Light the Night

Hello all. I am sorry for not updating recently. I'm a very lazy person. You all knew this already. What do you expect? Anyway, all is well with me. I'm currently student teaching at Austin Road Elementary School and I am doing a marvelous job, if I do say so myself. I love it. The kids are so small, and there are so many of them. An entirely new generation of minions for me to corrupt. Good times.
But that is not the purpose of this blog. In under two weeks my family will be walking in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's "Light the Night". (Some family have already done so in their home states. Paul and Gerri and Gerri's brother Ken, walked in Chicago.) Our team is called the Bauerlein Brigade and we are walking to raise money for all that they have done for me. Since my mom has already written out most of this in several emails she has sent out, I'm just going to cut and paste from those.


[To be read in Mom's voice]

For starters - the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is a wonderful organization that in Elizabeth's case, has really been a blessing. I called them when Elizabeth was first diagnosed with Cancer, to see if they would help cover the expense of a wig. They did not. I thanked the woman that I was speaking to and before I could hang up....she said "wait, don't hang up... We can do lots of other things. Since then, she and I have become phone buddies and Denise Raptoulis helped me through the paper work to make Elizabeth eligible for a number of grants that they DID offer. During her first chemo round, this society covered $500.00 (in a direct check to Elizabeth) for medicines and treatments directly related to her chemo but not covered by her insurance. Then she got us $250.00 toward her wig from another agency. (Mind you, the wig cost $500.00 and she's never worn it....gotta love Elizabeth).
In addition, they publish a quarterly newsletter, telling us about what's out there in Cancer research and urging us to avail ourselves of lectures, group meetings, and counsiling.
So when Elizabeth had her relapse in the fall, I called my friend Denise and said can you help us again. Absolutely. We are currently awaiting for an additional $500.00 grant to help with uncovered chemo expenses with this go round.....and because their fiscal year for this program ends on July 1, she reminded me that I needed to submit the radiation charges not covered by insurance (Daily copay x 20 - 25 visits). I said, but she will be finished by the first week of July and Denises response was "well we can backdate for a few weeks". IN ADDITION, she put us onto another resource brand new this year also from the society, but not managed by her. If accepted in that program, they pay up to $1000.00 of any co-pay directly related to cancer. Elizabeth was accepted and they have agreed to pay the $500.00 co-pay for her hospital stay during the stem-cell transplant. They have also agreed to pay her up-coming COBRA bill up to $500.00.

So when I tell you that they are an amazing organization, I mean it. And of course they fund research too.

So the Light The Night that I signed The Bauerlein Brigade up for is held at Bear Mountain on September 29, 2007. Registration for the team begins at 5:00PM. There is food, games for kids, bands and festivities (all free) until about 7:00PM. Then they have the opening ceremonies, ribbon cutting and then a 3-l/2 mile walk around the lake. Team members carry red balloons that have a light inside (I assume not a candle), and survivors carry a white balloon, also with candle. One loop is all you do. The evening ends with either fireworks or a lazer show and it's all over by 10:00PM or so.

[Back to Elizabeth Voice]
So, if you are interested in giving please go to www.lightthenight.org and search up the Bauerlein Brigade. There are some pretty awful pictures of me posted there as well. Feel free to laugh and point.

I'm sure I'll update again at some point.
-Elizabeth