Eye Opener
On Thursday, July 3oth, I participated in making phone calls on behalf of Light the Night to try to get teams from the last couple of years to sign back up. The two regions I was assigned to call were South Bend and Warsaw. I was glad I got these two areas as they are really close to where I grew up in Goshen and my wife Amy grew up in Warsaw and her parents still reside there.
The phone calls involved leaving a lot of messages on answering machines informing people of when their local walks were being held and a reminder to sign up for this years walk. It didn't take long though to realize the impact that the economy has had on the South Bend area. There were quite a few phone numbers that were disconnected and some of the people I did talk to you could tell were down and out.
Another thing that was very apparent was the devestation that blood cancers can cause people. One lady I talked to lost her husband to a blood cancer. She told me they participated in last years walk in remembrance of him and a way to honor him. For her it was a one time deal. Another lady I talked to I got the impression that she had just lost a loved one to a blood cancer. You could hear the pain in her voice as she told me that she didn't think that they would be able to participate in this years walk. I fealt like I had reopened some wounds that hadn't healed yet.
What I walked away with Thursday night is the realization of how important the work is that the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is doing. Especially this year with the economy being in the tank there are a lot more people who depend on the services that LLS provides. Blood cancers don't stop just because the economy is down. LLS isn't able to provide the services that they do without the many great people who help raise money through the Light the Night walk. I encourage all of you to either sign up for my team or start your own. You can click on the links at the top or on the right side of the page to get started.
Matt
