Katherine's ALL Blog: Child Labor Laws

Hi!

It's me again, Katherine Mary Grace, hired out child labor as poster child for Down Syndrome and Childhood Cancer. Yep, my work here on this earth is not yet done. So far, I've successfully turned my mom around (she was once scared of my extra special chromosome) and Childhood Cancer is benefitting from my cheeky grins, hopefully raising awareness that every three minutes some kid is getting diagnosed with some kind of cancer and more money is desperately needed for cancer research since only 4% of the federal cancer research budget goes toward childhood cancer research. I'm not alone in tooting this horn. My main man, and likely yours, Aaron Rodgers just donated $50,000 to the MACC fund for just this research! Way to go Aaron! You're the best. The MACC fund works right here in my backyard at my hospital, Children's Hospital of Milwaukee. For more news on them and him, check out this link.

MACC FUND GIFT FROM ARRON RODGERS

Back to my workload...

This month my Mom has me signed up to do a little more promotion work about the importance of Blood Donations. As you may recall, last year Mom threw herself a 40th birthday party and used my adorable bald mugshot to get 40 people to come donate blood. It worked and 81 people came out to donate, 58 bags were collected locally. Worldwide, people sent in pictures of themselves donating and 74 bags total were collected!! 74 bags, and she was born in 1974. Coincidence!?! I think not, God has a hand in things this cool! Well, in all things really, but, back to the blood drive stuff.

This year Mom is hosting another blood drive/birthday party for herself. June 1, 2015. New location, bigger goal: 80 bags.

80 bags, geez, Mom, that's a bit greedy, isn't it? But, if you don't set a goal, you'll surely never get there. Each bag of blood saves three lives and I've benefitted directly from eleven donors. Friends of mine have used much more. Probably friends of yours have too. There's nothing more satisfying than saving a life. Sure, Eating one of Nanna's Sloppy Joe's is a close second, but why not come to the American Legion Hall in town, June 1, from 2 pm to 7 pm and do both!?!

Donate blood, eat a Sloppy Joe, then...

Get ready for it, this part is new...

Learn about and sign up to be on the Be The Match Bone Marrow Registry.

Bone Marrow Registry, what's that ? If you're looking for something really gratifying, try being the one person who has the unique gift of donating bone marrow to someone who will die without it. The registry is vast, but finding a needle in a haystack, the perfect match, is near impossible for some people. Your genetics could be just the right set of chromosomes to give someone dying of a blood cancer like mine a second chance at life.

Getting on the registry is as easy as a cheek swab at the birthday party, then a true commitment to saying YES if you ever get the call to donate. That's it. You have to be between the age of 18 and 44. (Side note: dear old Mom doesn't have that many years left to get on the registry. Ha! But she's doing it anyway!)

If you're actually called, the cells are harvested and you are back to your normal life in just a few days. But, it's a new 'normal' life, one where you know you were able to give something no one else on this planet could give. Good luck getting your big head into your car on the way home! That inflated sense of self worth may never leave you, and rightly so!

So, consider donating!

Come out to the birthday party!!

Sign up to be on the BE THE MATCH registry and start shopping for a new car, a convertible. You'll need it!

Thanks so much. This world is a better place because you are in it! Without you, my family couldn't handle the challenges that face us. But, with you, and your willingness to smile at my adorable underbite/ sidebite grin, my ever-improving speech and my chemo countdown (197 days, baby) we are able to face the days ahead. Mom will probably always keep me poster-childing for something...

If your spouse (or parents) won't authorize that convertible, I do do contract work. Let me know.

Thank you. From the bottom of my heart. Thank you!