A heartfelt thank you to everyone who supported our little fundraising campaign, which we completed on Sunday.
This was my first attempt at creating a charity event fundraiser of our own.
What began as a small thought bubble on a rainy day — an “oh, what the hell, give it a go, just pull something together” moment — turned into such a rewarding and heartwarming experience for both Les and me.
It also inspired an article I had written for my blog. Les then suggested I send it to The Australian instead, something I never would have thought to do myself. To my surprise, they picked it up almost immediately.
The article led to some incredibly generous donations, as well as heartfelt messages from people sharing their own experiences of living with cancer or supporting someone they love through it. Some were from people I know, and many were from complete strangers. Sadly, cancer is not a rare experience, and so many of us have been touched by it in one way or another.
That little thought bubble on a rainy day travelled much further than I ever expected. I suppose there is a lesson in that too: sometimes we just need to have a little faith and back ourselves, because we never quite know where a small idea might lead or how it might grow into something bigger, touching more lives than we could have imagined.
By last Sunday, we were a small group of big hearts and enthusiastic feet — a little sea of red caps, shirts and smiles. Some wonderful friends joined us for the walk, along with the added joy of having our children and grandchildren there too. Three generations followed a well-worn path beside the sparkle of the cool, clear water of the D’Entrecasteaux Channel, carried by the turning tides towards the Tasman Sea.
Among our little group was a lovely couple, proudly wearing their Leukaemia Foundation shirts, who kindly shared their own heart rendering story with us. Nearly 18 years ago, their little boy was suddenly diagnosed with leukaemia as a toddler. They told us how much the Leukaemia Foundation supported their family at the time, including providing fully paid accommodation in Melbourne while their son received treatment. That support was possible because other people had donated years before us, which brought home the importance of what we were all doing there.
So , our little group walk could not have been lovelier.
And astoundingly , together we raised just shy of $3,000 for the Leukaemia Foundation — money that we know will help others who suddenly find themselves facing something they never expected.
The fundraising page is still open for anyone who would like to contribute:
Leukaemia Foundation – Walk the Shore for Blood Cancer
https://fundraise.leukaemia.org.au/fundraiser/louisemace
So, in not so short, thank you. Whether you donated, shared the fundraiser, sent words of encouragement, told us your own story, read the article or walked beside us, every bit of support mattered. And counts !
And sending so much extra love and hope to those still in the midst of their own journey, and to those standing or walking beside them. There will always be bumpy paths, stormy days and changing tides, but thankfully there are sunny days too and the swell of an ocean that binds us all in so many ways .
Perhaps , one of many lessons that I will take away from this first attempt to create a charity event fundraiser: have a little faith, give something a go and see where it leads. Sometimes the ripples travel further than we think, reminding us along the way of how connected and alike at heart we really are.
Blood flows in all veins, and so does kindness.
Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
❤️❤️
