So myself, my boyfriend and all the dietitians (and one very generous nurse) really outdid ourselves this year. We went to town baking and candy making. My poor roommate wasn't able to use the freezer for the past month. But all the cupcakes, cookies, donuts, mini loafs, fudge, peanut butter cups and giant cookies was well worth it.
Here are some glamour shots of all of our hard work
Here is everyone pitching in
The bake sale is always one of my favorite events of the year. People are very generous with their money, but also in spirit. My mom and bf have heard me rave about how much I enjoy sharing with people during the day that they decided to join me in sling the bake goods.
The hospital has been promoting my story and many people came up the the table to chat. Two women who work in the hospital told me that when they first saw me bald 4 years ago, they thought I had just donated my hair and that didn't realized that I had gone through treatment until they read about me. I chuckled thinking they obviously hadn't seen me towards the end of chemo.
My favorite interaction of the day, however, occurred between my mother and a patient family member. (Side note, inviting your mother to work the bake sale, means she tells all the people that you are a survivor out of the cancer center). My mom was chatting with a husband to a patient who asked her what the bake sale was for. She explained that we are Team NED (No Evidence of Disease) and that we were raising money for the Lahey Cancer Center. She told this gentleman that I was a breast cancer survivor out of the cancer center (Four years!). He started to tell my mother his wife's story. He stated that in February she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and had undergone a bilateral mastectomy. My mother asked "How is your wife doing?". The man's face lit up "Thank you so much for asking, she is doing well and won't need chemotherapy, but is about to start radiation". My mother responded with "Ok well with radiation she might experience some fatigue and usually have some skin burning." He asked her how she would know that. She told them how she used to do radiation for the hospital and from my own experience. He responded "I am so glad that I stopped by this table today" and handed her a $20 bill. She asked "what can I get you?". And he responded with something that will stay with her for a long time...
"Nothing, you just gave me everything that I needed".
More than just a bake sale. Its great to get out there and meet all the other cancer survivors and fighters who stop by the table (especially the woman who bought cookies pre and post her chemo infusion!).
At the end of the day, we broke every bake sale record. $2,147.85. Damn that one is going to stay for a long time.
Go Team NED!
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