Wednesday, November 12, 2014

Family, Friends, and a Community

You guys! I've missed you! I am slowly trying my damnedest to get back into a schedule of blogging again! Things are going great for me right now and I hope that they are for you too! I have so much to share with you! If you follow me on facebook or instagram you know what's up with me and how I am doing. If you don't follow me, well, you should. Get on that right now! I'll wait.....
Okay, good! I'm glad you follow me now!  

Well in March I shared with you some sad news. (you can read about it here.) 9 months later and I am still alive! I've kicked cancer's ass! I am done with my treatments and I am starting to get my energy back! Before I go into details about all that, let's back up a bit. 

When I was first diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma my family decided to get a benefit together to help with medical expenses. I was very weary of this but I decided to let them have the reins and go for it! Whew what a show they did! I am honored to have all of these folks in my life. I am truly blessed that they all love me too! 

They started out selling t-shirts. The cutest t-shirts ever! My awesome neighbor created and designed them!  On the front it says "Hodgkin's Lymphoma Leave my friend alone." The back reads "Carolina Country Girl kick Hodgkin's Lymhpoma to the curb! You've got this!" 
They sold out of these shirts and had to order more! They sold them through word of mouth, social media, and events held in our city. I still get the feeling of joy in my heart every single time I see someone wearing this shirt. It warms my heart! 

 

They also sold purple bracelets that said "No One Fights Alone!" I love seeing these everywhere!

It took several months of planning but my friends and family put together a benefit for me. TONS of items were donated from around the community. The benefit was on July 19th. It was a rainy and dreary day but let me tell you, people came out and showed complete support! They sold super yummy BBQ plates, had a huge indoor yard sale, and an auction for many special items! It was a great big turn out! I attended the whole thing and socialized so much that I missed the auction! I enjoyed every minute of it! 









Many people came together and helped out in so many ways! I am thankful to work with some very awesome people who truly care! I got to shave the heads of co-workers that paid money in a pot to get to a certain dollar amount by 5pm. Well they all ended up shaving their heads for my cause! I am so blessed to have these people in my life. They always ask me how do I keep such a great spirit and positive attitude during such a hard time. My response is being blessed with special people in my life that keep me living for tomorrow!



This picture (above) and an artical was featured on the front page of the local newspaper!



My family in Kansas also raffled off one of their horses at a barrel race here in South Carolina! They even called her Annabelle! 

 


I can never thank these folks enough for all that they have done for me and my family! My cup runneth over! My heart is overflowing! I am forever indebted to all of them for all they've done!



© The Carolina Country Girl
Maira Gall