LARA'S PINK BALLOON

A week after our marathon, I attended the Light the Night Walk with Lara, her family and her friends.

Somebody gave a heart shape pink balloon to her and Lara walked

backwards more than a 1/2 mile holding the balloon in front of her cute face.. 

I said  "Lara, why are you walking like that?"

...and she replied back saying "this way, we get more attention and we can raise more money.."

I cannot believe she is only 7 years old.

...and I am thankful that God gave a second chance to these kids..

Lara's young friend Jericho was the hero of the day.

This young cancer survivor inspired his family and friends to take action and raised  thousands of dollars for this event (I believe it was more than $10,000 but I cannot remember the exact amount.)

We were all part of Team Jericho that night.

...the cancer survivors had white balloons..
...the families who lost a loved one to cancer had yellow balloons..
...and friends, family members, and all other supporters carried red balloons...

It was a very colorful and powerful evening.




Walking 2 miles with hand-in-hand Lara made me think about a lot of things...

- how scary must have been the idea of losing a child to cancer for their parents..
- how little and yet powerful these kids must be...
- how much love exist in this community..
- how great it feels to make a difference and care for something bigger than ourselves..

Team Jericho also had a Lara.. Jericho's mom's name.. . I think I will name my child after these strong mothers, and their strong kids

Lara's mom Nuran is also an incredible woman. Being around her and her two kids -Lara and Ilayda- was truly a joyful experience.

It was an inspiring and wonderful evening..

It brought tears to my eyes to see all the balloons, red, white, and yellow! ... Colors of life and death.. Colors of love and support...

and of course, there was Lara's pink balloon with hope!



These are wonderful times to remember to be grateful.. to take a moment and connect with something greater than ourselves..

I certainly enjoyed this special evening and my life felt more meaningful than ever.

I look forward to seeing the cure for blood cancers in our life time for people of all ages and for cancers of all types.

Make this one a worth-living day!

Love,
Demi




P.S. If you like Lara's pink balloon and would like to congratulate her backwards walking, you can honor her wishes and make a donation at www.chizgi.info

I did my first half marathon last Sunday... My FIRST 13.1 miles!

It is amazing how quickly we move on to the next thing. After spending months to prepare for it, it was done and I already forgot about it

I think we should slow down and celebrate more.. Enjoy the precious moments, smell the flowers, give kisses, and just be present!

Okay, back to my marathon:

It was a wonderful weekend, filled with inspiration! Not only that I ran 13.1 miles (or I should say walk/run) in the hilly San Francisco, but I also did it with 20,000 people (mostly women)... I don't know where else you can see that many women together in harmony and joy It was kind of a rare moment!

My wonderful husband joined me at mile 4 and supported my efforts by running with me until the 13th mile.

The greatest news is that participants raised $14 million  for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in the hopes for finding a cure for blood cancers through this event.. and we were part of these efforts with the $4,000 that our friends and colleagues contributed to. I found my name on the wall which listed all the participants

Thanks to you!

Best,
Demi

Oh, my finish time... 3 hours 28 minutes and 40 seconds! I have a lot of room to grow!
Finisher's Results

Here is the link to my finisher's certificate
Finisher's Certificate

Congrats to Dori!

We draw our raffle for Tahoe tonight after our track workout at Stanford. Three (Dave, Christina, and Allison) volunteers helped ensure a fair drawing and our lucky winner is named as Dori Hailu.

Dori received the raffle rules tonight and shall decide whether he will take this opportunity or not by Sunday midnight.

We also draw two back-up names in case the first or second winner cannot accept this prize.

First Back-up Winner: Rowena Wong
Second Back-up Winner: Leyla Hanson

On another note, as of today we have achieved ONE of our fundraising milestones and reached $4,000. Of this amount $3100 is showing on our website, $150 to be deposited and $750 as company matches..

Thank you very much for your support and stay tuned for the race updates!

 
Best,
Demi
10/15/2009
10:34pm

Hello,

As of 5:30pm, we have 16 entries to the Tahoe raffle, thanks to everyone who has participated!  Below is the final list of people entered in the raffle:

• L & A Erhili
• Charlotte Currie
• John Fleming
• Greg Foerster
• Leyla Hanson
• Rosine & Tugrul Bingol
• Weibin Xu
• Samir Bayraktar
• Lara Rajninger
• Pak Y. Tam
• Alissa Winzeler
• (Private)
• Chris Alston (check)
• Rowena Wong
• Dori Hailu
• Nathaniel Chittenden

Best,
Nate

Hello,

I am getting ready to run 13 miles this Sunday and I hope that the weather will be nice to me.  I am still working on my IT band injury so that I can run.  Even if I can't run the whole way, I will make sure that I will cross the finish line!  The articles on San Jose Mercury regarding the death of two people last week scared me a bit, however, that fear won't stop me.  In any case, I need your prayers and support. 

