Thnx4theGum

#Squart, The Comic: Volume 4, Episode 3: Hanson Stevens: The Real Story @HartHanson @squarechicken

Apr 24

Apr 23

There and Back Again: A Report on WalkMS 2012

After a very long, but good weekend, I’m happy to report that the Walk went quite well. We arrived in DC without much time to spare, but got off to a good start and found ourselves drowning in a sea of orange shirts(indicators that one had raised at least $125). People were walking for their fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, cousins and friends. Some groups were small others were large. Some groups could rival Bones’ fans with their fervor for the cause of MS while others were more low key, but no less devoted. The route was around the perimeter of the Washington Mall, so we were able to see the museums and such as we walked past. What made things interesting (especially for those of us with strollers) is that the Reflecting Pool has been torn up and is being redone so the whole area is one large construction site. Still, it was neat to see that we weren’t the only ones who had dragged their children out of bed at the crack of dawn and our kids enjoyed all of the dogs that were along for the walk as well.

As far as the weather, it was beautiful. The walk was perfectly timed to begin just as the cool morning air was being burned off by the sun and while it warmed up nicely it was far from unbearable. By the time our two hour trek had concluded it was quickly approaching the 80 degrees that had been predicted for the daytime high, but by then we were crossing the finish line and enjoying free subs and water from Subway.

I think what surprised me the most about the entire experience was just how many folks with MS who were not only there, but who took place in the wal as well. Most were women in their 20s-40s (just as statistics tell us), though we met a few men as well. They came in all sizes and nationalities; some who looked as fit as anyone else, others with canes to help them along, while still others were pushed along the route in wheelchairs by family members. All were more than open to sharing their stories with all who woud listen, or to discussing various treatment options that had worked - or failed - them over the years. I will never forget the one woman we met as we neared the finish line. She was sitting on the ground, looking exhausted, a cane discarded on her left as she sprawled out on the grass, but she was encouraging the walkers as they passed her. When our family approached she looked at our kids - who had hopped out of the stroller to finish the last few blocks on their own - and smiled. She then looked at me and simply said, “Thank you.”

I stammered something back as we moved on and cheered with my kids as we crossed the finish line a few minutes later, but this woman and her simple thanks stuck with me for reasons I’m not wholly sure of. Since the last project ended all I could think about was doing something for MS this year. I remember doing a Math-A-Thon for it when I was my daughter’s age in school and while I knew nothing about it back then beyond the flyers they sent home I’ve become more aware over the last several years. After bouncing several ideas around we finally settled on participating in the Walk and DC seemed appropriate as that’s where Bones is set. All of that to say that when all of this started for me, I was in it to raise money for a cause I felt was good(MS) on behalf of something I was passionate about (Bones). What I experienced on Saturday was a group of people who are equally - if not more - passionate for a cause(MS). Multiple sclerosis will be affecting people’s lives long after Bones has gone off the air and faded from the memories of all but those who love it most.

To those who have supported our efforts financially this year, THANK YOU! We somehow, miraculously, met and exceeded our goal of $2000 by the time the sun set on DC this past Saturday and I could not be more grateful. To all of those who spread the word and helped keep the issue on people’s minds, I thank you as well. A huge thanks is due our artisans too; people who used their amazing talents and gifts for something beyond their own personal financial gain. Thanks to the Project Bones team: PJ, Cyndi, and Elgiz, for making this another great year; I love you girls. And a huge thanks to those who made themselves vulnerable and gave us a glimpse into what living with MS looks like.

Perhaps the lesson to be learned in all of this, then, is this: don’t forget. As we wrap up this year’s project and look forward to whatever it is we choose for next year don’t forget. Don’t forget that our friends here - brainysmfrs, tinkmygirl, shin, and lysaleelee - will continue to live with the marks MS has left on their families and their personal lives. Don’t forget that the longer we go without a cure the more its victims will suffer. Don’t forget that there are still millions who are uneducated about what MS is and what it does, and that money is still needed to educate, to support, and to research a cure. Don’t forget that no matter how many projects we do, we aren’t in it for whatever fleeting attention it might gain us within Bones circles on the interwebs but we are here because people - real, living, breathing people - are hurting. They die of cancer, they face the mortality of their children, and they live in bodies that attack and destroy them from within. Project Bones is just one drop in one bucket amidst an ocean of people doing exactly the same thing and only together do we have any hope of making any measurable amount of difference.

