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.  

 

Journey with Mom

Hello my friends – this is Bacon’s mom June here.  Today is my first Monday checking in.  Over the weekend, I purged the Hotel Thompson of sugary foods – cookies, soda’s, chips – all of the ‘great’ things we lean upon in a rush.  I even got on the scales and weighed myself – thus the scale image of HELP! LOL.  At the family meeting last night, we even discussed the game plan and what was in store.  Not a DIEt but a change in our lifestyle eating.  My husband is even aboard with the exception of Thanksgiving Day.  He feels that this holiday is once a year and plans have been made for that day – expensive plans that involve eating at a nice upscale restaurant downtown.  So we compromised on that one day.

Other than that, I pledge to eat clean.  I pledge to walk more for exercise.  I pledge to weigh only once a week on Saturday mornings.  I pledge to be honest here on my weekly blog postings.  If I have a great week, I will share.  If I stumbled and tripped, I will also share.

This journey is not only about losing weight, which I need, but it’s about getting some blood count numbers where they need to be.  My cholesterol and LDL are perfect.  However, my HDL and A1C are not.  As of September, my HDL is a 39 and needs to be over 50.  My A1C came back at 9.3 which is high.  In order not to take insulin shots, my A1C needs to be at a 7 or below.  My next blood work will be in January/February 2016.  I CAN DO THIS!

With your help, guidance, hugs and/or a swift kick in the bum, I CAN DO THIS!  Losing weight will help towards these goals.  In reality, I would love to lose 100 pounds.  Is this possible – sure – slow and steady wins the race, right?  So my friends, now you know what’s in store.

Are you up to the challenge of helping me and being my support system?

Much love ❤ June ❤