The Miller Family: Heather

Dear fellow bloggers, we need your help! As you probably all know my sister, Jenny, passed away just over a year ago from brain cancer, leaving behind two darling little girls. Now imagine if you were given a diagnosis of terminal cancer... now imagine it's brain cancer, like my sisters, and you are told that towards the end of your life, you will not be you - as everyone knows you - as the cancer takes over your brain. So the last few months of your life aren't spent holding your children, kissing and hugging them before you pass on. You spend it starring off, unable to speak - even though you want to - you just can't make the words come out (your brain won't let you). You can't feed yourself, or walk, or do any daily functions you should be able to do for yourself, however, you sit and watch your 18 month old do them, all by herself. It's a horrific death, as all cancer is. None of us would want this for themselves or for any of their loved ones and would do anything to make sure it never happens.

Well my sister, Heather, and her friend, Amy, are participating in the Brain Cancer Walk in Seattle, Washington where they live. They have set a high goal for themselves, $5,000 in pledges! They would appreciate your help in helping them reach their goal. 100% of all pledges (and even registration fees) goes to support the Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment (CABTT) at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute. When Jenny was going through her treatment it would have been so nice to have had a Neuroscience Institute full of the newest treatments and technology. The Huntsman Cancer Institute was great, much better than what most people have access to, however, it wasn't a neuroscience institute. How great it would have been to have had access to something like that. But the research and the new treatments that they are working on will help all brain cancer patients throughout the world. I understand times are tough and money is short for most of us, but a donation of $5 or $10 (the amount spent for lunch at Wendys or McDonalds) does help and adds up quickly. You can get a pledge form by emailing my sister at heathermariec@comcast.net or email myself at mindymiller@earthlink.net.

Below is Heather's pledge letter:

Dear Friends,

It’s time for the 2nd Annual Seattle Brain Cancer Walk! We hope you’ll join me on Saturday, May 30, 2009 at the Mercer Island High School Track to support the Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment (CABTT) at the Swedish Neuroscience Institute. We are organizing a team, Brain Stormtroopers, for this year’s event. Our team will participate in honor of Jenny Lynch (my sister) and Ken Harris (Amy's dad), and we would love to have you join us to help raise funds for brain cancer research and patient care!

It is very easy to join team Brain Stormtroopers. You can register online at www.braincancerwalk.org. Join our team by selecting Brain Stormtroopers on the sign-up page or you can also register by completing a registration form (let me know if you need one). Please return your paper registration to us by May 15th so I can submit it in time to make the registration deadline. The $25 registration fee includes a great T-shirt as well as food and festivities following the race.

This year, Brain Stormtroopers has set a fundraising goal of $5,000. If you are not able to participate in this year’s race, please consider making a pledge to help support our team with a pledge form. As team captains, we will be responsible for collecting all completed entry forms, fees and pledges (please contact me if you would like a pledge form). Because of generous sponsorship from Swedish Medical Center, 100% of funds raised, including the registration fee and all donations, benefit CABTT. Through groundbreaking research, personalized treatment plans and patient-centered care, CABTT is improving outcomes for patients and working toward an eventual cure for brain cancer.

We hope we can count on your support for the 2009 Seattle Brain Cancer Walk! Together, we can give hope to brain cancer patients and their families. Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. I can't wait to see you at this year’s event!

Sincerely,
Heather Chamberlain and Amy Hansen
Team Captains