"Angels Among Us" Race Day Event

It has been over a week now since we were in Durham for the Angels Among Us event, celebrating Charlotte, other brain tumor survivors, and pooling our funds for research at Duke.  All of our quilting efforts were in support of this wonderful event and cause.

Here is Charlotte, her Auntie Theresa, and Genqo the handsome rescue dog.  Theresa was our team's biggest fundraiser, raising over $2,600!  This contributed to our team's total of $12,540.  Wow!  Auntie Shannon receives an "honorable mention" for raising $1,775 and for being the first 5K finisher for our team. Go team!

Do you want to hear even better news than this?  The event as a whole surpassed its goal by $200,000.  We raised

$2,015,618.00 for brain tumor research at Duke!

Wait, let's pause.  Yes, that read "Two Million"!  This is really an amazing feat: that amount of money for one cancer focus at one institution.  Read this: we really believe in Duke.

The day started bright and early with the race beginning at 8 a.m.  Marcus ran the race, pushing Charlotte in a jogging stroller, and our good friend, Asher, ran alongside them.

Here are Marcus and Charlotte crossing the finish line.  Marcus did not even break a sweat - what a stud!

Charlotte is such a cutie.

And she must know that she is such a cutie because Charlotte is also the biggest flirt I've ever met.  This was a funny moment: she did not know whom she should be flirting with, so she kept smiling back and forth between Marcus and Asher, then Asher and Marcus.

Many of you probably do not know that one of the wonderful perks of being at Duke is our dear, Nurse Chelse.  Chelse and I were friends in college, and now she has been a nurse on Duke's outpatient pediatric hem/onc floor for about eight years.  So we see her almost every time we are at Duke.  Our good friend, Sarah, was able to come down from Charlottesville and support us, too.  It's so sweet to have the support of long-time friends!

Chelse, Me (with my little koala bear, Marian) and Sarah

Here's Charlotte's oncologist, Dr. G, with his favorite patient, and Charlotte with her favorite doctor!

All the brain tumor survivors were to wear stickers, identifying them as a "survivor."  Strawberry sunglasses optional.

One of the very meaningful events during the day is being videotaped for "3-words." Each survivor is asked to describe "My life as a survivor" in three words.  For Charlotte, I wrote, "Full of JOY."  Because she is.

Above is Tracy and her three, sweet kids, then our family, too, all celebrating our joyful, little lady.

And here's the only decent family picture of all six of us since Marian was born nearly six months ago!


I think it was Chelse who commented that every time she saw my kids, they were eating some form of candy...

Candy necklaces - so much fun!

They also spent a good amount of time sampling each and every bounce house at the event.  I think this next picture is so funny.  Tracy's kids are all smiling so nicely, then my kids act as a pair of suspicious parentheses.

Left to right: Henry, Betsy, Elijah, Asher, and Elyse.

Tracy not only does a good deal of our fundraising quilting, but she also is so kind as to keep Elyse and Henry every Wednesday while I take Charlotte (and Marian) to Duke for chemotherapy.  Tracy made all these t-shirts for our kids to match.  The girls are Princess Charlotte's ladies-in-waiting, and the little men are their knights. So sweet!

The whole day was so wonderful.  We are so grateful to everyone who spent the day supporting Charlotte and our family, and equally grateful to everyone who supported us from afar with their checkbooks!

When we returned home in the evening, completely exhausted, we pulled into our driveway and immediately noticed that a little elf (or garden gnome?) had fully planted our garden, complete with bright pink geraniums in hanging baskets!  My friend, Melissa, was not able to join us for the race this year, so she planted my garden, instead.  What a dear!