the hobbled foot update
It’s been a little over a week since my last trip to urgent care, and since I got the bill for it in the mail yesterday, I figured I’d share an update. And also ask if my hospital bill can be considered a tax write off since the reason I was in the hospital was due to charity. I think I may have a case here!
In any case, I’m not in as much pain as I was a week ago. I only wear the cast at work, but I try to keep it elevated when I’m at home. I called yesterday and made an appointment in about two more weeks with my podiatrist. I figure I’ll either have her check out my foot if it still hurts, or she can take care of my toenail that’s sure to be ready to fall off by then. I always have something for my podiatrist to look into.
Tomorrow I head to the East Coast, where I will romp in the rain of a hurricaine and hope that I can make it to at least one Twins game that’s not rained out. The Yankees should have a dome. All the cool teams have one, right?
We went to Town Talk Diner last night. It was only my second time there, but I think I could write and write and write about how awesome it is. They serve chilled 40 ounce bottles of beer and cheese curds. What’s not to like about a place like that?
I need to do laundry tonight. All of my Twins shirts are dirty and I need to wear every last one of them while I’m Yankee-territory.
the twin cities 3 day – my version
It’s a few days after the fact, so I’ve had time to just about fully process it all. I think it’s fair to say that I won’t ever completely process it, because it’s such a magnificent time of my life, so this is as close as it gets. It will probably get long and detailed and eventually jumbled because I’ll be overcome by emotions, but I don’t want to make the mistake of not writing about it. Please read what you can/want. You know how important this is to me, and that’s why I want to make sure it’s all here for me to see next year.
For starters, here are the pictures. There are almost 100 and I’ve captioned them all. For me, not you. But if you look at them start to finish, it’ll really give you an idea of what it’s all about.
FYI: There are 2800 walkers and we raised $6.4 million. Thank you for that.
More »
not quite broken
Just for good measure, I decided to head into urgent care one more time before they closed tonight. Because the doctor couldn’t touch my foot and send me writhing in pain like I do when I walk, he just gave me a walking cast and a prescription to Vicodin. He also gave me orders to come back if it still hurts in three weeks, because then it could be a stress fracture.
Nobody gets why I’m not mad or sad about this, but c’mon. All I need are a couple liters of liquid and some painkillers and I’m home free. I’m elated. And I’m happy that I did this while helping a greater cause. How nice will it be when one day, after all of our fundraising and walking/limping across the finish line, a couple liters of liquid and some painkillers will be all that’s needed to get rid of breast cancer? I’ll take these battle wounds and wear them proudly, dude.
my pee is nasty
However, I can share my morning’s activities with you. It involved three hours in urgent care while 2 liters of sugar-water were pumped into a vein in my right arm. And during said fluid-pumping, I had to give a urine sample. I’m right handed. Gathering a urine sample is not easy when your right hand is busy with an IV. I’m not proud to admit that I peed on my left hand while trying to fill the cup, but they certainly received a full urine sample, that’s for sure.
As it turns out, I have a severe bladder infection and mild dehydration. Neato! It’s really neat when a nurse says, “Your urine turned out really nasty”. AWESOME!
I’ll probably be scheduling an appointment with a doctor to look at my right foot, too, but I’m going to ice that for a couple of days and see if the rest helps it at all.
And guess what? I’m already on the waiting list for next year’s walk.
i called in dehydrated
They focus so much on keeping hydrated during The 3 Day. Everyone from the security staff to the people serving us snacks at pit stops remind us to drink a lot and pee a lot. For three days, everyone around you is concerned with your urinary habits.
Yesterday and even still today, I’ve been dealing with some wicked dehydration symptoms. My personal favorite, though, are the chills. Now that I’ve slept for 16 hours, I’m trying to do some major rehydrating. It’s fun.
More about The 3 Day… later.
here we go!
It’s early and I’m not really awake yet. But in 30 minutes, I’ll be on my way to Opening Ceremonies of The 3 Day.
Thank you so much to everyone for all of your donations and terrific support!
