A Resounding Success

Here's the rundown of our event on Saturday. Twenty-one shaved heads (thanks, Sharon!). If I missed someone, please let me know:


1. Brian Winn

2. Brian Rieck

3. Shane Stickel

4. Jamus Skelton

5. Ben Perez

6. Justin Bresler

7. David Kosakowski

8. Trude Bershof

9. Will Pockman

10. Nathaniel Bowen

11. Nicholas Panagos

12. Eli Tentori

13. Brett Purdom

14. Graham Bowen

15. Derek Peterson

16. Nancy Wilson

17. CJ Boehm

18. Jackson Adams

19. Mark Rudolph

20. Luke Bowen

21. Andy Holleman



TWENTY ONE FOLKS! Thanks most of all to Steve Bowen who shaved every head. He did mohawks for the boys, and full-on buzz cuts for the men and two women who braved the clippers. Manit Nick Purthong used his magic fingers to give chair massages, and Eric Tentori, Christa Doty, Karen Litvak, Gail Dunn, and Sarah Kaufman kept the kids happy with face painting and manicures. Tracy Perez kept us organized and did all of the bookkeeping and Cindy Stickel made the awesome signs. Many hands got us set up and took everything down. With one more beer, I might have been convinced to join the shaved ranks, but I'm waiting a few more months since she's going to need bald people to hang out with for a while.


The grand total, far beyond anything we ever expected, was $8,223. Going into the event, we had raised approximately $2,000, so the amount gathered in our little park by about one hundred or so people who wanted to honor and help Allison is especially impressive. I have no words to explain how we feel about the support and love and generosity of all of you. If we can, our goal is to be able to hand the Neuro-Oncology Clinic $10,000.


Thanks for all of your participation!

Love,

Dianna

The Bald and The Brave

We want to thank all of the brave souls who are submitting to the clippers on Saturday....read below!!

We love you all!

Dianna, Brian, Allison, and Emily

"Bald, bald, bald--bald as a ping pong ball--now that's BALD!"

Trude Bershof, a friend of Allison's and her grandma, told her friends that if she could raise $1,000 for Saturday's fundraiser, she would shave her head. She is up to $1,500 and counting! As she said, "What's a little hair?"

We are up to at least nine grown-ups and one kid who have said they want to participate in the shave-a-thon--eight guys, one friend of Al's, and one brave grandma!

They are:
Brian Winn

Trude Bershof
Jamus Skelton
Will Pockman
Brian Rieck
Nathaniel Bowen (Al's buddy)
Shane Stickel
Justin Bresler
David Kosakowski
Andy Holleman

WE LOVE YOU, TRUDE!!! You have made us smile from ear to ear!!!

And don't worry everyone, you'll get your own bottle of sunscreen and a bandana as a REWARD for your efforts!!!

Coping

Friends and family,

We are really falling down on the postings. Some of you might wonder why. Some days we really have nothing at all to say, mostly because we are status quo, although Allison is improving a tiny bit each day. Sometimes she does show improvements but we just don't know how to tell you about them yet. Other days we have nothing that we feel comfortable about sharing in this naked blog world--honestly it's really painful, miserable, or just downright sucky. Most days we are so worn out we can't. Today I would have thought that was the case, but then I got the urge for some reason, probably because our outside world keeps reaching in and showing us that we are not alone. I know you all want news and that this is a great way to share it. But really sometimes the news is not at all what we can, or are willing, to share, given the realities of living day to day with the massive changes that have happened to our family. I have to tell you this because so much has changed, and even though we still want to be part of our old world, there are times that we are not capable of it. We are really struggling being in both our past and present. As for the future, I can't even go there. We just take one day at a time.

So far the shave-a-thon this Saturday has attracted a stir. I think we are all going to have a hard time getting the energy to be there, but it will all be so worth it. When there is nothing else to smile about, Allison does smile at the people choosing to be bald in her honor, especially when she hears that she will be the prettiest one out there. Today she recited their names while she got poked for chemo. Yes, it will make a difference to her, as long as she is awake for it!!

So yes, we are coping, not always very well, but we are.

Cheers,

Dianna