Tues. Jan. 28th - Back from the Road
It's been a busy last week. I missed all the snow in Delaware but I have Ali's beautiful photograph to see what I missed.
UVM
Monday of last week, the B+ Express :) started in balmy Burlington, VT at the University of Vermont. The students at UVM are hosting their inaugural B+ Dance Marathon (UVMarathon) at the end of this month. It was great having the opportunity to engage so many students in the discussion about childhood cancer. One of the things that really encourages me about the fight against childhood cancer is the way that this younger generation has embraced this cause. I am optimistic that we WILL see significant progress in the fight against childhood cancer in the coming years. How cool would it be if there were only 4-5 types of childhood cancer, rather than 12, by the time I die. How cool would it be if indiscriminate chemo is not the preferred protocol but more targeted therapies, perhaps even one's own T-cells. And, the progress we make could be 'translatable' to adult cancers!
The highlight of my trip to UVM was meeting a student named Maddy. Maddy came up to me after my talk and informed me that she is 2 years off treatment for Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. And, get this --- she had chemotherapy for 12 years!!! Yes, 12 years!!! I have NEVER met someone who was on chemo that long.
Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital
From Burlington, VT, it was on to Orlando, FL for a B+ Racing Team visit to Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital. In 2012, Arnold Palmer CH was our #1 hospital in terms of numbers of families assisted. Race car drivers, Al Carter and Hugh Plumb visited with the kids and put smiles on their faces. It was also pretty funny as we handed out "Stinkerz" cards. Stinkerz are a new product that has 5 cards in each pack. Each collectible card has some pretty comical stickers on them and one card has a nasty, scratch & sniff smell. Gross? Oh yeah. But the kids, and the nurse and doctors, really got a kick out of them. And, best of all, the makers of this new product are planning on donating a portion of their proceeds to The B+ Foundation. Look for Stinkerz in stores in the coming months. Check out their site...it's really funny. www.stinkerz.com/
BMW 200/Rolex 24 at Daytona International Speedway
The B+ logo is on several race cars this year! Firstly, B+ race car driver and cancer survivor Al Carter, has the B+ logo on his Rebel Rock 07 Porsche in the Continental Tire Sports Car Challenge Series. Al and Grammy Award-winning producer, Jim Jonsin, are the owners of this team. Jim has worked with artists such as Beyoncé, Eminem, Pit Bull, Lil Wayne, and many others. Al and co-driver, Brett Sandberg, turned in a really impressive performance finishing the 2 1/2 hr race in sixth place out of 35 cars.
Also, in the Continental race, our team from last year, Fall-Line Motorsports, showed tremendous kindness and class and put our B+ stickers on the side mirrors of their three cars. We are no longer part of the Fall-Line team, but Mark Boden, Michael Harvey, Steve Zabel, and the team has become so engaged in our fight against childhood cancer, that they still want to help us increase awareness. And, congratulations to Fall-Line as they finished 1st and 2nd at Friday's Daytona race. So, B+ was in victory lane! :)
In the Rolex 24 (yes, that is 24 straight hours of driving among 3-5 drivers!!!), Al drove the TRG 007 Aston Martin with the B+ logo on it. TRG is owned by Kevin Buckler of Adobe Road Winery. This ultra endurance race is a test of both drivers and machines. We had some bad luck hitting some debris which sent our car to the garage for awhile.
It was a productive trip to Daytona, though, as a lot more people learned about B+ and the fight against childhood cancer. And, I met several people who expressed interest in partnering with us to advance our cause. Finally, if anyone's wondering, we are probably the ONLY car sponsor that doesn't pay to be a sponsor. Al Carter generously underwrites everything. We do NOT use a penny of your donations on the race team. It's all upside for us.
A Thank-You Note for Us
Please see below for a thank-you note that I want to share with you.
“Dear Joe,
Thank you so much for offering us a generous help, it even changed my daughter's, Kewei's attitude of fighting with her blood cancer. Before, she thought life was so dark and hated why she got cancer. With your help, B+just proved to her that love do exist in this strange world. Though there are many mishap in this world, but there are more blessings. I never saw her so happy and so positive ever since she was diagnosed. You helped her and changed her in all ways. She personally sent B+ a thank you note, in the shape of her favorite animal - fish and her favorite color purple. It should arrive in a few days.
May God bless you.”
Who's Ready to Run/Jog/Walk???
Wouldn't you love to have the feeling of accomplishment of finishing a Half Marathon (or Marathon)?
And, best of all, fight childhood cancer at the same time!
Please consider joining our B+ Running Team for the Delaware Marathon/Half Marathon in Wilmington, DE in May. You DON'T have to be an experienced runner. We've had team members who never ran in their lives before joining us and we have experienced marathoners. We will provide you with virtually everything -- a personal running coach, registration, B+ team shirt, night before race team dinner, travel/lodging (if needed), and much more. Like other charities, we simply require a fundraising commitment (but ours is much lower!) and we can give you all kinds of ways to raise the money. We just need you to step up. You'll be so glad you joined us.
Please click on the link below for more information.
https://www.beposfdn.org/demarathon14/index.aspx
B+ Hero, Kori
PLEASE do me a big favor and take 2-3 minutes to leave words of encouragement for Kori. She's had a very difficult week and was sent home with hospice care. But, as you'll see from her Mom's posts, she's not giving up at all. This young lady has been through so much. Please show her some love from the B+ Nation. Thanks.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/koriquinn
Stay warm!
B+
Ali & Andrew's Dad
www.caringbridge.org/visit/andrewmcdonough
P.S. There was a question in the Guestbook about whether I would come speak at schools in the Midwest. I will go ANYWHERE it makes sense. Please contact me at [email protected] to discuss.