Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Become Mandi's Hero and Delayed Posts of the Week


Here I've lured you in, expecting to read some posts of the week and I'm failing you fine people. The truth is that having returned home from the cottage late this weekend, I just haven't had time to get caught up on enough posts from which to select the POTW. I'm sorry but I'm going to have to put it off for one more week.

You see, I had a major cleanup to do when I returned. I should have never given Frank the key to my blog. Oh he did a great job of informing you that I'd be home later than expected but you should see the mess he left behind. My cyber liquor cabinet is empty, the fridge is bare and all that remains of my snacks are empty wrappers which were strewn all over the Blogger floor. The computer was left on, lights were aglow, doors ajar, dishes dirty and of course, the toilet seat was up. So I have a lot of work to do to get this blog back into shape. He did do a terrific job of posting for me though so I'll just have to suck it up and say "Thank you, Frank!"

I do have a few very important links for you. Earlier this year, Frank bought a lovely engraved slate sculpture (this one, in fact - third item down) from talented artist Elaine Prefontaine. They've since become email buddies and recently, Elaine alerted Frank and me to the story of her grandson's fiancée, 22 year old Mandi Schwartz, a Yale hockey star with leukemia who is in need of cord blood or bone marrow in order to survive. Please watch the videos at Become Mandi's Hero for more information.

"Through the Be Mandi's Hero program, the search is on with testing drives in the United States, Canada and Germany for a pregnant woman of German-Russian-Ukranian descent, like Schwartz, who will be giving birth within the next two months, as well as a potential bone-marrow donor, which would have to be a close match."

Potential donors can go to
becomemandishero.org to learn more about Mandi, and cord blood/bone marrow donation. Or become a member of her Facebook group and help spread the word. Mandi has less than 60 days to find a suitable donor.

Thank you for taking the time to read about Elaine's granddaughter-in-law-to-be. If you're unable to help medically, please offer up your best thoughts, vibes and prayers, and consider helping to spread the word. Thank you.

I hope to post a few cottage photos tomorrow and Sunday, and return next Wednesday with the Posts of the Week.

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

I will check out the links. In the meantime you settle back in :0)

Kat said...

Thank you for posting this. A little girl in our parish has leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant. Just about everyone in our parish and school who were eligible were tested to be a match. Now we are all on the registry list. It is such a small way to possibly SAVE SOMEONE'S LIFE. I with more people would take the time to register.
Prayers for Mandi!

Jinksy said...

Good luck with the springcleaning! :)

Indrani said...

It is the laundry work I dislike most when I am back from travels.
Best wishes from me. :)

LadyFi said...

Good luck with the cleaning up.. and all my healing thoughts are winging their way to Mandi and family.

Sueann said...

Prayers for Mandi right now!!
Sounds like you have your hands full with cleaning up after Frank. Oh well! He meant well!
Have a wonderful day
Hugs
Sueann

Brian Miller said...

glad you had fun hillary...will check out mandi's hero///welcome back!

Steve Gravano said...

Good to have you back; I can't believe he left the toilet seat up!

messymimi said...

The mess the male housesitter leaves behind is the worst part of coming home, even worse than unpacking. (My brother-in-law used to let the house get so stinky! We don't hire him any more.)

I'm already on the registry list, and will be praying for Mandy.

steviewren said...

Wow, I hope she finds her perfect donor. I never knew that ones heritage made so much difference in finding a match.

Tabor said...

Cannot believe you are apologizing for not doing a POTW. We all love reading your posts anyway and so nice of you to help with this search for a doner! My husband cooks, but my place looks just like yours when he is done!

Dianne said...

Like Kat I have been on the registry since a child in our town became ill

I will check out the links

Welcome Back!! and don't apologize
You do so much so much of the time

I think Frank needs a spanking ;)

Mental P Mama said...

I am on the marrow donor's registry list. Is is as easy as taking a swab of your cheek. Everyone should consider it! Blessings.

the Bag Lady said...

My thoughts are with Mandi - I hope she finds a donor soon! (Sadly, I'm well past the age of assisting in the cord-blood situation.....)

Sorry to hear Frank left such a mess - I'll keep that in mind if I ever need a stand-in! ;)

Maggie May said...

Just like a man to mess everything up! The seat was up in the toilet, so you knew it was him! Ha ha!
A little girl of ethnic minority race, has recently died in my home town because not enough people of that race would consider donating bone marrow. She was a lovely 15 yr old and it seemed a great pity.
Unfortunately, because of my illness & treatment I can now not donate anything!
Maggie X

Nuts in May

Daryl said...

I've posted in on Twitter and Facebook ..

Frank Baron said...

