The Giving Tree

After reading yesterday's post and discussing it with Sydney I received a stern lecture. You see, I get all wrapped up in hating the fact that neuroblastoma research is so terribly underfunded and I forget a very valuable part of Lunch for Life. In fact, to the kiddos, I may be forgetting the very most important part - The Giving Trees.

Each donation made to Lunch for Life in a child's name earns that child ornaments on their tree. They receive one ornament for each increment of five dollars. So, if you donate $10 the child will receive 2 ornaments. If you donate $50 the child will receive 10 ornaments. The really neat thing about these ornaments is that once they fill up the child's Giving Tree presents magically appear under their tree. These presents come in the form of real presents which are sent to the child or their family.

Sydney was very clear to point out that there was not a present under her tree yet.

Regardless, the kids absolutely love seeing the ornaments appear under their trees and, from what I hear, they have an absolute blast receiving the gifts as well.

It does not stop there.

The children do not only receive ornaments for every $5 donated in their names. They also receive 1 chance to win the Walt Disney Dream Vacation for their family. Yes, at noon CST on December 25, 2008 we have a drawing. We take all the entries that we have received all year and we draw a name out of the hat. I then get the pure pleasure of contacting that family to let them know that they have just one the dream vacation.

Sydney also thinks this is pretty neat.

Isn't that great? What a great trade for some lunch money?

Now, if you want to get real fancy you can actually double the amount of ornaments that people put on a child's tree and double the number of entries that they receive for the dream vacation.

You see, when you make your donation you will receive a receipt. On that receipt is a "Giving Tree Code." Now, your job is to get someone to make a donation using that Giving Tree Code. The use of that Giving Tree Code will double the number of ornaments and the number of entries.

1. Email or call a friend
2. Ask them to donate their lunch money using the Giving Tree Code you just received.
3. They will receive double the amount of ornaments on the child's tree for their donation and double the entries for the dream vacation.

See, it is that easy.

Now, onto my problems.

Sydney is pretty excited about her tree. Will you help me fill it up?

• Please go to https://www.lunchforlife.org/Donate.aspx
• Make a donation using Giving Tree Code 30648
• Please consider being a Lunch a Month Member.

You can view Sydney's tree here: http://www.lunchforlife.org/family/givingtree.aspx?cid=117

Thank you, thank you, thank you for your support.

There you go - a pile of purpose for just the cost of lunch.

It isn't getting any better!

It has been five years since the beginning of Lunch for Life. It started out very simply. It was a desperate act. At that point we were 3 months into Sydney's treatment of stage IV neuroblastoma. I was scared, I was mad and I was frustrated.

I was frustrated because childhood cancer was the leading cause of death by disease in children. I was frustrated because neuroblastoma was the most common cancer found in infants. I was also frustrated because neuroblastoma was one of the deadliest of all childhood cancers.

Insult was added to injury when I realized that the NCI spent over $550 million on breast cancer, over $320 million on prostate cancer and less than $140 million on all 12 major classes of childhood cancer. Yes, that is only $140 million that had to be shared among almost 90 different childhood cancers.

Look at those numbers again.

That is how we fund this nation's number 1 killer of children by disease.

The disparity is not only in cancer. Did you know that cancer is a more common killer of children than aids, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, and asthma - combined? This is in direct contrast to the fact that we spend almost $600,000.00 research dollars for each child affected with aids and less than $20,000 for each child affected with cancer.

It is these huge discrepancies that beg me to want to make a difference. I want to scream it from the roof tops. I want everyone in the world to know these facts.

I want to level the playing field.

I want it to be OUR time.

For once,

• instead of sending trillions of dollars overseas for war
• instead of sending billions of dollars over to Africa to fight aids
• instead of sending billions of dollars half way around the world to aid tsunami victims

I want it to be our time. I want it to be the time when Americans stood up for the number 1 cause of death by disease in Americas children. For once, I want our children to be the priority.

Today the economy is crashing. Banks are being bailed out for hundreds of billions of dollars and other industries are lining up to get their checks as well.

Once again, it won't be our time.

Worse yet, with the change in the economy, corporate giving and support are drying up. The big dollars from corporate America that we count on so much to help fund research are going, going - gone.

That leaves us. That leaves you and I and our lunch money. That is the last hope for these children and the last hope for a cure.

We need your help. We need you to write email. We need you to tell your friends. We need you to post on your blogs.

We need people to donate their lunches and we need them to do it with more fervor than ever before. If you gave a lunch last year I ask you to do the same and if you can afford it I beg you to do more. Do a lunch a month. Make a difference. It is only lunch. Yet, it means life for these children.

Promising research is sitting on the shelves. It will remain there unless we raise enough money to get it into these children.

There will be less trials and less options available to our children than there were last year if we don't stand up and make a difference.

Less children will receive life saving therapies unless we make a difference right now.

We need your help.

Please go to http://www.LunchforLife.org and donate your lunch.

Then, please ask all of your friends to do the same.

Your lunches and your words will save lives.

Today, everyone has a purpose.

