What Dory Said

Today's the last day of the virtual Tour of California, and at last count, we were in position 48! Woohoo! If you read this tonight, there's still time to cheer, so click the "I Ride for Georgia Lee" sticker in the sidebar and give us one last hurrah. Thanks, y'all!

Today was also Shot Day 4 for this round of Erwinia shots, so we spent the afternoon at the hospital watching "Finding Nemo" and keeping an eye out for any allergic reaction. It occurred to me that "Just keep swimming ..." is a pretty good motto, especially in the fight against cancer, so that's what Georgia's going to do. Just keep swimming, and before we know it, the summer will be over, primary treatment will be over, and she'll be back in school with all the other little fish, where she belongs. And, as promised, there will be ice cream for everyone!

Have Bike, Will Ride

So many cycling events, so little time! First up, LIVESTRONG Action's virtual Tour of California is almost half over, and we're holding steady in the 60s positions, so please keep cheering! Click HERE once a day, everyday, through May 23rd and help Georgia help LIVESTRONG in the global fight against cancer. Tell your real friends, your Facebook friends, and anyone you meet how they can cheer for us - all it costs is a few seconds of your time!

Next up, on June 4th, the the longest charity ride in the world kicks off - the Texas 4000 for Cancer! A team of Longhorns, brave and true, (ok, and maybe a few Aggies, too) are riding from Austin to Anchorage, Alaska and fighting cancer every mile. Folks in the ATX might see team members collecting donations at traffic stops around town over the next few weeks, but anyone can make donations on the team site here. These kids have trained so hard, and what an accomplishment that will be for them - not only covering that distance, but also riding to a future without cancer. Give them a hand, won't you?

And finally, on June 6th, the hardest working man in fundraising, Super Will, is taking on his second century ride in a month! He's nearing his fundraising goal but could use your help to put him over the top. Click HERE or in the sidebar to visit Will's Team in Training page and know that through your support of Will and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, patients like Georgia benefit from increased research, improved medicines, and, one day, a CURE!

Back to the clinic tomorrow for IV medicines and to start another round of Erwinia shots - as always, prayers and positive thoughts appreciated! THANK YOU!

Calling All Cheerleaders

While I am certainly no athlete, let alone a long-distance cyclist, I just created a virtual bike to "ride" in honor of Georgia in LIVESTRONG Action's "I Ride for LIVESTRONG," a 12-day virtual version of the Tour of California. The Tour is the biggest cycling event in the United States, and Lance Armstrong and Team RadioShack are dedicating their ride to cancer survivors and caregivers and raising awareness about the worldwide fight against cancer. You can do the same by creating your own virtual bike and dedicating it to a survivor or caregiver who has inspired you, or you can go here to "cheer" me on, which means just entering your name and email address. You can enter one cheer a day through May 23rd, and the more cheers I get, the "faster" I ride! So many quotation marks in this "post!"

If we can get 10,000 riders signed up in these first 48 hours, RadioShack will donate $75,000 to LIVESTRONG! And at the end of the race, the top three finishers (those with the most cheers) will get their "I Ride for ..." bumper stickers on Lance's bike at this year's Tour de France! The remaining top 100 riders will get their stickers on the bikes and gear of other members of Team RadioShack. But most important, we're sharing Georgia's story and helping her help other kids fight cancer!

SO, no money required, just a "Hip Hip Hooray" on this page once a day until May 23rd. Thanks, y'all! LIVESTRONG!

Arts and Entertainment

Five doses down and one to go for this round of Erwinia shots and NO reaction so far. Georgia has powered through the last week, and we couldn't be more proud of her! She's feeling pretty good to boot, but we're looking forward to a little break next week.

Yesterday, she got a real treat - two, in fact - thanks to our friends at the clinic and the Starlight Foundation. First, Georgia made a new friend named Will:

He was in town for a few events to promote and fundraise for Cancer for College, which awards scholarships to cancer survivors. He had stopped by the clinic to visit with the kids, and we caught him in the hallway just as he was leaving. He was beyond sweet, posing for pictures and an autograph, and Georgia gave him one of her bracelets. It was really quite something.

Later, we went to see Ballet Austin's production of Coppelia, and we loved it. Georgia has taken classes at the Academy, so it was fun to see former teachers and members of the company again. She is really excited to get back to classes in the fall, already thinking about what part she might get in The Nutcracker this year. Nothing's going to keep this girl from dancing!

Blood and Guts

Sorry, I had to do it. That title pretty much sums up our weekend! But in a good way, I promise.

First off, in treatment news, Georgia had her second dose of Erwinia shots at the hospital Saturday then two more doses Monday and today. So far, no reaction, so YAY! We'll go back Friday for another dose, plus some other medicine, then she's got one more dose for this series on Sunday and then a break before the next series. She's holding up very well and even made a hat at the clinic today in celebration of Cinco de Mayo:

Saturday, Will rode in the Shiner GASP cycling event - 100 miles from Austin to Shiner, Texas. I'd say that took a lot of guts, wouldn't you? Indeed. Trevor and I met up with Will and his wife, Dianna, right before the start, and it was an incredibly inspiring scene. There were hundreds of cyclists of every shape, size, and age, all with a smile on their face and a fire in their belly. Many folks were participating as a fundraiser for organizations like the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the American Cancer Society, so it was so awesome to see so many people dedicating their time and energy for such great causes. Thanks to all of you who supported Georgia and Will, and if you haven't donated already, he's still fundraising for another century ride in Lake Tahoe next month, so click on his picture there in the sidebar.

Dianna and Will

Team Texas gets ready to roll

Somewhere between Austin and Shiner ...

Sunday was the hugely successful Blood Drive, and Georgia SO enjoyed seeing everyone. There was a ton of food and fun, and while we had 43 potential donors signed up, which amazed the Blood Center staff, we were able to collect 35 units! Besides our unending gratitude for Uncle Trent and Aunt Kate for organizing everything and opening up their house to us, heartfelt thanks go to: Keith; Lisa; Jennifer C.; Kim; Dave; Dan; Lindsay; Carson; Joan; Blake; Jeff; Lolly; Poppa; Mike H.; Erin; Ben; Claudia; Glynis; Joyce; Frank; Jennifer M.; Rudy; Romy; Jason; Toni; Jennifer P.; Martinique; Ashley; Lori; Mike S.; Will; Tom; Cathleen; Laura; Trent V.; Linda; Joe; and Irene. Also, thanks to these fine businesses for donating gift certificates and services for our raffle: Uchi; Luz del Alma Photography; Picky Maid; P. Terry's; Ruby's BBQ; Froyoyo; and Waterloo Records.

Get on the bus!

Georgia and Will

Georgia and cousin Evelyn

Finally, when Ivy woke up this morning, she proclaimed to have had "the best, most perfect dream ever. EVER!" She dreamed that she was at school, out on the playground, and "Georgia was there! She was back!" And she will be!