Angela
Friday, May 15, 2009
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
A BIT OF A CHANGE IN ANGELA's PLANS
It was a quiet month. No word from Angela. I guess that's good.
Then, finally, an update: Angela's live liver transplant donor wasn't going to be able to donate after all. But the reason was that her doctors said it would be better for her to have a donation from a cadaver. I'm not a doctor so I have no idea why this change, but as long as she gets her liver, I'm OK with whatever decision her medical team makes. Anyway, life goes on for Angela -- two girls, busy with school, and one helping her parents out with the remodeling of one of the rooms in their house. And Angela shared some photos of some of the wonderful comfort food they cooked up in upstate New York. Some type of yummy cassoulet with fresh herbs.
In the meantime, I'm still working hard to achieve my original goal of 7,500 miles this year -- without the incentive of raising funds for Angela. But THAT's OK! I'd rather have this situation than the previous one!
March has been an interesting month, weatherwise. Some rain we desperately needed, followed by many, many days of glorious spring weather. So, that helped produce some miles! My first cycle event for spring is scheduled for April 4 -- the Cinderella Challenge -- slightly less than a full century, but still challenging. It's a local event organized by my local bike club, the Valley Spokesmen. I helped form a team of Luna Chix ride leaders to assist in the training of many area women who are participating in this ride; some are veteran riders, but many are novices, planning to complete their first major event. We had several weeks of increasingly longer rides to help prepare them.
This, plus I committed to ride a week-long endurance ride in the mountains of Colorado in June with some good friends from Team in Training -- Amy, Nancy, Grace, Janet, and Janet's husband, Mark. About 38,000 feet of elevation gain, about 500 miles, in high altitude -- for seven days! So, that means getting my body and mind prepared quickly! March brought several difficult rides of increasing length. The hardest one was a local ride with the Grizzly Peak Cyclists club out of Berkeley, with 87 miles and 6,000' of climbing, on a really cold breezy day. Good mental preparation, not to mention physical!
My final stats for March: 655 miles! Total mileage for 2009 to date: 2101, averaging 700 miles per month. I've reached 28% of my annual goal. The question now is: Can I maintain? We shall see.
Then, finally, an update: Angela's live liver transplant donor wasn't going to be able to donate after all. But the reason was that her doctors said it would be better for her to have a donation from a cadaver. I'm not a doctor so I have no idea why this change, but as long as she gets her liver, I'm OK with whatever decision her medical team makes. Anyway, life goes on for Angela -- two girls, busy with school, and one helping her parents out with the remodeling of one of the rooms in their house. And Angela shared some photos of some of the wonderful comfort food they cooked up in upstate New York. Some type of yummy cassoulet with fresh herbs.
In the meantime, I'm still working hard to achieve my original goal of 7,500 miles this year -- without the incentive of raising funds for Angela. But THAT's OK! I'd rather have this situation than the previous one!
March has been an interesting month, weatherwise. Some rain we desperately needed, followed by many, many days of glorious spring weather. So, that helped produce some miles! My first cycle event for spring is scheduled for April 4 -- the Cinderella Challenge -- slightly less than a full century, but still challenging. It's a local event organized by my local bike club, the Valley Spokesmen. I helped form a team of Luna Chix ride leaders to assist in the training of many area women who are participating in this ride; some are veteran riders, but many are novices, planning to complete their first major event. We had several weeks of increasingly longer rides to help prepare them.
This, plus I committed to ride a week-long endurance ride in the mountains of Colorado in June with some good friends from Team in Training -- Amy, Nancy, Grace, Janet, and Janet's husband, Mark. About 38,000 feet of elevation gain, about 500 miles, in high altitude -- for seven days! So, that means getting my body and mind prepared quickly! March brought several difficult rides of increasing length. The hardest one was a local ride with the Grizzly Peak Cyclists club out of Berkeley, with 87 miles and 6,000' of climbing, on a really cold breezy day. Good mental preparation, not to mention physical!
My final stats for March: 655 miles! Total mileage for 2009 to date: 2101, averaging 700 miles per month. I've reached 28% of my annual goal. The question now is: Can I maintain? We shall see.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
February 2009 News!
No news is good news! We haven't heard from Angela since her latest and greatest news that the Blue Cross Blue Shield has finally agreed to cover her liver transplant and special previous experimental treatments. So she must still be celebrating, sipping champagne!
