Rain, Rain, Go Away

It's a good thing I've been riding almost every day because we're now looking at about 4 more days of rain! I guess I can't complain because we really need it here in northern California, but I'll be heading off to the gym tomorrow to do some stationary cycling instead of a planned 43-miler in the Oakland and Castro Valley hills.

Still...I'll have logged over 600 miles for January by month's end, so that's a good start!

Today, I got a great idea from Mike about putting together a group fundraising ride for Angela. He's agreed to SAG for us! So, I'll work on this and hopefully will create a ride many want to do. If you're a follower, check back and you'll read or hear more about this later.

Please check below for information on how to donate as an "ANGEL 4 ANGELA". She needs your help.

-- Barb

Angela's Story Just Can't Be Summarized. It's Just Too Complicated!

I've been sitting at the computer for a couple of hours now, trying to capture Angela's story in a way that everyone can understand. After pouring through two years of her "Care Pages", I've just realized it's just too complicated. So, I've decided to select one of the most meaningful pieces of prose Angela wrote over the last year. I think it captures alot of what she's been facing, most recently with the behemoth insurance company who has denied two appeals from her doctors for coverage of her liver transplant.

I think it will be quite apparent that Angela has a wonderful talent of putting her feelings into words we can all understand:

"I have been asked in the past why I don't have more anger with regard to my diagnosis. My response has been that I feel that the emotion is really a waste of time, but I think I need to revise my answer now. There is nothing that we can really do about what life throws at us, whether that be a cyclone in Burma, an earthquake in China or a cancer in the bile duct. How we respond, however, we can control; and what we expect of our fellow human beings we can also judge. Myanmar's generals are responsible for the lives they sacrificed to their paranoia, but what is the point of raging against a weather system? We can mourn the tragedy of the earthquake victims and admire China's swift response, even as it reminds us of the shame of Katrina. I am not angry at the cancer, but my fury has no limits against an institution that cannot see beyond its "criteria" to the human story that lies just underneath my medical file. I imagine that when they look at my file they see just a cancer patient--weak, resigned, maybe in pain. I am none of those things, and, if they knew that, perhaps they would not be so quick to write me off. I have every intention of acquainting them with the real me."

In the future, rather than document all Angela has been through, treatment by treatment, I'll select some poignant remarks she's made over time. I think you'll become quite a fan of hers, as everyone who knows her is.

And my progress? We've been blessed in California with a very mild January, so I've been racking up the miles. It's January 21st and I've now ridden 640 miles. Ahead of schedule! Tired? Yes, I am! A crazy 6,860 more miles to go! I've just started, and I'm looking forward to sharing the road with many of my cycle friends as they support me in this endeavor.

Please become an "Angel 4 Angela" and make your check payable to:

"The Angela Hailey Liver Transplant Fund", Acct #346617

and mail it to:

Technology Credit Union - Acct #346617
P.O. Box 1300
San Jose, CA 95108-1300

Thank you so much for caring!

FUND ACCOUNT IS SET UP AND READY FOR YOUR DONATIONS!

After considerable research, we've finally set up "The Angela Hailey Liver Transplant Drive" fund which can now accept your donations!

As you're already aware, my niece, Angela, desperately needs a liver transplant, and due to her rare form of cancer ("choloangiocarcinoma") -- in her case, it's very slow growing -- her insurance company has denied two appeals which have been filed by her and her doctors. They will not cover any costs associated with a liver transplant (nor the ensuing medications), which her doctors believe is her best chance of long-term survival.

So, I've embarked on a personal journey of my own -- to raise as much money as possible to help her beat the odds. To do this, I am riding 7,500 miles in 365 days while raising funds. To date, I've ridden 450 miles. So only 7,050 miles to go!

To contribute as an "Angel 4 Angela", please make your check payable to:

The Angela Hailey Liver Transplant Fund, Acct #346617

and mail it to:

Technology Credit Union

Account #346617
P.O. Box 1300

San Jose, CA 95108-1300

Any amount, small or large, will be so gratefully received. With your help, Angela will achieve her goal, and I will do everything I can to achieve mine.

In my next post, I will try to capture Angela's journey in brief for you. Her journey has been long, but has been met with strength, determination and grace.

Thank you so much for caring!

Why we need to raise money for Angela

My 39-year-old niece, Angela, was diagnosed with a rare form of liver cancer over two years ago. It's called "cholangiocarcinoma". She of course was devastated, along with her husband, James, and two beautiful little girls, Sadie and Audry Claire (known as "I Declare"). And then so were the rest of her extended family members and friends. Little did we know at the time how difficult a road she'd have to travel.


In a nutshell, she's undergone surgery to remove the tumor, at least two chemo treatments, several endoscopies, and some experimental chemical treatments. But her slow-growing cancer doesn't seem to want to go away. Now it's apparent that her insurance company (whose name will remain anonymous in this writing) will not cover the treatment her doctors at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York say has the best chance of saving her life -- a liver transplant. Her insurance company has denied two appeals. While Angela and her family try to live their daily lives, she is faced with continued failed treatments, with a costly liver transplant out of her reach.


So. . . in my small way, I'm hoping to raise as much money as I can by getting the word out in my own special way. Over the last few years, I took up road cycling and found that the more I rode, the more passionate I became about it. It's like an addiction for me. As a result, I'm turning this into a goal this year that will help my niece. I plan to devote my 2009 year to Angela Hailey-Gregory, and will ride 7500 miles in 365 days while raising funds to help her live a good long life. I plan to ride locally, out my front door, on short rides, long rides (like centuries and perhaps double centuries), challenging rides (like the Alta Alpina Challenge) and easier ones, with friends and solo -- whatever it will take. That means putting on my cyclometer an average of 144 miles each week for one year. Today is January 7th and I've already ridden 196 miles.


If you feel you'd like to contribute to Angela's Fund, please stay tuned. I'll be publishing the name of the financial institution where you can send your donation. I know I, for one, would be extremely grateful. Thank you for listening to me. And more details will follow about both Angela's and my journeys.