The Return to Reality

Good morning! The Dungan's survived the hay hole and their journey back home to Texas. Yes, we have accomplished a lot in the last few days. The trip to the McCurdy farm was as fun as always. The kiddos rode horses, chased the pigs, and fed the goats. Oddly enough, the bulk of their enjoyment was still found in the hay lofts above the barn.

City twerps?!?

The important point is that the kiddos did have a tremendous time. They are already talking about their next visit. Graham was as charming as ever. He delighted in telling everyone what he asked for from Santa. Frankly, it is tough for me to even mention. The boy doesn't want a car or a sword. He hasn't asked for any action figures or even a train.

He wants a flute.

Yes, you heard me. I said a flute. I just don't get it. How can a boy that comes from such hairy, manly and grunting stock want a flute? It just doesn't make sense. It doesn't compute. Regardless, he has been a very good boy this year so I am guessing that Santa will grant him his wish. Soon enough twinkle toes will be whistling in my ear. I imagine this means that I will have to start participating in some 12 step program. I tell you. He is lucky that he is one of my purpii because otherwise it would be a football and helmet without padding. None the less, I love my little Dudely - flute lover or not.

The trip home was pretty uneventful. I am continually amazed at how superbly the kiddos do in the car. It was a long drive but they seemed to take it in stride. In fact, it was probably only in the last hour that we lost one over the cuckoos nest. I am guessing that Ainsley had finally just had enough. She decided to finish off the trip by pestering flute boy. Before we knew it I had a full fledged uproarious giggle fest in the back seat. I could no longer hear the radio due to their outrageous laughter. While normally I probably would have asked them to keep their volume in check, we decided that they certainly deserved some craziness. The laughter was contagious and we all giggled our way home.

Well, I say we all giggled our way home but that is not completely true. Lynley was utterly miserable. She has some health issues of her own that she is battling and the trip home was a low light for her. She has had some ongoing issues that have had her running from one specialist to another. These issues were further complicated last week by a cold. On the way home this was further insulted by some pretty sever pain in her abdomen and back. Truth be told, I am pretty worried about her and the only reason that she is not in the hospital is because I don't make her health decisions. Regardless, she will be meeting with a specialist today and her GP tomorrow so I am hopeful that they will be able to get to the bottom of all of this. Somehow I doubt it but, none the less, I will keep my fingers crossed that she can find some relief.

Today I am back to business. It is that time of year and I am racing to raise as much neuroblastoma research funding as I possibly can. The economy seems to be drying up much of the corporate giving so it is becoming even more important to find people willing to donate their lunches to the cause. Funding is tighter than ever and I have to figure out how to raise $500,000.00 over the next few months or some very promising new therapies will not become available to our children this year, Furthermore, if I can't hit my marks I can pretty much guarantee that fewer children will be able to participate in many existing trials due to the tightening of budgets. It is an unfortunate reality and something that I need to figure out how to stop. It will be a busy holiday season.

Well, enough jabbering. I am off.

Purpose awaits!

The Hay Hole

Well, I have a few moments to type before the twerps make their way downstairs. They are sleeping now but I know full well that their play clocks are ticking. We only have 1 day left in Alabama and they are well aware of it. They will be moving to get in as much as they possibly can today. That is good news as today we are heading out to the farm. You may remember this episode from our last visit. This was a black day in our family. Yes, this is the day that Lynley's Suburban died on the way back from the farm. This marked the end of my dream of getting a new car. Yes, it was this very trip that Lynley leveraged a simple broken axle into a new car for herself. Oh, the memories - back when I used to have dreams of a car with low fuel costs. I guess I can't really complain as the good karma eventually came in my direction in significantly lower gas prices.

So, today! The kiddos can't wait to go to the farm. They have been looking forward to this for weeks. If I told you exactly why, your impression of me might change. In fact, I did not even mention it last time due to the possibility of a misconception. However, given the fact that this is such a major part of their lives, I guess I will just have to say it. The kiddos love the farm because of the "hay hole." Yep, you heard me. They absolutely love the "hay hole" at the farm. They love going in the "hay hole." They love going out of the "hay hole." They love everything about the hay hole. The worst part of this all is the fact that they love talking about the "hay hole."

You see Doc McCurdy keeps bales of hay up in the attic space of his barn. The kids love this because of all of the little hiding spaces that they can find and create. They always seem to create some type of igloo type of structure that keeps them talking all year long. For some reason, they call the front door of this structure the "hay hole". They have no concept of what it sounds like when they call it the "hay hole" but they delight in talking about it no matter where we go. Think about it. Now, I want to remind you. They have no concept of what it sounds like. There is no recognition. The only sign that they get that there could be an issue is the fact that I cringe every time they say it. Let me tell you why. They will tell the check out lady at the grocery story how much they love playing in the hay hole. They will tell the gas station attendant how warm it is in the hay hole. They will tell the waitress at dinner how, if they all scrunch up real tight, they can all fit in the hay hole. Yes, they delight in telling the whole world how much they love playing in the McCurdy hay hole.

It is down right embarrassing. I can't help it.

Sometimes I also can't stop laughing.

Regardless today my purpose will be focused on the hay hole.