Keeping motivated to stay in the saddle this month came a little harder, and receiving the rain we desperately needed in January -- all in the month of February -- made it even more difficult. That said -- I still managed to log 567 miles for the month of February. Not bad for a rainy and short month! Though short of my monthly goal, I'm still ahead of schedule, with an average of 723 miles per month since the beginning of 2009 -- 79 miles ahead per month. I've achieved almost 20% toward my 7,500 mileage goal for the year!
I had one very memorable long ride in February, the Tour de Palm Springs, shared with three GREAT Team in Training buddies -- Mark, Steve and Jody. We headed down via car and met up with torrential rain -- and SNOW -- the entire 10-hour ride down and we were all very nervous that we'd have a bad-weather day for the ride. But the sun gods came through for us! We had a gorgeous crisp day with blue sky all day long. Good friends, good first-century ride of the year, and friendly fellow cyclists! Still, although considered a relative "flat" century, I was tired at the end.
This month, I also helped form a new team -- Team Revolution -- which will ride the Tour of Colorado in June 2009. Over 29,000' of elevation gain and 530 miles in one week! This will take some heavy-duty training, and plenty of knowledge about how to counteract the symptoms of altitude sickness. I wonder if the SAG wagon will be busy transporting Californians over the Continental Divide!
That's it for now. More coming next month! Thanks for checking in.
Barb
Keeping motivated to stay in the saddle this month came a little harder, and receiving the rain we desperately needed in January -- all in the month of February -- made it even more difficult. That said -- I still managed to log 567 miles for the month of February. Not bad for a rainy and short month! Though short of my monthly goal, I'm still ahead of schedule, with an average of 723 miles per month since the beginning of 2009 -- 79 miles ahead per month. I've achieved almost 20% toward my 7,500 mileage goal for the year!
I had one very memorable long ride in February, the Tour de Palm Springs, shared with three GREAT Team in Training buddies -- Mark, Steve and Jody. We headed down via car and met up with torrential rain -- and SNOW -- the entire 10-hour ride down and we were all very nervous that we'd have a bad-weather day for the ride. But the sun gods came through for us! We had a gorgeous crisp day with blue sky all day long. Good friends, good first-century ride of the year, and friendly fellow cyclists! Still, although considered a relative "flat" century, I was tired at the end.
This month, I also helped form a new team -- Team Revolution -- which will ride the Tour of Colorado in June 2009. Over 29,000' of elevation gain and 530 miles in one week! This will take some heavy-duty training, and plenty of knowledge about how to counteract the symptoms of altitude sickness. I wonder if the SAG wagon will be busy transporting Californians over the Continental Divide!
That's it for now. More coming next month! Thanks for checking in.
Barb
Sunday, February 8, 2009
DONATIONS WILL BE RETURNED TO CONTRIBUTORS!
We've just discovered that Technology Credit Union does not keep records of the checks they receive to accounts, just those that are written. So, I am in the process now of contacting my friends and contacts to see if they contributed so that I can return their generous donations.
I can't tell you how excited Angela was to tell me about the letter she received from BCBS. AND, she expressed to me how grateful she was for the effort I was going through to raise money on her behalf. So, THANK YOU from the depths of her and my hearts!
Just for the record, I completed the month of January exceeding my own mileage goal, with a total of 879.2 miles ridden, 36% beyond my expectations! I actually wasn't sure I'd ever be able to ride this much during any one month, but I was definitely motivated. Plus, we had an incredibly mild month with very little precipitation. It made it easy to get out and ride, and I had lots of cycle friends along with me to keep me going.
I may still keep the mileage goal if for no other reason than to see if I can achieve it. I just returned from 4 days of cycling in the Solvang area and will be riding my second century for 2009 next weekend at the Tour de Palm Springs. After that, I will attempt to do a challenging 90-mile ride over Morgan Territory in late February, all in preparation for some serious climbing later in the year.
Thank you all for checking in on Team Cholangela and for your donations and pledges. It has meant the world to me.
I can't tell you how excited Angela was to tell me about the letter she received from BCBS. AND, she expressed to me how grateful she was for the effort I was going through to raise money on her behalf. So, THANK YOU from the depths of her and my hearts!
