The grand total, at this very moment, in the #helpSam account is $9,292! As of Friday night when I shut down entries into the giveaway we were at a little bit over $9,100, and even more donations have rolled in since then.

That means we not only reached our ultimate SUPER DUPER goal of $7,500, but we put more than another $1,500 on top of that!! You all are phenomenal. I tweeted this Friday night, but I’ll say it here again. Thank you. You make me happy to raise my babies in this world.

I also have more FANTASTIC news from Cassie. On Friday, just hours before entries to the giveaway closed, Cassie got a call from her employer regarding her COBRA coverage. It turns out they made a mistake when filing her paper work and she IS eligible for the reduced premium. It will now only cost them a little over $500/month instead of $1,500/month. With the amount we raised, we basically just paid for all the COBRA coverage they will be allowed to utilize. Cassie expressed some guilt that people gave based on the $1,500/month amount, but I reassured her that when Sam gets better and she goes back to work, if she has a surplus of donations left over, she can pass them on to another family facing challenges. Until then, I told her to hang on to it, breathe a sigh of relief, and just focus on taking care of Sam. The money will be there to support them in whatever way they need.

ON TOP OF ALL THAT, I have even better news (from Cassie’s blog):

Sam’s CT results came back today and showed a marked improvement! One tumor near his spine is completely gone! We haven’t gotten the MIBG results back but everyone is very pleased with the CT results! The drugs are doing their job and our prayers are being answered! Praise Jesus!

Amazing. Amazing. Amazing.

A reader posted this poem on my Facebook Fan Page and I wanted to share it with everyone here. It’s one I’m familiar with, but completely forgot until she shared it with me.

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed
a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean.

Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”

The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean.
The surf is up and the tide is going out. If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.”

“Son,” the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish?
You can’t make a difference!”

After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish,
and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man, he said…”
I made a difference for that one.”

No, we didn’t cure cancer with our efforts to #helpSam, but we made a difference, even if just in the life of one boy. Now, what we have to do is keep the momentum going. Take the energy we got from this, the great feeling that came from the huge success of this fundraiser and help more people. It doesn’t have to be anything big. It doesn’t take very much. Lots of small efforts can really add up to something huge.

I encourage you all to keep the giving going. Consider sacrificing another lunch out or a couple coffees next week. I want to introduce you to a blog called Raising Madison (for those who aren’t familiar with the cuteness already). Madison’s mom is raising money for Keegan who has a similarly heartbreaking story. He’s 8 months old and was just diagnosed with Medulloblastoma after having a malignant tumor removed from his brain. You can read his whole story here, as well as make a donation to help his family out. The fundraiser is run very much like the #helpSam fundraiser, with some amazing prizes up for grabs for just a $5 donation. Let’s continue the love and support of #helpSam by #karingforKeegan.

The internet is a powerful vehicle, but it’s only when so many kind-hearted, generous souls behind it come together that it can do such BEAUTIFUL things. I am so proud of this moment, so proud of everyone who did anything to help the cause. Every single donation, every dollar, every tweet, every comment, every little thing added up to something bigger than we could have ever imagined. THANK YOU.

I’m closing entries to the #helpSam giveaway tonight at 10 pm CST, so that still gives us plenty of time to raise more. Remember that all it takes is a $5 donation to be entered to win one of the spectacular prizes our generous sponsors have donated. If you can’t donate today but still want to help, don’t worry. Even though the giveaway portion of the fundraiser will be over, you can still donate to the #helpSam account long after this, for as long as the Sartins need the support.

I leave you with something Alex, Cassie and Sam wanted to share with everyone to express how grateful they are for all your support. Grab a Kleenex or a hankie. You’re going to need it. (Don’t miss the comments and tweets that pop up at the bottom!)

Gratitude from Cassie Sartin on Vimeo.

“No, it won’t all go the way it should, but I know the heart of life is good.”

Thank you for making the heart of life so good.

Go here to donate!