In my defense, you left beer in the fridge. :]

Thanks for passing the word about Mandi. Every little bit helps.

colbymarshall said...

Praying a match comes along!

CiCi said...

Glad you are back, we missed you. I look forward to the pictures of the cottage. Our thoughts go with Mandi and we hope a donor is found in time. She sounds like a wonderful young woman.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Hilary: Is that you tying on a Erie Deerie for some Walleye?

Cloudia said...

Things have been CRAZY here! Check out my Wednsday post if you can


Aloha from Waikiki

Comfort Spiral

Karen said...

Thanks for the links. We do have so much to be grateful for, and forget many times. Will be awaiting with "baited" breath for your next pics! :P

Ed Pilolla said...

that picture of a fishing lure took me back to when i collected them and a had a tackle box filled with gold and silver and furry lures, all in anticipation of our family vacation to the lake. fun stuff for sure:)

photowannabe said...

Sounds like a big "blog" clean-up is taking place...
Wish I could help Mandi but I am offering up prayer for her.
Sue

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Hilary...you and Frank are so clever! I think that to spend an evening with the two of you over dinner would be an absolute hoot!! I can just imagine the humor!! What a team!! And what fun!!!!

On a more serious note, I will be off to check out the blog post about Mandi...Thank you for letting us know! And really glad to have you back! Love, Janine XO

Hilary said...

• Thanks, ED!

• Thanks very kindly, Kat. You're among good people. I sure hope the little one gets well.

• Thanks, Jinsky.

• Indrani, yes. There's always a lot of laundry. Thank you.

• Thanks very much, LadyFi.

• Thank you so much, SueAnn. Much appreciated.

• Thanks kindly, Brian.

• Thanks, Steve. The truth is that Frank almost always puts the seat back down again.. even in the blogroom.

• Good for you, Messymimi. That was of course a tongue-in-cheek rant. I only gave him the key to my blog.. not my house!

• Thanks, Steviewren. I guess that it needs to be as genetically close as possible.

• Thanks, Tabor. Frank and I have a deal that he cooks (at least the meat/fish portion of a meal) and I do the cleanup. I can usually live with that since we're usually only together on weekends... and cottage time.

• Good for you, Dianne. I'm not at all surprised to hear that you're on the registry. And you're right about Frank. Turnabout is fair play. ;)

• Thank you, MPM. Another one who doesn't surprise me.

• Thanks, Baggie. I hope she does too. Yes, lock up the cyber Tequila if you ever ask him to stand in for you.

• Exactly, Maggie. Men are so messy. ;) That's such a sad tale about the child in your area. What a heart breaker.

• Thank you, Daryl. You're a gem. But of course I already knew that.

• Frank you might need a defense .. but that ain't it. ;)

• Thank you, ColbyMarshall.

• Thanks, Technobabe. It's nice to be missed. :) I hope so too. She does indeed sound like a sweetie.

• Tom, that's Frank doing the tying but the rest of your facts are correct!

• Cloudia, I'll check it out real soon.

• Thanks, Karen. Very much appreciated.

• I'm glad it brought back some fond memories for you, Ed. They sure do look like a box of shiny treasures.

• Thanks very much, Sue. You're very kind.

• Thanks kindly, Janine. I'm glad you got a kick out of our antics. And thank you for reading up on Mandi. Very much appreciated.

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Hilary -- I will go check out the links!

And on a lighter note... you have a cyber liquor cabinet!?! Some people have all the luck.

Anonymous said...

Spreading the word on facebook...

Dawning Inspiration said...

Sending prayers up...

Nancy said...

Sending all my love and best wishes to Mandy. You are so kind to pass this on.

Anonymous said...

I hope they find a donor on time! Praying for her. xxx

Anonymous said...

Good luck with the clean-up! Its no joke doing the POTW every week, there is a lot of work involved. Take your time, Hilary, we'll wait for you!

gaelikaa said...

Its takes a while to get back into the swing of things. Take plenty of time!

Hilary said...

• KC I've installed it right next to the Jacuzzi. They're both always full. ;) Thank you so kindly for helping to spread the word.

• Thank you so much, SD.

• Thank you very much, Nsncy.

• Thanks kindly, Mel.. for your kind deeds and kind words.

• Thank you, Gaelikaa.

ds said...

It takes a while to "reclaim" your home after a vacation--cyber or otherwise. So follow your own pace, please.

In the meantime, that young woman has my heart and prayers and hope.
Thank you for sharing her story.

SandyCarlson said...

Thanks for this, Hilary. I will check out the links. You lure me in every time!

Suldog said...

I'm already a member of a bone marrow donor registry, so I assume I'll be called if I'm a match? God bless her.

Skunkfeathers said...

There is always room for one more prayer. Done.