Just for the record, I completed the month of January exceeding my own mileage goal, with a total of 879.2 miles ridden, 36% beyond my expectations! I actually wasn't sure I'd ever be able to ride this much during any one month, but I was definitely motivated. Plus, we had an incredibly mild month with very little precipitation. It made it easy to get out and ride, and I had lots of cycle friends along with me to keep me going.
I may still keep the mileage goal if for no other reason than to see if I can achieve it. I just returned from 4 days of cycling in the Solvang area and will be riding my second century for 2009 next weekend at the Tour de Palm Springs. After that, I will attempt to do a challenging 90-mile ride over Morgan Territory in late February, all in preparation for some serious climbing later in the year.
Thank you all for checking in on Team Cholangela and for your donations and pledges. It has meant the world to me.
Friday, January 30, 2009
HOLD YOUR HORSES! ANGELA GETS MIRACLE LETTER TODAY!
I came home today after a 36-mile leisurely ride along the San Francisco Bay waterfront and got a call from Angela. She said she was "sipping champagne". I knew she was a wine afficionado, so didn't think much of it and just said "Oh?" and then waited. She then said, "We got a letter today from Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS), and they are going to completely cover my liver transplant operation!" Unbelieveable!
I thought it had been two appeals that they'd presented to the insurance company over the last year or so, but it had been four. Remember when Angela said not to underestimate her? Well, after being denied so many times about something they thought BCBS should cover, she and her husband, James, decided to begin the legal process. Once BCBS received notification of their intent to sue and a request to unearth Angela's medical records, it was obvious BCBS gave it more serious consideration. Furthermore, Angela and James had contacted the Attorney General's Office of the State of New York, to request they look further into the matter. It's believed that some pressure was placed on BCBS and this partially caused their reconsideration.
So, without having to worry about the financial burden, Angela will receive her liver transplant after all! She currently has two potential donors identified, and one will be undergoing a series of tests (CT scans, MRI, blood work etc.) within the next couple of weeks. We don't know when the operation will take place, but things are looking up -- WAY UP -- for Angela and her family! As her doctors have already told her, "We're half-way there."
So, what will happen with donations submitted by all the "Angels 4 Angela"? We will contact Technology Credit Union very soon to capture the information we will need to reimburse every contributor.
I believe it's important for everyone who contributed to know how deeply we appreciate their generosity. It is because of you that Angela and her family have been able to keep their spirits high and motivation going.
So with this, I will end my blog for today, rejoicing that Angela will have a solid chance for long-term survival. And I also rejoice in all the wonderful words of inspiration and encouragement from friends and colleagues who have supported me in this effort. I'll continue to ride, and maybe even keep my goals in place for 2009. One of them, the most important one, will have been achieved, and that is -- Angela will get her transplant!
I will update this blogsite throughout 2009 when I have any important messages to convey about Angela, and maybe a few words about any riding challenges I will have experienced. You can assume I'll continue to keep my you-know-what in the saddle if for no other reason now than I love to ride!
Thank you all for everything!
I thought it had been two appeals that they'd presented to the insurance company over the last year or so, but it had been four. Remember when Angela said not to underestimate her? Well, after being denied so many times about something they thought BCBS should cover, she and her husband, James, decided to begin the legal process. Once BCBS received notification of their intent to sue and a request to unearth Angela's medical records, it was obvious BCBS gave it more serious consideration. Furthermore, Angela and James had contacted the Attorney General's Office of the State of New York, to request they look further into the matter. It's believed that some pressure was placed on BCBS and this partially caused their reconsideration.
So, without having to worry about the financial burden, Angela will receive her liver transplant after all! She currently has two potential donors identified, and one will be undergoing a series of tests (CT scans, MRI, blood work etc.) within the next couple of weeks. We don't know when the operation will take place, but things are looking up -- WAY UP -- for Angela and her family! As her doctors have already told her, "We're half-way there."
So, what will happen with donations submitted by all the "Angels 4 Angela"? We will contact Technology Credit Union very soon to capture the information we will need to reimburse every contributor.
I believe it's important for everyone who contributed to know how deeply we appreciate their generosity. It is because of you that Angela and her family have been able to keep their spirits high and motivation going.
So with this, I will end my blog for today, rejoicing that Angela will have a solid chance for long-term survival. And I also rejoice in all the wonderful words of inspiration and encouragement from friends and colleagues who have supported me in this effort. I'll continue to ride, and maybe even keep my goals in place for 2009. One of them, the most important one, will have been achieved, and that is -- Angela will get her transplant!