(If this is the first you’re hearing of Sam, please read his story here.)

At this moment, there is $6,868.33 in the #helpSam PayPal account. We are SO CLOSE!! I know we can make it there, but I don’t want to take anything for granted. The truth is, over the last week, the donations have really slowed down. I completely expected that. I mean, we’ve raised a TON of money and so many people have contributed, but let’s not run out of steam yet. I don’t know how else to spread the word beyond my own little circle of influence other than asking you in my circle to please spread the word to yours. Tweet about it, Facebook it, tell your moms group, whatever you can come up with. $5 gets everyone a chance to win one of so many spectacular prizes, but best of all, it gives you a warm fuzzy  feeling, knowing that, in some way, you were able to help a family whose baby, not even a year on this earth yet, is fighting for his life, fighting against cancer.

I leave you with a video of Sam, the fighter. He makes it look so easy.



Waiting Room from Cassie Sartin on Vimeo.

Please go here to see the list of prizes and donate (scroll all the way to the bottom for the donate button). Or just send funds to helpsamfundraiser@gmail.com. Thank you so much to all of you who are spreading the word, thank you to everyone who’s donated. Thank you for all the kind thoughts and prayers. I know Cassie and her family are so appreciative of it all. Thank you for being amazing.

So, after we smashed $1,000, I thought we’d shoot for $1,500, paying for one month of COBRA. Then we shattered that before the end of the day on Friday, and I set my sights on 2 months of COBRA. Ladies and Gentleman, I am happy to tell you that I’ve now set yet ANOTHER goal, because we have already surpassed $3,000. At this moment, there is $3,342 in the account, and we are well on our way to paying for 3 months and raising $4,500 by June 11th.

YOU ALL ARE SO AWESOME!!

Thank you for the donations, for the tweets, for sharing on Facebook. Thank you for telling your friends, your family, your church. Thank you for reaching out to see what else you can do. Thank you for making this come together. It’s an amazing thing to witness.

And Cassie (Sam’s mom)? She wants you all to know that she thinks you’re pretty awesome, too. If you’re on Twitter, you can follow her @CassieSartin. She’s tweeting updates about Sam when she can.

Over the last few days I’ve added a ton more prizes to the list. You must check it out! I’ve got to give a big shout out and thank you to Ariana from Becoming-Mom.net (seriously beautiful blog, by the way). She just lost a friend to lung cancer a few days ago and immediately began reaching out to her contacts to help me with the fundraiser as a way to honor her friend’s memory. She came through big by introducing me to KidStuff PR, who reached out to all their clients for prize donations. The list of stuff is just amazing. Remember, for every $5 you donate, you get one chance to win.

For those who want to know how I’ll determine winners, the plan is to put every donor’s name on a spreadsheet one time for every $5 they donate. The names will be numbered, and I’ll use Random.org to draw. I’ll start with the prize with the highest value, and go down from there.

I know some of you were asking about a button, and I finally have one, thanks to Mandy from Blogs by Mandy (who also redesigned Cassie’s blog as a gift for her). It’s over there <<<< in the left sidebar. Just C&P the html.

Thank you again for all the support. Let’s rally together and get to $4,500! I know we can do it to #helpSam.

Unfortunately, Sam is back in the hospital today for a platelet transfusion. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

When Stuart walked in behind the cameraman I noticed he was wearing a Team Jason hat. I thought maybe it was one of those “Team Anniston” or “Team Edward” things and didn’t really give it much thought. At some point during our first interview I mentioned to him that I was spending a lot of time online trying to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and Team In Training. That’s when he told me about Team Jason and his own heartbreaking connection to the LLS.

Stuart lost Jason, his partner and love of his life, to non-hodgkin’s lymphoma last May, one year to the day after he was diagnosed. Just 5 months later, Team Jason raised over $10,000 for the North Texas Chapter Light the Night Walk, the most raised by any friends and family team there. ( Dallas Voice just posted a great story about Stuart and Jason’s story.)