Wow, we forgot we weren't just Mom and Dad

Good morning! Well, here we are. Day 3 in Alabama. It has truly been a relaxing time for the Dungan family of five. Lynley and I have even had the opportunity to have a date and visit the movie theater to watch a movie - a movie that was not animated. We watched Quantum of Solace. While it was good (that is our baseline definition of any Bond flick) it was not as good as the last. None the less, it was better than many we had seen before. Look at me. I am gushing. Well, that is what happens when you have an official date with your wife (and without the twerp brethren) to a big person movie. I don't want to make it sound like we made to Alabama just to dump the kiddos but we also got to go on an official grown up date to dinner last night. We went to Outback and enjoyed ourselves immensely. We had steak and alcohol and applied both liberally. Yep, we are like kids at a candy store. Can you feel the love in the air? Now, I don't want to make it sound like the twerplets have not had just as much fun as their adult counterparts. They have been to SciQuest and have had plenty of opportunities to show their stuff as well. In fact, I can tell you that there has not been a night that they have gone to bed anything but exhausted. They have also claimed Lynley's brother, Uncle Jay, as their own toy. He cannot enter the house without being enveloped by a gaggle of Dungans. When he is not at their command he can be found in front of the Wii. The Wii, by the way, has been quite the hit. Everyone has played and their always seems to be some sort of challenge going on.

Finally, there seems to be a case 0f stuffinoseatitis going through the family. With the exception of Sydney on Monday afternoon no one has seemed to slow down even a moment. Sydney did spike a fever but we have not seen hide nor hair of it since. However, the symptoms seem to have gone through all of us. Stuffy noses are universal in the morning and the coughs seem to be fairly constant. As I mentioned though, it has not seemed to slow anyone down for long. In fact, I have cherished the odd minute or so when the kiddos just wanted cuddle for a minute instead of running 24/7. Overall, our visit has been a nearly 100% success and I am looking for to another day of fun.

It is what purpose is all about.

The Griswolds have arrived

The Griswolds have arrived. After two days driving across the South we have finally made it to Alabama. Lynley is ecstatic to be back in the South and, while I believe it is beautiful, I still can't help feeling a little bit like Uncle Daddy. The trip was relatively uneventful. I am happy to say that over the last few months Ainsley has apparently outgrown her habit of the constant jabbering. None the less, she has very definitely grown into the constant questioning. "Are we there yet?" "Are we in Alabama?" "Are we going to see Mimi and Papa?" "Can I have another piece of candy?" "Are we going to the hotel?" "Are we going swimming?" I know, I know. It doesn't seem that bad does it? Well, let me add this twist. It doesn't matter whether you answer her or not. She will continue asking the same question over and over again.. It takes asking a question atleast 20 times to get her to change to a new question. It is completely and utterly odd. As experienced as I am as a loving and caring father it is extremely hard not to get out the duct tape, turn around, and apply liberally.

We brought Lynley's fancy new car. The kids had unlimited movies and music complete with their own headsets. This left Lynley and I to work on important stuff. We decided to take our financial counselor with us. I had secretly purchased David Ramsey's Total Money Makeover and had stored it on my iPhone. I had used the rest of the duct tape to tape Lynley down so she had to listen to it. It was the perfect scenario. Wife listenung to information on spending less money and kids happily watching a movie in the back seat. Well, I was foiled. Every odd minute Lynley complained that Dave Ramsey was too negative and every even minute Ainsley would ask if we were going to a hotel. The best use of the duct tape would have been to tape socks to my ears. Regardless of these obstacles, I kept my cheery attitude amidst all of the misbehavior and whining from my eldest and youngest females. Graham, Sydney, and I travelled just fine and have a new found appreciation for never using credit cards.

Last night left us in Little Rock. Lynley had found a hotel with a heated indoor swimming pool. While I would have enjoyed it more had it not been the host hotel for the Arkansas State PeeWee All Star Championship, the kids seemed to enjoy themselves immensely. I mistakenly decided to sleep on the pullout couch bed and Sydney on the floor. (Nobody wanted to sleep with Ainsley - where spinning like a top and a slap in the face or elbow square between the shoulders is guaranteed every 10 minutes or so.) Next time we will throw Ainsley on the couch and sleep together on her bed. None the less after another 5 or 6 uneventful hours the next morning on the road we made it safely to Alabama.

We are happy to be here. A little wiser but mostly just needing a good night's rest.

Purpose has arrived.

A Gentle Response to Your Suggestions

So, after yesterday's post I received several messages and emails. All of which were suggestive of the same solution - another Dunganlet. In response to these suggestions I considered allowing a guest scribe (my blushing bride) to author my blog for the first time in the history of Dad's Diary. It did not take long before I realized there were not enough punctuation marks to cover up all of the expletives that were necessary for her to adequately express her feelings on this topic. Additionally I felt that her descriptive adjectives might possibly be too colorful for my otherwise family friendly literary atmosphere. So, in response to your wonderfully helpful suggestions, I have edited down a slim version of her response for your reading pleasure.

HELL NO!

With loving purpose,

Your humble author.