I Need Help!!!!

For those that may not read any of my umpteen million Facebook posts per week, for those who may not be on Facebook, and for those that I may not have spoken with in the past month or so there is big news out of the Scott Hopfinger camp.

I am running a 5k

No, nobody is chasing me. Nobody has threatened my life and nobody is threatening the safety of any of my loved ones. The truth is, I have found something  I care about. A cause, if you will. A really really good cause.

At this point, you’re probably looking for a joke or some type of punch line to go with this really really good cause. Oddly enough, you’re not going to get one.

This is why.

At the beginning of this year I saw a story on Facebook about a college athlete named Cameron Lyle who was in the midst of his senior year on the track and field team at the University of New Hampshire. Before the season finished, however, he was contacted by an organization that he had joined during his sophomore year who needed him. In fact, it may have been a life or death situation. As serious as that sounded and as easy of a choice that may seem to be, deciding to help would mean that he would have to forego the rest of his senior and final year on the track team. Without hesitation, the young man bypassed his remaining season and helped the organization when they needed him most.

What did he do? He answered the call from Be The Match and donated bone marrow to a needing recipient and possibly saved that person’s life in the process.

Be The Match is an organization that connects patients with life threatening cancers like leukemia and  lymphoma with their donor match for a life-saving marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. This young man had registered for this knowing full well that once he was part of the registry he could be called upon at any time that he was deemed a perfect match for a needing recipient. He also knew that he may never be called. The point is that he was willing to make that sacrifice and do what was needed of him at any possible time. It happened at probably one of the most inopportune times of his life, but Cameron Lyle answered the call.

This inspired me.

I immediately went to the website for Be The Match and answered the short questionnaire that would determine if my overall health was adequate enough to move onto the next step. Surprisingly enough and through no falsification of the facts, I was deemed eligible and I moved onto the next step which was waiting. I had to wait a week or two while Be The Match mailed  me my official packet which consisted of a series  of cotton swabs that I had to run along the inside of my cheek for a few seconds before placing them in the envelope that they had provided and mailed it back  at no cost to myself.

How easy is that? No pain, no cost, no problem.

If I am a match, awesome. If they never call, at least I tried. Every four minutes in this country someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer like leukemia. Just being on the registry improves the chance that that person may have a marrow donor when they need them most. The knowledge that at any point going forward that I could possibly save someone’s  life is pretty damn cool. I’m not a fireman or a policeman. I wasn’t really cut out for the military and the chances of me suddenly gaining superpowers are pretty slim. This is my way of helping. This is what I can do. This is the way that I can really make a difference.

And so can you.

As part of the Be The Match registry I occasionally receive emails and/or flyers in the mail with information on upcoming events. A few months ago I received one regarding a 5k happening in St Louis on Saturday September 7. Now, any of you who know me know that I am not the poster boy for health. I’m trying harder, but it’s a work in progress. That being said, I know I can finish a 5k. And the fact that I can raise money by doing so that will benefit Be The Match made it that much more tempting. So, I signed up.

This is one of the parts where you come in.

I don’t like asking for money. Yes, I do it for a living, but that’s different as that money is owed to my company and I have every right to ask for it. I have no right, however, to ask it from you. This fact, however, has not stopped me and I have spent a good majority of time through emails and posts on Facebook asking for donations. This money is not for me. This money is for an organization that helps people when they need it most. This money is for people whose life is literally on the line. But most importantly, this money could  be for someone you or I know who  has yet to be diagnosed and may need whatever help they can get just to stay in our lives. There are no politics involved.  There are no two sides to any type of religious/moral/political argument. There is just the basic fact that we have the opportunity to help and we, as human beings, should do what we can to facilitate that.

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO BE THE MATCH!!!

The above link will take you to the donor page for my run. Through the love and generosity of friends and family, I have already surpassed my personal goal of $500.00. I couldn’t be more thankful for that. But just because donations have helped me with my personal goal does not mean that Be The Match doesn’t still need funding. The St Louis race has not met its overall goal and, even once it does it does, it does not mean that Be The Match’s work is done. Hopefully one day there won’t be a need for Be The Match but for now, unfortunately, there is. Please, if you can, donate  a few dollars (or a lot of dollars) to this fantastic organization. By following the link above you can also read about Be The Match and all of the good work it does.

And this is the other part where you come in.

Whether or not you are able to financially assist Be The Match, I hope that through reading this or through perusing their website that you’re moved to take the big step – becoming a member. You and you alone have the power to potentially save someone’s life.

You can save someone’s life.

You may never be called. You may take the very few minutes it takes to complete this process  and never give it another thought again. But what if you are called? What if there is someone out there right now who is in need of a bone marrow donor and you are their perfect match? Can you imagine how great you would feel being able to potentially single-handedly save someone’s life? Now, take that feeling and multiply it by a gazillion if you’re that person who’s been waiting for a donor and they find someone, like you, who is their perfect match.  Personally, I wouldn’t want to take that feeling away from anyone.

I joined

So should you

Please, help out however you can be it through monetary or bone marrow donations.  If the only way you wish to help is by passing this blog on to others, then PLEASE do so as every person that reads this is another person who might be moved to help. Even if you can make a donation, please pass this on to anyone and everyone you can.  Even if only one person in one hundred signs up, that’s one more life that could possibly be saved. Unfortunately, cancer isn’t going away any time soon. Let’s all do our part to fight it where we can.

Thank you so very much for reading and thank you even more for helping – however you can.