Who is your light saber?

Do you have a Jedi knight in your life?  

Who carries a light saber for you? 

In the Star Wars trilogy there is much talk about the power of the force, especially the dark side.  

What does the light saber symbolize?   

To me it represents power.   Light side Jedi knights use their power to help others.   The light saber is used to defend, not to attack.  It is only used for good.

“You can’t win, Darth. Strike me down, and I will become more powerful than you could possibly imagine.”~ Obi Wan Kenobi

This is my favorite line from any of the Star Wars movies.  I replace the word Darth, with cancer. That is my message to cancer, from Kelly.  Cancer never wins.  Kelly's life is so powerful....

In an epic battle between good and evil, a lightsaber climax ensues between Darth Vader, and his former teacher.  Obi Wan understood the power of the force and  illustrates the inherent weakness of the dark side of the force, that in using it for evil, they fail to see its true power.

When I first talked to Cassandra about running as a woman of the year candidate for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, I gave her a blood cancer freedom fighter rock that was left over from when Laura and I ran the Paris marathon for Kelly. 

The word on the back of the rock was "powerful".  I asked Cassie to pick up her light saber, to be a global voice for a world without blood cancers.  I knew she would be a powerful advocate for this cause. 

Inspiring messages from the Rock Fairy

I have no doubt that Cassandra would use her light saber to protect and defend Taylor and Jack, the girl and boy of the year for  the Rocky Mountain chapter. 

Taylor, Cassandra, and Jack at the grand finale. 

And for the last ten weeks of her campaign and in the weeks leading up to it that is exactly what she has done.  She has stood for the possibility of a world without blood cancers, a world for Taylor and Jack to live in. 

She has used her light saber to defend Taylor and Jack against the evil and unrelenting nature of cancer. 

The dark side of of cancer will attempt to discourage those that take up the fight. 

I think this would be Cassandra's message to cancer as she begins a new chapter in her life as a blood cancer freedom fighter.  

"Never. I'll never turn to the dark side.  I'll never give up. You've failed.  I am a Jedi, like the freedom fighters before me.

2011 Woman of the Year candidate, Catherine(16,far left) with Cassandra

Never Ever Give Up!

My message to Cassandra is one of heartfelt gratitude for honoring the possibility that we can live in a world without blood cancer, that we can all make a difference for one another. 

Thank you for being my  light saber, for becoming a powerful ally in the fight against blood cancers. 

Thank you for your friendship, for your support, for being a stand for my life. 

For me, you will forever be the 2012 Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Woman of the Year.

My Woman of the Year!!!

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Making strong offers

I got home today and saw a large package sitting on the front porch.  It was the first batch of rocks(500) from the Kim Mailhot, aka The Rock Fairy.

I hope you can see the picture of the note that Kim enclosed, but if you can't see it clearly, it states:

A donation of 

500 Custom Rock My World rocks for

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society

"Blood Cancer Freedom Fighters"

Let's rock this fight !

Warmly, 

Kim Mailhot

                                                                                            aka The Rock Fairy

I am participating in an online writing class that is being taught by Patti Digh and one of Patti's mantra's that she lives by is to make strong offers in the world. 

Kim is making her strong offer in the world, sharing her time and talent in support of Cassandra's Woman of the year campaign and in support of The Leukemia and Lymphoma's Society's vision that we can create a world without cancer. 

I don't know how many hours Kim and her Rock Fairy assistant's worked on crafting these rocks for us. 

I do know that this was a heartfelt donation of many hours of loving kindness.  I do hope someday that I get to meet Kim in person.  How awesome that will be for me!

Love Echoes

"Love is the answer to every question baby!"~Kim Mailhot

Now there is a strong offer in the world!

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Wonderful Women

I was on Facebook earlier this morning and just happened to stumble on a comment posted by Patti Digh in response to link that was posted by Kim Mailhot(A.K.A, the Rock Fairy).

Patti's response was "love, love, Love this!"  Well if Patti loves something it is something I want to check out.

I clicked on the link to a post from Kim's blog and by the end of the article, I was in tears.  These are the good kind of tears where you are so incredibly touched by kindness and love that the tears just fall.

I had written to Kim about two weeks ago asking her to limber up her fairy wings and see if she would make  some rocks for Cassandra Perkins woman of the year campaign.

Cassandra, her mom Joni, and I intend to rock this campaign and we are thinking big.  Last time Kim made a batch of rocks(100)  for Laura and me as we were training and fundraising for the Paris marathon last year.

Who better to help us rock this campaign and in the process rock cancer than the Rock Fairy. I asked Kim could we place a larger order?  500 rocks, maybe even 1000?

You can read an inspiring story of love and kindness by clicking here.

Cassandra and I were at a fundraising kickoff meeting earlier this week and we were presented with an icebreaker set of questions.

Who you are.
What your role is in the campaign.
What super power would you have?

Cassandra's answers:

Cassandra Perkins
Woman of the year candidate
"I don't know if this is a super power or not, but if it is, I would put an end to bullying."

Kim referred to Cassandra as a 15 year old wonder woman.  I really loved that description of her and think it is very accurate.

Before coming to the meeting, Cassandra had given a presentation to a group of 25 girls at a middle school,
"Be the voice" on bullying.   Her mom told me that Cassandra had changed the lives of 25 girls!  How awesome is that?

15 year old wonder woman?  Yes!



Just as Cassandra has the backs of these young woman that she advocates for, the Rock Fairy's have Cassandra's back and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's back.

The Rock Fairy's advocating for a world without cancer!

Who is going to win in this fight against cancer, against bullying?

My money is on these wonderful women.


"Love is the answer to every question, Baby!"~Kim Mailhot

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