I AM DOING THIS!

For the past four years, I've had the privilege of representing Make A Wish Maine at Iron Legion Strength Training Co's annual Operation Change.  The event, a deadlift competition, is hosted by my dear friend, Scott Baumann, and his incredible team of coaches.  Each year, I have been in awe of the physical and mental strength of the men and women who compete.  They walk into the event pumped and ready to kick ass.  It is always such a blast to watch and to be a part of.  This year, I'm joining the ranks of competitor.  What could possibly go wrong?  I will define my own PR, I'll leave with a sense of pride, I'll have a blast, and I will prove to myself that my strength isn't just emotional, but also physical.  AND...I'll drive my coach Jon absolutely nuts in the process. 

If you know me, you know the passion I have for Make A Wish Maine.  I have served as a volunteer with the organization for nearly 30 years and have also had the privilege of being a wish granter, a staff member, a BOD member and also a wish mom.

It wasn't until I found myself in the position of being one of those parents who heard the words "your child has cancer" or "your child has serious heart condition" or "your child has a life threatening illness" that I truly understood the impact a wish was going to have.

I wanted to trade places with my son, Evan, immediately.  But that wasn't a choice. I wanted to hire the most amazing health care professionals. But that wasn't a choice.  I wanted to hire scientists to work full-time on Evan's specific cancer to find a cure.  Obviously, that wasn't a choice.  The only choice I had was to be his advocate, love him harder than I ever had, pray for God to heal him and surround him with joy even, and especially, on his most challenging days.

Enter Make A Wish.  From the very first visit, Evan's beautiful 1000-watt smile lit up the room and he never stopped being excited and looking forward to his magical wish.  I saw peace in his eyes when there had once been fear.  He was excited to talk about his upcoming wish and made sure that his entire family would be involved.  The hope, strength and joy the wish process gave him was something you simply cannot buy.  It was like Make A Wish sprinkled magic dust all over him for months leading up to the wish and also for the years following.  And our story is one of the really hard ones, in that we lost him in 2017.  However, to this day, my most precious and vivid memories of his short life surround his wish.  I can hear his laughter, smell the Carribean air, feel the salt spray over the bow of the catamaran, see his handsome sunburned face and that giant smile.  

We have more kids to help.  More families to support.  Most importantly, please help our precious wish kids here in Maine.  They are the true heroes.  They want nothing more than to be 'normal' and healthy.  Every single dollar donated adds joy to a sick child's life in a way that is difficult to describe until you've seen it first hand.  And if you'd like to know what it does for wish parents...I'm happy to share! 

I'm not too proud to beg....please help if you can!  God bless and thank you!!!