This year Stuart is planning to raise $25,000 in time for the walk in October. His first big fundraiser is coming up this weekend, and as part of it he, with the help of Olivia Bennet (a local leukemia survivor and amazing artist whose talent landed her on Oprah at age 12), is going to give away a gorgeous painting valued at $1,700.  And ANYONE can enter to win. All you have to do is click here and donate.

If you’re unable to come to the event, please donate through this site. Anyone who donates between March 18 and April 10, 2010 will be entered in the raffle to win this AMAZING painting by Southlake artist & leukemia survivor OLIVIA BENNETT (http://www.oliviabennett.com). $10 = 1 entry. $25 = 3 entries. $50 = 6 entries. Please provide your full name & email address when making your donation.

Since getting to know Stuart last year, he’s continued to amaze me with his kind spirit, his sense of humor and his dedication to a cause and the memory of a man so close to his heart. He’s an inspiration and the kind of person you’re glad drifted into your life. I can’t wait to see all the great things Team Jason will accomplish this year. Please consider donating to help him help the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and all those it serves.

About 7:30 last night I began feeling sick to my stomach and experienced a really painful headache. Chalking it up to nerves and exhaustion, I headed back to our hotel room to get in bed as early as possible. By the time I made it up the elevator and through the door, I was feeling pretty damn terrible. I laid in bed, writhing… and burping…oh yes, those burps you get before you throw up. I am not one of those people who easily blows chunks. I HATE throwing up, and will will my body to do anything in it’s power to prevent it, but even that wasn’t enough. By the time midnight rolled around, I had puked what I believe to be the entire contents of my guts out. I don’t recall a time ever in my life when I puked so much. Even Scott, who so kindly held back my hair, marveled about the sheer volume.

My coach told us before we left that 80% of your performance on race day is determined by nutrition. Well, considering all of the “nutrition” I’d so strategically taken in over the last 36 hours was now making it’s way down the sewer pipes, and considering I couldn’t so much as keep a sip of Gatorade down, I had to count myself out of the race.  Talk about a major disappointment.

Scott wasn’t feeling too hot, either, when the alarm went off this morning, but he decided to give it a try anyway. I knew it was bad when he came back to the hotel after only running 8 miles. This guy went into the marathon trying to run a 3 hour and 40 minute race, and to quit after not even completing the half? Well, that wasn’t a good sign. Even worse? He proceeded to puke his guts out as soon as he got into the room.

So here we are, laying separately in each of the double beds, watching Wizard Of Oz, and lamenting over the way the weekend ended up. No finish line for us, no medals, no after party. Yes, I still raised a considerable amount for a tremendous cause, and we’ve benefited from the training and the friendships we’ve made. It’s just disappointing to not be with those teammates who I’ve trained with for so long to celebrate our accomplishment.

We’re not quite sure what made us sick. We thought it was maybe food poisoning from a Mexican place on the River Walk where we had lunch yesterday, but now I’m wondering if it’s some form of the flu. We’ve both had the aches and a fever off and on all day, but the upset tummies are gone… I hope. I was finally able to get some chicken soup down and would really hate to see it come back up. It was f-ing $9 for a cup. Damn hotel prices.

The silver lining in all of this, if there is one, is that my mom is watching Kendall this weekend. I can NOT imagine both of us being so sick back home. I have no idea what we would do with him. I guess if we HAVE to be sick, this is the best place for that to happen. We’ve got separate beds, which helps us not disturb each other in our own misery, room service, endless clean towels, and Pay Per View… and the boy is with his Nana. Hallelujah!

Kendall is about 18.5 months old, and I really hope we aren’t contagious when we pick him up tomorrow

FYI- I’m still raising $$ for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!! I’m about $125 short of my goal and would really LOVE to reach it by Wednesday. I’m hosting a drawing for prizes then, and anyone who donates $5 or more to my LLS account will automatically be entered to win. There are a TON of great prizes (over 20). Most recent, Hot Mama Designs jewelry donated $100 jewelry credit for one lucky winner. Check out more here, or just click here to donate. If I can get just 25 more readers to donate $5, I’ll reach my goal! Thank you SO MUCH to all of you who’ve already supported me and made a donation to this or any other fundraiser I’ve held.

