Fight Against Cancer and For the Environment

Hi -

My name is Jenny, and I am one of the 'Kindergarten Girls', as Kay and Anne have so kindly labeled us! Anne and myself and two other very dear friends (Jill and Cathy) grew up together, and while I wasn't a TRUE kindergarten friend, since I didn't know those three crazies until middle school....we spent 6 years together in school, and have all remained close (Jill and I had some college years together, too), and in the past year have really reconnected and found out why we always had so much fun as kids! We are all alike - sarcastic, fun-loving, caring, and kind... and STILL have a ton of laughs together!

So Anne told us about this fundraiser that she and Kay had been dreaming of, and wanting to plan, and I said - absolutely, I will help! Now, I'm coordinating the silent auction for the big gig, along with the other Kindergarten Girls.... which is totally fun for us, and the results of what they are trying to achieve will be so incredibly helpful to people who are impacted greatly by this horrible disease!

In my official capacity as auction coordinator, extraordinaire – PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE - DONATE PEOPLE!!!

This will be an absolutely awesome and fun-filled, love-oozing, great day, that will do some good for those that absolutely need help during the hard times of a potentially life-threatening illness!

Besides being a good friend of Anne’s – I also have a cancer story to share… not my own, but of several loved ones in my life!

I am the second of four children, two younger brothers, and an older sister. At the age of 26, my older sister Becky (my only sister) was diagnosed on her birthday – April 10th – with Malignant Melanoma… This devastated my family, as you can imagine, and 6 ½ months later, my sister died. We encouraged her to follow the traditional treatment methods (chemo, radiation) even though the prognosis was not good at all. Survival rates for that type of cancer were less than 10% back in the early 90’s. She merely wanted to live out the time she had with friends and family, and enjoy everything she could knowing she had little time left. But, we pushed – and so she did all the treatments, only to make her extremely sick and bloated, and unhappy. She had absolutely beautiful long, curly bright red hair – her trademark I believe she felt… and it all fell out. She died sick, bald, and nauseated and in pain! I will regret forever wanting her to live through that, just because we, her family, didn’t want to lose her!!! I vowed that somehow I’d do what I could to help find other treatment options, or alternative drugs, or something that could prolong life, without causing such agony to those who are fighting so hard to continue living!

Ironically, my son Zach, who is almost 11, was born on her birthday – April 10th… He never met his auntie, but he knows all about her, and what a beautiful person he shares his birthday with! We recently re-modeled his bedroom, and one of the first pictures he wanted to hang was of Aunt Becky!

I have also had two dear friends that had cancer – both Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and thankfully both are survivors – one for 9 years now, the other for 3 years… My one friend would throw her wig off in the car on the way to lunch, just because it was itchy and she just didn’t care anymore what others thought.  Spunk and positivity matter!!! She’s now happily married, with two beautiful children, and still cancer-free!

So, my reasons for committing my time and efforts and of course at some point my cash, are to help in any way I can to rid us of this disease…. To educate others on harmful things in our lives that might ultimately make us sick… And to find better and less invasive ways of treating those so unfortunate to have to suffer thru the ugliness of cancer!!

With love and caring for all who took the time to read this!!!

Jennifer Marcell

(Kindergarten Girl)