We Need You Please – Can You Make A Small Donation?

As some of you know, my sister Tina Marie Mote will be running in the 2018 Chicago Marathon.  She is doing this to raise money for a worthy cause – the Arthritis Foundation.  Recently Tina posted about this and I want to share with you a story straight from her.  If you can spare a donation – even if it is a couple of dollars – everything will be greatly appreciated 🙂 

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“This is going to be a long post and describes the main reason I am running the Chicago Marathon in October to raise money and awareness for the Arthritis Foundation. Donations are welcome of any size to help the Arthritis; donations can be made anonymously, if you prefer, and they are made directly to the Arthritis Foundation through the link provided in this posting.

Donate Here Please – Thank You!

Next week, a close friend of mine, who I will refer to as J, who is only in her early 30s and has rheumatoid arthritis (along with lupus and fibromyalgia), is undergoing another Rituxin treatment, which is a chemotherapy treatment that—fingers crossed—may alleviate the autoimmune response this disease has on one’s body. For those not familiar with RA, I’ve enclosed the following information:

“Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease that causes chronic inflammation of the joints. Autoimmune diseases are illnesses that occur when the body’s tissues are mistakenly attacked by their own immune system. The immune system contains a complex organization of cells and antibodies designed normally to “seek and destroy” invaders of the body, particularly infections. Patients with autoimmune diseases have antibodies and immune cells in their blood that target their own body tissues, where they can be associated with inflammation. While inflammation of the tissue around the joints and inflammatory arthritis are characteristic features of rheumatoid arthritis, the disease can also cause inflammation and injury in other organs in the body. Because it can affect multiple other organs of the body, rheumatoid arthritis is referred to as a systemic illness and is sometimes called rheumatoid disease. Rheumatoid arthritis is a classic rheumatic disease.”

Obtained from: https://www.medicinenet.com/rheumatoid_arthritis/article.htm

The reason J is undergoing a chemo treatment for RA is because all other medicines (biologics/DMARDS) for RA no longer appear to be working for her. As the description of RA above states, it may not only affect the joints of the body but also other bodily organs. Because of RA, J’s lungs have been attacked and she is symptomatic of COPD though she has never smoked. RA has also damaged her heart and lungs . In addition, because RA is an autoimmune disease, her body thinks the immune system needs to attack the joints. The way the medicine works to alleviate this response is to slow the immune system. Doing so lessens her resilience to bacteria and viruses and what may be a common cold to us could become to her a prolonged illness. The flu would be devastating for her. Because of lower immunity, she’s had sepsis twice (November 2016 and November 2017)! Thank God the hospital both times immediately followed sepsis protocol at the first sign that sepsis was a possibility and didn’t wait for further evidence!

So next week she has another Rituxin treatment (info found on the links below), which has become her only option. However, the side effects are potentially devastating and potentially fatal because it severely compromises the immune system PLUS not to mention it’s a chemo treatment that has its own nasty side effects. I wish beyond all wishes I could be down in Texas with her this week but there is no way I can juggle my commitments and be with her, too.

I cannot stand to see anyone have to endure this, particularly someone who is a beautiful and life-giving soul as J is! Because I cannot help her directly and heal her, I want to do my small part to contribute to the Arthritis Foundation, who finds research for cures to terrible ailments such as RA.

Me completing a marathon pales in comparison what J has to endure on a daily basis and because the disease isn’t visible to others, sometimes those around her don’t realize just how hard it is for her. I’ve learned so much these last few years from her and have been inspired time and time again. She is the most optimistic and determined and brave and courageous individual I know and I want her to be around for many years to come!!!”

Rituxin treatment links:
https://www.webmd.com/…/20060428/rituxan-treats-rheumatoid-…

https://www.rituxanforra.com

 

We Need Your Help Friends

My sister, Tina Mote, will be running in the 2018 Bank of America Chicago Marathon in Chicago, Illinois on Sunday, October 7, 2018.

For this marathon, Tina decided to raise money for something that is close and dear to her heart – The Arthritis Foundation. Unfortunately myself and another close friend have rheumatoid arthritis.  Tina decided to run the marathon in our honor in support of raising money for a great cause.  In fact, below is a note of why she picked the Arthritis Foundation:

“Both my sister and my close friend have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and through them I have become passionate about wanting to do something to contribute towards a cure or better ways to treat RA.  In addition, I’d like to bring awareness to RA and the herculean effort people afflicted with RA have to go through on a daily basis.  

I’ve seen both my sister and my friend deal with flare-ups and with medicine side effects and I’ve seen them be immune compromised.  My friend, who is only in her early 30s, is currently having to fight through some really tough side effects of Rituxan (a chemo treatment for RA); she’s undergoing this treatment because other medicines have not been effective for controlling her RA.  The side effects at times have been life threatening.”

The following passage is from my friend’s blog.  It speaks volumes to what she has to endure.  

“Had a good learning experience today, for the first time something was blamed on me because of my ‘being sick.’ I realized that when someone can use the smallest thing against you (and being sick is no small thing) then you have entered into a world where you feel like you have to be ‘Great,’ ‘Doing good’ all time because if you don’t….someone will say ‘blank didn’t happen because YOU were ‘sick’.’

I’ll say I expect better, the world needs to understand the world of those people who are chronically ill! Why should we have to live a lie? Why should we push ourselves so hard to earn an Oscar every day for our performance? Why can’t we be honest about how we feel? Why?

….because that will be the weapon someone will use against us. And so we can’t, so instead we lie, we push ourselves, we never show the tears of pain and fatigue…..instead we make ourselves smile, laugh, and act like we are normal….because if we didn’t someone will say ‘because you are sick’.

This is where we need your help.  I’ve never asked for much here at the Hotel Thompson but if you have anything to give, we would so appreciate anything that you could donate towards my sisters marathon.  Her goal is to raise $2,000.00 and every little penny counts.  If you would like to donate, please go donate here.  This should be the page link for Tina Mote for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon.  Let her know that Bacon sent you.

Remember, every little penny counts so we appreciate anything you can donate.