change a diaper or keep the kids calm so that we don't completely ruin other peoples dinner with our noise.

16. Take the kids to Disney World - You might ask why now? Simple - the kids are both free and why not take them to what is considered the greatest place on earth when I can see the pure joy and excitement on their faces.

17. Take wife to Harry Potter World - Ever since we came back from Australia, Jennifer has wanted to go to Universal Studios to see Harry Potter World. We were both excited to plan a quick trip down to Florida when we found out we were expecting Brinley. Then we had Landon. So now we are free to go and Jennifer and I can both ride all the rides.

18. Work 26 extra shifts - Jennifer and I decided that if we both worked an extra shift a paycheck then we could try and pay off some of our debts and add money to retirement.

19. Try 5-10 new foods - If you know me at all then you know that I am a pretty picky eater. I haven't tried most things and I usually am not open to it.

20. Pay off at least 1 of the 2 student loans we have left - Jennifer and I accumulated some pretty large debts from our college educations. We both attended Georgetown College and then the University of Kentucky so we both had some hefty sized loans.

21. Attend church on a more regular basis (weekly) - We currently attend Southland Christian Church here in Lexington and love it. However, with my current work schedule it is sometimes difficult to attend. However, we want to make a point of it to attend more often this year and to try and become more involved with the church too.

22. Watch all the best pictures award winners since I was born in 1985 - I don't think that I can watch all 100+ winners, but I can at least see all the ones that have been made since I have been around. Some I have seen, but others will be my first time seeing them.

23. Plant and grow my own vegetable garden - This is something that I have been excited about since last summer ended. Last year I successfully grew some tomatoes and a few squash. This year I have been actually doing a little research, so that I can grow even more and maybe even have some to share with friends and family.

24. Spend less time playing on my phone - I am going to make a point of trying to be less reliant and dependent of my cell phone especially while the kids are awake. I want to play and interact more with them, so the phone will have to go. My goal is to try and only have it out when the kids have gone down for naps and after they go to bed at night.

25. See 2 new NFL football teams - After my sister started working for the NFL we have both been trying to see all the teams play. She of course is winning because she gets to see quite a few while on business, but I am doing pretty good. I have seen 23 out of the 32 teams so I only have 9 left.

26. Take both kids to see a men's UK basketball game - I am so lucky to have been raised a wildcat and am even happier to be an alumni of the greatest college basketball tradition in the world. So, to keep up with that I would like to take the kids and let them see first hand what basketball in the bluegrass is all about.

27. Give up pizza for 1 month - We eat it way too much in our house so I am going to see if I can give up my favorite food for an entire month.

28. Go hunting or fishing - I grew up in the country, but my family is not really big into the outdoors. However, over the years I have talked with many friends and family and it has made me want to give it a shot (no pun intended).

29. Go on a day trip with no children - We have never gone further than a few miles from the house while out on a date.

30. Volunteer - Not sure what this will entail and I currently don't have any plans in mind. I just know that there are people who are less fortunate than myself and could use a hand. I plan to make this happen in some way, shape or form during this year.

I appreciate any help or advice with trying to accomplish these tasks that you might be able to give me. I also encourage you to put your goals down somewhere and even show them to at least one other person so that they can hold you accountable to some extent. I will try and keep you updated during the year on my progress. Thanks for all your support! Thanks for reading and God bless!