Hang around me long enough and you're bound to notice that I wear my watch on my left wrist and a LIVESTRONG bracelet on my right. The silicon bracelet craze has long since been reduced to yesterday's fad, so you know there's a story behind why I wear that particular bright yellow band every day.
Among my other pursuits, I teach percussion. Cathy Cunningham is the assistant band director for the schools in the small, southern Illinois town of Pinckneyville. Director of bands Steve Cannedy and Cathy have built a fine band program and it's incredibly gratifying to work for gifted professionals who are also good people.
Cathy's daughter, Kristin -- a talented (french) horn player -- went through the band program and on to the University of Illinois. She was a fiesty high school kid when I first met her, and it was no shock when she became a fiesty adult.
Eventually, Kristin went on to pursue a master's degree in horn performance down in Austin, Texas. The kid could play! While finishing up her studies, however, she was diagnosed with lukemia. The news kicked off quite a fight for Kristin and her family. Batteries of tests and treatments, periods of remission and relapse, and a whole lot of fiesty characterized her struggle to kick lukemia.
After a three-year fight, Kristin passed away on March 17, 2008. And nearly two years later, I still wear a LIVESTRONG bracelet. The LIVESTRONG folks are on a mission to fight all cancer and have the kick-ass attitude that I respect. During her illness, I wore it to remind me to keep Kristin and her family in my thoughts and prayers. Nearly two years later, I wear it to remind myself that I better not ignore the truly important stuff, 'cause life is short.
The Cunningham family celebrates Kristin's life by organizing an annual fund raiser around St. Patrick's Day for the Lukemia & Lymphoma Society. This year's effort is Cooking with Kristin, a cookbook that Kristin started and was finished with the contributed recipes of family and friends -- I sent in my favorite Irish Soda Bread recipe. The cookbook is beautifully designed (Craig Williams Creative, Inc. handled that) and includes family photos, stories from Kristin's journal, and even some recipes from Kristin's culinary hero, Paula Deen. They've already sold out of the 500 copy inital print run, and my $20 donation is the best money I've spent all year. Another 1,000 copies are on their way and I hope they sell out just as fast.
If you're in Pinckneyville, pick up a couple of copies from the Cunninghams. If not, consider a donation to the Lukemia & Lymphoma Society or LIVESTRONG. You can click on the links above to make donations to these organizations.
Life is short and cancer sucks -- please do whatever you can.
