June 2009

This past November we lost my Uncle Jerry to cancer. He was an amazing man who loved to give people a hard time, loved to BBQ and loved his family.

A close second to his family, Uncle Jerry’s biggest love was the water. Even when he lived in California, he loved to fish and go out on boats. After he moved to Hawaii he fell even more in love with the water. He bought a boat and would spend several days a week on it while trying to catch fish. If you ever had the chance to visit him, I’m sure he asked you when you wanted to go fishing. I was lucky enough to visit him a few times in Hawaii and took him up on the offer. But to me, it was never about the fishing. It was about relaxing on the water, forgetting everything on the shore and spending time with him. If you got a bite on your line, it was an extra bonus. Ironically, the more time he spent on the water, the more his “Popeye the Sailor Man” face would come out and the more often you’d hear him call someone “Fishface!”

In remembrance of Uncle Jerry, I have decided to join the Leukemia and Lymphoma’s sailing team. What better way to honor the man, than to spend time on the water raising money for what eventually took his life – cancer. The Leukemia Cup Regatta will be held in the San Francisco Bay on September 20. (www.leukemiacup.org/sf)

This will be my 5^th team and about 10^th season with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training. I have asked most of you for donations before and thanks to you I have raised more than $25,000 since 2000. If you can continue with your support and help me raise $3,500 in honor of Uncle Jerry, I would be grateful. If you can’t, please send me good wishes and make sure to hug the ones you love tonight.

Any donation, large or small, is welcomed. You can donate on this page (Internet Explorer works best). All donations are tax deductible. If your company matches donations, please let me know.  If you would rather mail a check, you may do so to the address listed below.  Checks should be made out to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

If you would like me to race in honor of someone, please send me their name and I would be happy to wear their name during the regatta.

Thank you!

Maeve