I will update this blogsite throughout 2009 when I have any important messages to convey about Angela, and maybe a few words about any riding challenges I will have experienced. You can assume I'll continue to keep my you-know-what in the saddle if for no other reason now than I love to ride!
Thank you all for everything!
Thursday, January 29, 2009
More of Angela's Words. . . and . . . What I'm Doing Next
It's almost the end of January and I'm feeling like I've got a good start on my cycle goals. But before I get into that, I wanted to share a little more of what I found on Angela's "Care Pages" way back in 2007. She said:
"Perhaps it seems odd to compare the birth of my children to fighting cancer (on the other hand, some of you with teenagers may not see this as much of a stretch), but, in truth, it's really all about nurturing life. And that sometimes feels like a knock-out, drag-out, don't-you-even-think-it-young-lady kind of fight, and it can leave you exhausted.
These last two weeks have been very hard. I alternate between feeling strong and hopeful against impossible odds and then crazy scared . . . you know, kind of like Mel Gibson in Beyond Thunderdome."
So. . . what's in store for this "Angel 4 Angela"? Well, at the end of this week, if all goes as planned, I will have cycled over 850 miles for the month of January! We've had an incredibly dry (not so good, really) month here, and while the temps have been cool, I've continued to keep my you-know-what in the saddle. So while my plan was to achieve 644 miles by month-end, I've exceeded that by 200 miles. I'm happy. Only about 6,700 to go!
Next, I head down to Solvang for a 5-day bike tour. It will be a great opportunity to start off February with the potential to record a fair number of miles. Tune in later for an update.
Remember, you can donate at ANY time, ANY amount. Please see below for info on how to go about it. Please become an "Angel 4 Angela".
"Perhaps it seems odd to compare the birth of my children to fighting cancer (on the other hand, some of you with teenagers may not see this as much of a stretch), but, in truth, it's really all about nurturing life. And that sometimes feels like a knock-out, drag-out, don't-you-even-think-it-young-lady kind of fight, and it can leave you exhausted.
These last two weeks have been very hard. I alternate between feeling strong and hopeful against impossible odds and then crazy scared . . . you know, kind of like Mel Gibson in Beyond Thunderdome."
So. . . what's in store for this "Angel 4 Angela"? Well, at the end of this week, if all goes as planned, I will have cycled over 850 miles for the month of January! We've had an incredibly dry (not so good, really) month here, and while the temps have been cool, I've continued to keep my you-know-what in the saddle. So while my plan was to achieve 644 miles by month-end, I've exceeded that by 200 miles. I'm happy. Only about 6,700 to go!
Next, I head down to Solvang for a 5-day bike tour. It will be a great opportunity to start off February with the potential to record a fair number of miles. Tune in later for an update.
Remember, you can donate at ANY time, ANY amount. Please see below for info on how to go about it. Please become an "Angel 4 Angela".
Monday, January 26, 2009
What does "Cholangela" stand for?
When Angela composed her first messages on her "Care Pages", she signed them with a nickname, "Cholangela". Over time, her family wondered -- what does this mean?
It stands for a combination of the type of cancer Angela has, a slow-growing variety of "cholangiocarcinoma", and her name, Angela.
So, I have put together a team name, "Team Cholangela", and you will soon see me wearing a custom bike jersey designed just for the purpose of advertising the need to raise funds for Angela's liver transplant.
Become a member of Team Cholangela and donate! Please make your check payable to:
The Angela Hailey Liver Transplant Fund, Acct. #346617
and mail to:
Technology Credit Union, Account #346617
P.O. Box 1300
San Jose, CA 95108-1300
Thank you so much for caring!
-- Barb
It stands for a combination of the type of cancer Angela has, a slow-growing variety of "cholangiocarcinoma", and her name, Angela.
So, I have put together a team name, "Team Cholangela", and you will soon see me wearing a custom bike jersey designed just for the purpose of advertising the need to raise funds for Angela's liver transplant.
Become a member of Team Cholangela and donate! Please make your check payable to:
The Angela Hailey Liver Transplant Fund, Acct. #346617
and mail to:
Technology Credit Union, Account #346617
P.O. Box 1300
San Jose, CA 95108-1300
Thank you so much for caring!
-- Barb
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