My great aunt, Aunt Bev, who was the closest thing I had to a grandmother for many years, succumbed to Leukemia 6 years ago. She was always a fighter, always an optimist, and always a planner. I have to laugh remembering her specific orders for certain mums to be planted in the flower boxes at her house before she passed. Knowing that people would be over, she hated to think the flower beds would look neglected or out of season. She also insisted on a margarita machine at the house after her funeral. She was my kind of lady, and I didn’t even realize it so much at the time.

When we began training we had the opportunity to meet Luke, our honored hero. He’s nearly 3 now and has been in remission for a while, but I shudder to think all he has been through in his short life so far, and it makes me incredibly grateful for the health of my loved ones, especially Kendall.

And, just last week I met another wonderful man who lost his partner, the love of his life, to Lymphoma this spring. I just can not imagine going through something like that, and it breaks my heart.  A Light the Night team was created in his memory, and last month they raised over $10,000 for the LLS. It’s really such an inspiration to me.

My goal is $2,900, and I’m just about $600 short of reaching that. I’m hoping this final fundraiser will put me over the top, but I need your help. If I can get just 120 readers to donate $5, I’ll be there!

There’s more in this for you, though, than just the warm fuzzy feeling you’ll get from it. I’ve managed to get some last minute product donations from some awesome companies and will be giving them away to random donors when I get back from my marathon on November 18th (that’s 2 weeks from today). Every person who donates $5 or more will automatically be entered to win one of the prizes.

Here’s a list of my awesome sponsors and what you could win (I am still in the process of contacting companies and will hopefully be adding to this. If you’d like to donate a prize, please send me an email – jlll at babyrabies dot com- and let me know!):

SunshineDiapers.com – $50 store credit – one winner
Bloom Maternity- Skip Hop Pronto- one winner
BearHands- BearHands from the Buddy collection- one winner
Hugs and Kisses Designs- burp cloth, bib and paci clip set- one winner
Blogs By Mandy- digital invitation design – one winner
Blogs By Mandy- blog makeover – one winner
Ultimate Cupcake – one dozen gourmet cupcakes- two winners
Boogie Wipes- one 30 count pack of Boogie Wipes – three winners
NippleSeal- one NippleSeal – two winners
Happy Baby Foods- one Happy Baby prize pack – one winner
Digi Time Capsule- one My Pregnancy Digi Time Capsule- one winner
Three Peas Co. – (TBD)

Added 11/9

ShutterBuddy – One Shutter Buddy – one winner
Lassig- one Lassig Messenger Bag – one winner
Maureen Lipinski- one autographed author’s copy of A Bump In The Road- two winners
Sincerely Silver- Navajo Bear silver pendant and necklace- one winner

Added 11/12

Hot Mama Designs Jewelry – $100 credit toward purchase of your choice – one winner

Hopefully I’ll have more to add to this list the next couple weeks!

So here’s how it works, just click HERE to make a donation. It will ask you for your full name and address, but none of that info will be shared publicly. I will, of course, need access to that to arrange for a prize to be shipped to you if you win.

Starting today, anyone who makes a donation will be eligible to win, but the donation must be for at least $5. If you’d like to have multiple chances to win, please make multiple donations of at least $5. If you just want to donate more than $5, go for it!

Unfortunately, I am only able to select winners from the US and Canada (and some prizes only ship to the US). If you are from another country and would still like to donate, I would be so grateful, but please know that we won’t be able to ship any of the prizes to you.

I know that with all of your help I can get to my goal, maybe even smash it. I really appreciate the donations, and please help me spread the word. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is a fabulous organization doing a tremendous amount of good. Thank you so much!! GO TEAM!