I’ll be back on Sunday with billions of pictures and stories, I’m sure.
it’s almost time
The 3 Day is tomorrow. Twenty-four hours from now, I’ll be walking in a sea of thousands that have all dedicated their time and energy in raising money for breast cancer. I’ll probably hug them all.
I could write paragraph upon paragraph about how much the walk means to me and how important of a fixture it is in my life. But since I’m at work, and that would make me cry buckets upon buckets, I’ll refrain from now and just say thank you. Thank all of you for all of the support you given me, Jenni, and the rest of Team Boobylicious by happily participating in all of our fundraisers. Because of your extreme generosity, we’ve raised over $25,000.
If you’re in the area, feel free to cheer us on. The encouragement we get from seeing people we know and even strangers applauding us for our efforts is unbelievably inspirational. There are several cheering stations along the way and just by watching the walkers go by, you’ll see how much your time is appreciated. The 3 Day site has maps, if you’re so inclined.
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You know what’s going to happen about two weeks after the walk? We’re going to start all over again and this time we’re going to recruit you (yes, all of you!) to join us on the walk. It’s an experience that can hardly be described by words. It consumes your life, but in a way that makes you realize you can make a difference.
And just for the record, I’m currently sitting at $2985 in donations. I think I have a few more checks that are being sent in, so a goal I thought was impossible stands a good chance of being reached. Amazing.
Update: I hit my goal!! I’m now over $3000, thanks to one of my account managers at work. Woo hoo! Next year – $4000? :)
bowling for boobs ii
The 3 Day is next weekend. Yeah, I know. It’s soon!
Team Boobylicious is a few thousand away from hitting our $30,000 goal, and we have one final fundraiser planned to hit it.
Bowling for Boobs II
Sunday, August 13th
5-8 pm
$10/adults and $5/kids all you can bowl
It’s at Park Tavern in St. Louis Park. Here’s a map, if you need it.
This year’s fundraising efforts have been absolutely phenomenal. Two weeks before last year’s walk, I was scrambling around to get my fundraising minimum of $2200. This year, I’m trying to help my 10-member team raise $30,000. It amazes me beyond words. $30,000 isn’t just a couple of bucks; it’s thousands. Tens of thousands.
If you haven’t already donated and you’d like to, now is your chance. Come to bowling and drop off a check or donate online. There’s no amount too small.
If you’re in the area, please come to bowling. I’d love to see you there. It’ll be a good time. With Team Boobylicious, it’s always a good time. We’re not only passionate about boobs, but we’re entertaining, too. Definitely worth a ten-dollar bill.
See you on Sunday? Here’s a flyer you can download and distribute as you wish.
Thank you to all of you who have been such amazing supporters thus far. Without your support and encouragement, the entire experience wouldn’t be as incredible as it is.
write me a letter
The 3 Day Walk is August 18-20. I may not have mentioned that for a while!
They’ve set up something new this year, which involves walkers being able to receive mail while at camp each night. So, you can write me a letter! It doesn’t matter if you have or haven’t donated, a letter would still be awesome. You just have to have it postmarked by August 4th. That’s this Friday.
It doesn’t have to be anything special at all. I just know from experience that after walking 20 miles, it’s the little things (like letters, words of encouragement, hand-drawn pictures, etc.) that keep us going for the next day.
Here’s the address:
Breast Cancer 3-Day Camp Post Office – Twin Cities
Attn: Wendy (and my last name)*
1200 W. 35th Ave Suite #360
Chicago, IL 60609
The letters and postcards will be delivered to the 3-Day Camp Post Office and I can pick them up there each evening.
Important Notes:
* All letters must be postmarked no later than 2 weeks out from the event. (i.e. 8/4)
* The 3-Day location and the participant name MUST be clearly marked in the address
* No boxes/packages; envelopes only!
* Letters will not be mailed to participants after the event. Any unclaimed letters will be disposed of.
Anyway, think it over. And if you have a couple of free minutes, write me a quick letter! Be creative or don’t – just the thought is amazing. Plus, it’ll be fun for all of us.
*I have the same last name as this person. (Sorry. I’m still kinda hiding from Google!)
flickr photo stream
