a garden of possibilities

 Happy Monday Lovies!!  I am so excited to have the whole fam up on the blog today, and most importantly Lincoln!!  so, to be honest, i'm not exactly fond of discussing Lincoln's illness.  i like to keep it light, and avoid any "real" discussions about the day to day because, quite frankly, cancer is depressing.  just the mention of the "C" word and you can see people start squirming.  i'm sure you're fidgeting right now as you're reading this, aren't you?  don't worry, it's totally normal.  hospital visits and trips to clinic are pretty much the new normal for us and i still get the urge to run when someone brings up a loved one battling this awful disease.  so, the good news is that our crazy little cutie is a survivor and has been cancer free for a little over a year now.  hooray Linc!!  on the flip side, many kids are not as fortunate.  everyday, 43 children are diagnosed with cancer.  12% do not survive.  now consider this; childhood cancer is one of, if not the most underfunded research.  only 1% of the American Cancer Society donations go towards childhood cancer research.  Pharmaceutical companies explore virtually no childhood cancer research, because it is not profitable, yet they fund almost 60% of all adult cancer research.  how about the fact that we go pink for breast cancer, grow out our beards for movember, but can any of you even name childhood cancers color?  or what month it is celebrated??  i bet you can't, i know i couldn't.  its September by the way, and the color just so happens to be one of my faves, GOLD!!  sorry, i got myself all fired up here, but as a mother, i find it infuriating that the future of our country is essentially being passed over because it's too sensitive to talk about and won't make us any money.  childhood cancer is the #1 killer of kids in our country.  it kills more kids in 1 year than all the other diseases combined!  i mean, c'mon people!!!  ok, ok, i'm taking deep breaths, i promise!!  i know this is a bit of a far cry from my regular vapid, "that's so MAJ" fashion posts, but when it comes to our youth, especially where mine are concerned, mama bear's claws come out.  when Lincoln was diagnosed, our doctor said, "whatever you do, DO NOT google it".  the "it" she was referring to, was Neuroblastoma, and you better bet your booties i googled the you know what out of it.  most of it is not great, and definitely not something you want to be reading when you're world's just been rocked with this news, but then i came across a small beam of hope, Chase After A Cure.  more importantly, Chase Ringler's story.  it gave me peace in knowing we were in the best hands possible at MUSC and as a team, we could beat this thing.  and beat it we did, thanks to the advances in medicine and the amazing research that has been done with funds provided by CAAC.  i'm telling you guys, mother's will move mountains for their kids, and Chase's mom did just that, and has put the wheels in motion so that kids like our Linc can have the best chance possible to beat this disease as well.  now don't just sit there feeling totally hopeless, because you're not!  you can do something!  if you're local, or maybe just in need of a quick weekend getaway, join me this Saturday at the 8th Annual Chase After a Cure Gala!  a little more in my wheel house, this event is the perfect excuse to get gussied up in a gorgeous gown and party for a cause.  i've linked up some amazing options below if you're in need of some fashion motivation and best yet, they're all from Rent the Runway, so you can just borrow for the night and save your money to bid on some of the amazing auction items up for grabs!  in case you haven't noticed, its a bit of a garden theme.  "chasing cures in a garden of possibilities"  and i hope you will help join the team and fight alongside these inspiring kids!  please head to www.ChaseAfterACure.com for more info on how you can help donate or volunteer or just spread awareness so that more kids have the opportunity Lincoln had.  and if you feel so inclined, wear Gold this September!!  love you guys for reading.  Have a great week!!

"children are our greatest treasure.  they are our future"  - Nelson Mandela


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