It is time to do our final raffle for the season, and we have so far 13 entries, and a few pledges.  Those of you who said yes, please do send your contribution online today by 5pm (www.chizgi.info).  So far here is the list of lucky people we have for the Tahoe raffle:

• L & A Erhili
• Charlotte Currie
• John Fleming
• Greg Foerster
• Leyla Hanson
• Rosine & Tugrul Bingol
• Weibin Xu
• Samir Bayraktar
• Lara Rajninger
• Pak Y. Tam
• Alissa Winzeler
• (Private)
• Chris Alston (check)

That means currently there is a 1/13 chance to win . 

Remember, going forward we will not always have these nice and fancy raffle prizes, but we will need your support to be able to complete these wonderful yet demanding commitments. 

Again, our short term goal is to raise $4,000 by November 1st, and $5,000 by the end of the year, and the long-term goal is to raise $10,000 by August 2010.  We are currently at $3,750. 

On another note, after my half-marathon this weekend, Nate's training for Ironman (3 mile swim, 120 mile bike, 26.2 mile run) will start.  In addition, Nate and I will run our first full marathon on December 11th. 

Why are we doing this?  Because we can, but some people cannot.  This is our way of helping people who need the emotional and financial support while they are battling cancers and/or other life threatening illnesses.

If you are thankful for your health and wellbeing, and if you are feeling grateful that you have friends who have these kind of commitments, please support our efforts! 

Best,
Demi

Hello,

The clock is ticking for the Marathon, as well as our fundraising efforts.  We will be drawing the raffle for Tahoe in just two days on 10/15/2009!  If you would like to donate $50 and enter the raffle, or just support a great cause, there are still spots remaining. 

Here is a quote from someone on our Team In Training team who has stayed at this Tahoe ski/golf resort:

"I happen to be fortunate enough to stay at Old Greenwood last year as my boyfriend’s brother owns a property there.. It is an awesome place! It has a beautiful work out facility, spa, and pick up to nearby Northstar ski resort. They even have a special facility at the ski resort to keep your skis or snowboard overnight and have them ready for you each day. Amazing place for the lucky one who will win the raffle!!!"

Best,
Demi & Nate

Hello,

Thanks to all who participated in the Hawaii Raffle! 

As of today, we have raised $3,700 ($3,000 showing online, $700 in company matches pending).  Thanks to everyone for your generosity! 

Our next goal is to raise a total of $5,000 by the end of the year, with our ultimate goal of $10,000 by August 2010. 

We will be drawing the winner for the perfect ski vacation to Tahoe on October 15.  The first 20 people to donate a minimum of $50 is automatically entered into the drawing, and 12 of those spots are already taken. 

The 12 people currently entered into the drawing:

• L & A Erhili
• Charlotte Currie
• John Fleming
• Greg Foerster
• Leyla Hanson
• Rosine & Tugrul Bingol
• Weibin Xu
• Samir Bayraktar
• Lara Rajninger
• Pak Y. Tam
• Alissa Winzeler
• (Private)

Once we have 8 more entries, >$50 each, we will determine the lucky winner.  The lodge accommodates up to 6 people from Dec 14 - 18 (flyer).  This is a two bedroom townhouse at Old Greenwood Resort in North Lake Tahoe (website). 

The website of the property states:

Old Greenwood, Lake Tahoe's premier four-season and resort community, and home of Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf offers luxury Homes in North Lake Tahoe.

Situated in the historic town of Truckee on 600 acres of towering pines and blue-sage covered hills, Old Greenwood offers a magnificent setting for the Lake Tahoe mountain lifestyle.

An opportunity that you cannot afford to miss!


As you know, we will limit this drawing to 20 people only and entries are filled on a first come, first serve basis. Once we have twenty people, we will pull the name of the lucky winner. You can donate multiple $50s to increase your chances!

Please take advantage of this incentive and share it with your friends.

To donate now, please go to our fundraising page.

Best,

Demi Yezgi
www.chizgi.info

I run for 11 miles on September 26.

