So many wonderfully blessings have filled our lives over the last few weeks, including an amazing weekend in Atlanta hosted by Kids II, Inc., and Bright Starts, a manufacturer of baby toys which feature a "Pretty In Pink" line of products to honor 8 women throughout the United States who have survived breast cancer, who are mothers and have helped make the world a little better place.
Rigo and I were invited to Atlanta early November to accept this touching award, which included a getaway spa weekend at the Four Seasons Hotel and a donation of $5,000 to award to the breast cancer charity of my choosing! Talk about an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to help pay-it-forward! The Central Valley Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, which I serve as the Public Policy Chair on the Board of Directors was the charity I selected to receive the funds. So many women in Fresno County region can benefit from a significant amount of education, awareness and screening with a $5,000 donation!
Since the getaway weekend happened to be where my mama lives, Rigo and I agreed to "sneak" Blaker onto the plane with us to surprise Gramma Julie in Georgia with Blake! Despite our doubts, we survived the plane ride across the country with Blaker sitting on our lap and arrived in Atlanta on a Friday to a driver waiting for us with a goodie bag full of snacks and personalized water bottles and holding a pink rose to kick off the wonderful weekend! We were ushered to the limo by the driver, with Blaker in tow and made our way to Midtown Atlanta with 70 degree weather in the background. I convinced my mom to drive into town to meet me for a quick greeting and hug before Rigo and I headed off to the festivities. (She actually lives about 45 minutes north of downtown.) Mom was her typical punctual self and was already waiting in the hotel lobby by the time we arrived and left her mark in the Four Seasons with homemade posters throughout the lobby for "RIGO & JAMIE" on bright neon pink boards! We led Blake through the lobby and witnessed one of the few, pure moments where shear joy overtook my mama! It is hard to get your parents, the two people who have sacrificed every part of their lives for you to be where you are today and knowing they would walk through fire and on a board of nails for you, an appropriate "thank you for all you've done for me" gift. Well, okay - my mom would love a gift card to Forever 21. Still, seeing my mom forget "everything in the world" and focus in on the only thing/person that mattered to her for those few moments and Blake being her focus was worth every minute on that plane there and back with Blake! Gramma was simply delighted to get a surprise weekend with BML and Rigo and I were able to embrace the pampering, wining and dining of the weekend with Bright Starts even more knowing that Blake was in hog heaven with Gramma and his cousins Devin, Pace & Lyla in Georgia!
I have procrastinated long enough to find the right words to capture what a memorable weekend Bright Starts treated us too, that I am resorting to piggy-backing onto the wonderfully written description by my fellow pregnant-with-breast-cancer, Pink Power Mom and lifelong sister-friend, Heidi Floyd's amazing blog at http://verabradleyfoundation.blogspot.com/2009_11_01_archive.html. She writes:
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - There were 9 of us in total, all of us mommies who have been through breast cancer. Three of us were pregnant during that journey, which is kinda daunting. One of the mommies is having a rough go with her radiation, so she couldn’t even join us for the party. :( The common thread, other than the cancer thing? We are all pretty fierce about finding a cure. We all work – hard, and daily – to do what we can to find a cure or to help other women who are going through treatment. At no time during the weekend did I hear anyone complain about a having too small of an office or not being able to climb the corporate ladder. At some point in maturity (staring death in the face helps with this, too) you realize that if you pursue things like that, you are chasing empty dreams. These girls? They know what matters. Amy realized that there was no one to watch the children of chemo patients, so she created a safe, special kids-only waiting room for them while mommy gets treatment. Tracie is in the services business – her non-profit (pinkribbongirls.org) helps connect patients and provide things like hot meals for their families. Jamie is… well… she’s getting her own blog post because I can’t express her cool factor on just one post. We were all connected and treated to an amazing getaway by the Kids ll company. And this company is the rare kind that I will say simply: if you ever are offered a job to be with them, take it. I don’t care how far you have to move your family, or what position you are offered, go. Their compassion is felt from the very top and runs throughout all the employees. They started a line of baby products that donate a portion of the proceeds to breast cancer to ‘give baby girls a brighter tomorrow.' Thank you, Bright Starts, for donating to our charities. Thank you, Sarah, for making it all happen! The next time you have a baby shower to go to, please buy Kids ll products. And be sure to explain to the new mommy that the gift you are giving actually has a deeper impact. For all of us!
Thank you Heidi! I couldn't have said it better!
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