I have a few NYC tourist activities on my list of things that I MUST do, but somehow never have. I want to climb to the crown of the Statue of Liberty. I want to ride the Tram to Roosevelt Island. But the number one MUST do item on that list is walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.
I’ve been here ten years. How is it possible I’ve never done it? I used to travel to Brooklyn three times a week when Rocco still lived in Park Slope. Then again, now that I live in Jersey there’s my tricky Two Rivers Rule.
For some reason I was tooling around the LLS site last week and saw a press release for their upcoming Light the Night events. A friend of mine, a childhood Leukemia survivor, once told me it’s her favorite night of the year. I clicked to learn more.
Originally I had planned on not participating in any walk-a-thons or fundraisers until I was done writing those personal checks to Sloan-Kettering. For whatever reason, I still scrolled down to the NYC listings. It was all too perfect.
On October 15th, just a few days after my birthday, I’m going to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge carrying my illuminated white survivor balloon. Gwen will carry her red supporter balloon. Our friend John will carry a gold balloon in honor of his father who died last year.
A few days later, I was enjoying a nice dinner on a friend’s rooftop and somehow the topic came up. I gave my little pitch to my buds to encourage them to join the team. Apparently after a brutally long day and a few glasses of wine, my chemo brain kicked in and my explanation of the event was somewhat confusing. My hetero life partner’s future husband (a.k.a Matt) giggled from across the table.
“It’s not actually pro-cancer. She isn’t proposing we fund Lymphoma. She wants to raise money for cancer research to help people, not help cancer.”
…and that is why I have to write shit out. Ninety-five percent of the time I have no frickin’ idea what I’m saying.
If you’re in NYC and would like to participate, we’d love to have you join the team. Strap on your swift scoots and drag your bugginbooties across the bridge. I promise, we’ll fill the night with giggles even though it sounds somewhat somber. At the very least I want to see how they make the balloons light up. I’ve been noodling over that technical conundrum for five days now.
If you can’t walk with us, donations help, too. I certainly took advantage of the free resources the LLS has available online. Your funding will help other patients navigate the oh-so-glamorous world of blood cancers.
Can’t do either? Don’t worry. I still love you.
What’s the deadline for registration? This is something I would like to do (worse than you, despite LIVING IN BROOKLYN for 6 YEARS I never made it across the BB. I have been waiting to do it on a date or something. Right… like that will ever happen).
However, as I think you know, I broke my foot on Labor Day weekend. I don’t know if I’ll be able to walk that distance by then, but I can ask my orthopedist when I go back to the doctor in two weeks. I am not going to crutch 2 miles.
I think you can pretty much register up until the last minute. We can always strap skates to your cast and pull you along behind us…
Have a little opening night to deal with that night. I will, of course, contribute to the team.