That was my longest run! I first run for 9 miles and then I said to myself, "Lara is coming today, I have to do better than this!" and I continued for 2 more miles, finishing at 11 miles. Thanks to my wonderful husband, Nate... We were running together the whole distance in beautiful and hilly Portola Valley.

After the run, Lara and her family came to the Honoree Picnic that was organized by Team in Training... Lara was a bit shy at first but she eventually got comfortable... Her sister Ilayda was very cute, too.  Because they drove all the way from Mill Valley to Portola Valley, they missed the parts of the picnic, but fortunately most of my teammates had the opportunity to meet with my little hero!

After the picnic, Lara got a ride from me and Nate to our home in Sunnyvale. We chat about Lara's school and her guinea pigs... Then Lara and Ilayda met with our cats Viky and Kara... The girls tried to play with cats but this time cats were shy .. While Nuran (Lara's mom) and I prepared the lunch, Nate and Sulhi (Lara's father)  played  backgammon (it was a close match and Sulhi won by 5-4)

After Nuran's super yummy dishes, we continued this chill day at our swimming pool... It was such a great experience to see Lara play in the pool. If you didn't know she is a cancer survivor, you couldn't tell. She is just a sweet and playful kid!

After a few hours of play time, we said good bye to the Akmehmet family as they head out to their home. We were all tired and yet very happy to spend a quality time together!

I think it was great that we run for 11 miles that day... I certainly felt accomplished and proud.. But more importantly, we were able to slow down the time and be present at the moment! That certainly made us happy and fulfilled... I am already missing those moments

Best,
Demi

Our lucky winner Kristof Richmond accepted his award for Hawaii...


More importantly, he assigned his prize to our honoree Lara Akmehmet and her family.


"We accept the prize. And we wish to assign it to the Akmehmet family
so that Lara and the whole family can enjoy some time together in the
sun. We have heard so much about the courage of Lara and the strength
of her family in dealing with her leukemia from Demet and Nate, and
wish them a well-deserved week of rest and relaxation in the sun and
sand."

 Ayca and Kristof Kaya Richmond

We are touched with Kristof and Ayca's act of kindness and will happily take care of the necessary arrangements as this wish is acceptable by the guidelines of our raffle.  [The rules state that the winner can assign his/her gift to someone else within his/her decision-making period of 3 days.]



Let's hope that Lara's health allows her to travel to Hawaii! It would be thrilling to see Lara and her sister Ilayda's pictures at beautiful Hawaiian beaches and with all kinds of colorful fish.

Once again, thank you to everyone who participated in this raffle and contributed to our efforts to raise money.

Special thanks goes to Lara's friends who heard our efforts through CaringBridge and whose donations reached to almost $1300.




Now that, Hawaii raffle is finalized, let's focus on our next one which is for Lake Tahoe (from sun and beach to mountain and ski!!)

As of today -(September 20. 2009)- we have 12 eligible entries. Because there is no other raffle, the first 20 people who donates $50 or more will be eligible for this one.

Currently, our website shows $3,000 raised and we also have ~$500 more in company matches (which takes longer to process.)

Our goal is to reach $5,000 by my race day which is October 18.

Please continue spreading the word while we continue running in these very hot weathers!

Thank you.

Best,
Demi Yezgi



 

We draw our raffle for Hawaii tonight after our track workout at Stanford. Three volunteers helped ensure a fair drawing and our lucky winner is named as Kristof Richmond.

Kristof received the raffle rules tonight and shall decide whether he will take this opportunity or not by Sunday midnight.

We also draw two back-up names in case the first or second winner cannot accept this prize.

First Back-up Winner: Andrew Solovay
Second Back-up Winner: Aylin Demirci


The next raffle will be for our Tahoe Vacation for Dec 14-18 and the eligible contribution for that prize (valued at approximately $3,000) is $50 or more.

If you are one of those five people who donated $150 or $250 for the Hawaii raffle, you will have an automatic entry to the Tahoe drawing.

If you are not in that group, please feel free to donate $50 or more to get in to that drawing.

We currently have 10 people who are eligible to participate in Tahoe drawing and once we have 20 people total, we will go ahead and determine the lucky winner!

Once again, thank you very much for your support and participation in these incentives that we put together to raise funds to cure blood cancers.

Your support helps us cross the finish line.

Best,
CHIZGI Team
Demi and Nate

P.S. We videotyped the drawing, but I need help uploading it...