For those of you who don't know Jana, she is a third-party "vendor" from work (for lack of a better title), whom I have grown to absolutely adore! I wrote about her in my Thanksgiving blog (yes, I know it's been a while) and have grown even closer to her since then. Without doubt, Jana is the most inspiring person I've ever met--she makes me want to be a better, more generous, compassionate and selfless person, and she does it all while battling stage 3 multiple myeloma cancer.
But enough gushing about Jana, the woman; let's talk about Jana's event!
At lunch several weeks back, Jana informed me and another friend (so very nonchalantly) that she has decided to put together "The Jana Stressel Miles for Myeloma Walk/Run." Okay--well the title may be a bit deceiving as we won't actually be honoring the cancer so much as raising money for a cure/treatment. We've had very little time for planning (Jana, unfortunately, has been going through intense chemotherapy for the past several months and has been very sick for most of that time), but Kiera and I received an invitation for the The Jana Stressel Walk/Run Kick Off Party for Sunday, so hopefully this will be a time for Jana's "fans" to get together and divvy duties! Count kiddo and me in!
Aside from the fact that we will finally get the planning ball rolling and aside from just being happy to get some face time with her, Jana loves to entertain and is an amazing hostess. I imagine this soiree will be one Kiera and I won't ever forget! And I imagine the walk/run will be no different.
I will expect support from all of my family & friends and hope that those of you not able to contribute financially will be able to donate your time or, at the very least, help spread the word. I'll write more on Jana's story in an upcoming blog to give you a more intimate view of what she's enduring and how she manages keep a smile on her face in spite of it all.
Toodles!
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| Jana (top, middle) and her fans at Kiera's Southaven Idol performance |
