i'd like to tell you a story on one very brave woman and then ask for your help. we really need it. i am giving away a $200 shopping spree (to be spent in my etsy shop) to one lucky person who helps...more details below.
as i type this i am thinking about her - about how she is my age, about how she could be my best friend or my sister or any one of us reading this today. i really believe in the interconnectedness of our community. i feel it. i admire it. and i deeply believe in our collective power and hope to change people lives. we did it here on this blog last year when we raised over $5000 to build a house in rwanda for an exceptional family (btw, jen lemen just returned from rwanda where she visited that very house and took photos - more on that soon). and now we have an opportunity to do something really powerful again. i hope you can be a part of it.
meet megan (isn't she gorgeous with a spirit that radiates?). she is a dear college friend of one of my best friends and she is also a reader of this blog, making her a part of our community. megan is 36 years old. she is deeply loved by her family and friends. she is vibrant. talented. sassy and passionate. earlier this year she was diagnosed with stage IV breast cancer with mets to her bone, lungs, liver, and brain. her story is heartbreaking, but to make matters worse, her insurance (blue shield of california, her employer based plan) has denied life saving treatments prescribed by her doctors, including brain radiation and a crucial medication that targets and removes the cancer from her body (referred to as a 'smart bomb'). having been a medical social worker for many years, i've seen this insurance denial scenario played out over and over again in oncology units across our country. it makes my heart sink to think that this happens every single day to countless people in our country. it could easily be me. it could be you.
my heart aches for megan as she fights for her life while taking on the burden of paying for her care. this is where we can help. you and me. megan's friends and family have set up a chipin fund with a goal to raise $100,000 by august 1st. they've been raising money for a couple of months and now we have an opportunity to add to what has already been raised. let's do it, friends. again, this is about our collective power. i believe that if we all just donate $5 (or more if you can), then we can help one very special woman on the journey of her life. let's dream big, hope to the moon, and see what we can do.
here's what you can do:
1. please donate to megan's chip-in fund (it will direct you to donate via paypal). ANY amt will do. if we all donate $5, $10, $20, we can make a huge impact. i really believe this.
2. after you've donated, please come back here and leave a comment. please only leave a comment if you have donated.
3. i am giving one commenter/donator $200 to spend in my etsy shop on whatever they wish!
thank you guys. my heart is incredibly hopeful that we can make a huge difference and release a little bit of financial burden from megan's shoulders so that she can do what is most important right now: focusing on her treatment, getting well, and spending time with loved ones.
ps - you can read more about megan and her cancer journey on her blog. and more specifics about what her chip-in funds are paying for in regards to specific treatment here. her story has also been featured on president obama's healthcare stories for america page right here.
thank you, thank you, thank you..........this means the world.
Facebook comments: 
