Coming Soon ...

to a billboard near you ... Georgia! Promoting the incredible place that is Dell Children's Medical Center! Our girl was very honored to be asked to pose for a billboard as part of a new ad campaign, so she went for her very professional photo shoot on Saturday and had a blast. She's the only actual patient of the four kids featured, but the doctors are all doctors at DCMC, and everyone's wearing ... Groucho glasses! We're not sure when the billboards will be up or where they'll be, but we'll post a picture as soon as we see hers. Be on the lookout if you're in the Austin area around mid-July!

Tuesday night, we were treated to a sneak preview of "The Karate Kid," courtesy of the Starlight Children's Foundation. Even though we're not big martial arts fans, we all enjoyed the movie, most (or all?) of which was shot in China, so the scenery was beautiful. And from now until June 20th, if you buy your tickets on Fandango, $1 from each ticket will go to help Starlight provide more fun free events for seriously ill children and their families, so go see it!

Finally, this week, Georgia will be attending Claymation Camp, courtesy of the amazing Austin Film Society. She is beyond excited, especially since she missed out on completing her class claymation project at school this spring. Thankfully, the stars aligned just so, and this happens to be a great week for her to have some fun for a few hours each morning. So now Mommy just has to actually let her go ... : )

Please and Thank You(s)

Monday was Georgia's last day of Interim Maintenance - three phases of primary treatment down, one to go! Yes, it's the toughest one, but it's also the LAST one before maintenance, so every day will bring us one day closer to the finish line! Georgia will have a nice little break here to get charged up and ready to rock on the 24th - so focus your positive thoughts and prayers on that big day. Thanks!

Also, thanks to Aunt Kate and a blood drive at her office, we have 23 more units to add to Georgia's blood donation tally! We'd like to get 100 units, and now we're halfway there. If you can, please donate, then let us know, and we'll post it here. Every donation can help two to three people, so be a lifesaver - give blood!

Finally, Will completed the century ride in Lake Tahoe last weekend, and it looks like it was an incredible event. Thanks to everyone who donated and, especially, to Will and Dianna for honoring Georgia in this way. We will really appreciate all of you!

Survivor

Today, we joined friends, new and old, at Doc's for National Cancer Survivors Day, a celebration intended to show the world that there is life after a cancer diagnosis (go here for a short video from the event, with a quick glimpse of our girl). According to the NCSDF, a "survivor" is anyone living with a history of cancer - from the moment of diagnosis through the remainder of life. In America alone, there are over 11 million people living with a history of cancer, and while major advances in prevention, early detection, and treatment have resulted in increased survival rates, surviving cancer can cause a variety of post-treatment problems. Thankfully, places like the LIVESTRONG Survivorship Center are here, providing medical and psychosocial care and other support to the growing number of warriors beating cancer. Once we get through maintenance, Georgia will make regular visits to the Survivorship Center to monitor her recovery and track any late effects that may arise from treatment, so again we feel very lucky to have world-class treatment and post-treatment facilities right here in Austin.

I've always been struck by the power of the "yellow bracelet," but wearing one now, and reading "LIVESTRONG" everyday is like a call to action, not just for Georgia, but for all of us. Go here to get one for yourself, support the Lance Armstrong Foundation, and make a commitment to live. STRONG.

As It Should Be

This morning, both Ivy and Georgia headed out to the last day of school! Thanks to this break in treatment, and the prospect of having a "normal" day, Georgia was full of energy and ready to go. She was lovingly welcomed back to her class and was thrilled to participate with her friends in the end-of-year Gates of Life ceremony, a beautiful tradition at Parkside. It was especially special (is that a saying?) because Ivy "graduated" from the Primary to the Lower Elementary class, so it was wonderful that we could all be there to cheer her on. Afterwards, we celebrated with Ivy's choice of veggie corndogs at Dog Almighty and a matinee showing of Shrek 4, which we can highly recommend. Also, there was ice cream. And a trip to Super Target for a new Barbie. So, pretty much your perfect graduation day. Thank you SO MUCH to our Parkside family for another great year and for all the love and support this semester - have a great summer, and Ivy AND Georgia will see y'all in the fall!

Also, Sunday is National Cancer Survivors' Day, so we're joining some LIVESTRONG folks for brunch to celebrate. If you know a survivor or a caregiver, give them an extra hug on Sunday - I know I will!

Sunday Night Wrap Up

Five months since diagnosis, and Georgia is trucking along. She finished the last of the Erwinia shots for this phase on Thursday, plus IV medicine and day surgery, so it was quite a long day. But her reward is a 10-day break - yay! After that, it's one more round of IV medicines, another break, and then on to the last phase of this primary treatment. It's going to be a long summer, and the last eight weeks will probably be the toughest, but Georgia is up for the challenge! She has been so amazing every step of the way, and we couldn't be more proud of her - but you already knew that, right? : )

In other news, the results of the virtual Tour of California are in, and while we weren't one of the 24 bikes chosen at random to have our sticker on Team RadioShack's bikes, we ended up finishing 48th - out of over 19,000 bikes! All thanks to your cheers! I'd say that's a victory, wouldn't you? We had a lot of fun and hope that everyone will continue to follow and support the incredible efforts of LIVESTRONG and its offshoots in the global fight against cancer.

Also, the Texas 4000 starts Friday, and Will's century ride in Lake Tahoe is Sunday! Make sure you check out Will's fundraising page and blog (links in the sidebar) for updates, race reports, and recognition of your generosity and support. We have been so inspired by the dedication and determination of these folks, and we are grateful to them and to YOU for honoring Georgia and the many other survivors out there. That said, I know I'm looking forward to the day when we won't need these events, and we can all just celebrate the ultimate victory - a CURE!

Finally, when were spending the day at the clinic Thursday, I saw some newspaper clippings of Will's visit and "Rojo Johnson's" pitching stint at the Round Rock Express game. Upon closer inspection, I noticed he was wearing a very special piece of jewelry* - see if you can find it:

What a guy.

* If you want to be awesome like Will and hundreds of other folks, make sure to get your very own Georgia bracelet! Send us an email (address in the sidebar), and we'll get one out to you! Thanks, y'all!