Apr 19

Project Bones: Finishing Strong in the Fight Against MS

Over the past four months if you’ve followed me @Thnx4theGum or @Project_Bones on Twitter, you are well aware of the current quest we are on, which began 98 days ago and will conclude this Saturday. For those of you newer to the scene, myself and the rest of the Project Bones committee chose WalkMS, a 3 mile trek around the Mall in Washington, D.C. in an effort to educate, bring awareness to, and raise funds for Multiple Sclerosis.

Our initial goal was 100 Days: 5000 Dollars. While that is a large sum of money for a relatively small group of rabid Bones fans to raise, at the time it seemed viable as that was about the combined total of last year’s project, where we raised money for Shriners Hospitals for Children and Stand Up to Cancer. We started fundraising and growing our team and I launched an ambitious blog project.

First, it became clear to us that MS isn’t quite the same beast as cancer and sick kids when it comes to fundraising. I still remember the rush I felt last year when we launched Project Bones and within a matter of WEEKS watched more money come in than I had ever imagined possible. You don’t really have to persuade folks to join a well-known organization fighting against a disease that statistics tell us will affect something like 1 in 3 people who reach age 70 or higher. The same goes for suffering children who otherwise couldn’t afford the medical treatment they so desperately need. But MS? That proved more challenging.

Before we could really start fundraising we discovered we had to define MS for folks; something that seems like it would be easy, but is, in fact, slightly challenging in and of itself. According to The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, MS is an auto-immune disease in which “The body’s own defense system attacks myelin, the fatty substance that surrounds and protects the nerve fibers in the central nervous system. The nerve fibers themselves can also be damaged. The damaged myelin forms scar tissue (sclerosis), which gives the disease its name.” See what I mean? Not the easiest definition to follow. Then there are the symptoms. Because our vast network of nerves go to different parts of the body, no two cases of MS are identical. One person may be able to remain mobile for decades; another crippled by the time they are 40. Some experience fatigue; others excruciating, chronic pain. There is a form of MS that attacks hard and fast, and another that remits and relapses at its own whim. It’s not fatal like cancer or its distant cousin, Lou Gehrig’s Disease (ALS), but rather it attacks the young (early 20s and 30s) and robs them of their health, their strength (mental and physical), and their future.

The second challenge facing Project Bones was from within. Last year, we were a committee of 7, each with a different job that kept things like the Twitter feed, the Facebook page, and the website current and filled with an almost 24 hour IV drip of factoids and pleas for help; including some videos to tug at the heartstrings. Life, however, interrupted and through circumstances well outside of our control our numbers dwindled to 6, then 5, and finally only four of us remained. My blog project was a spectacular flop; interrupted constantly by the ebb and flow of a stay-at-home mom with two kids on the move. Every once in a while I would think about doing a “Blog: Interrupted” post or something equally witty… and a new crisis or crabby toddler or class project would come up, while the blog faded further into oblivion. We also discovered that while we had earned money through CafePress, it would take time before the money cleared and was available to actually donate to our team(it’s still hanging there, taunting us in limbo as I type).

Whether it was the obscurity of the disease in the general public, the vague definitions, or the small, overworked staff, it was clear something had to give. Funds dribbled in more than trickling or flowing and eventually we were forced to concede that $5000 was too lofty a goal and we shifted it to $2000 with 22 days remaining until the Walk. That was a dark moment for me personally, but fortunately a new dawn was on the horizon!

Despite the challenges, we did make some great new friends and were aided by our old friend Aviva along with several other new artists who generously donated their art. The “Project Bones Marketplace” has done well both in the auction sphere and at our CafePress store. Two very dear friends of mine also offered their testimonies so that people could hear a first-hand account of how MS affects the lives of its victims. Our Twitter followers grew and so did the Facebook ones. Those people told others, and word started to spread. Over the past 10 days I’ve watched in silent awe as the floodgates have opened and the donations have poured in. Three of our members - including myself - have met or exceeded their personal goals. Now we stand, with two short days remaining, poised on the precipice of reaching that goal: approximately $350 still needs to be raised if my math is right(after the money stuck in limbo clears). Will we make it? It’s certainly within the realm of feasibility. So close I can almost taste it. So close I can dare to hope. We also discovered last night that funds can be donated until May 24th, so that puts our goal even more within reach.

Whatever the total tally comes to I’m encouraged, I’m hopeful, and I’m proud to call myself a Bones fan. Project Bones exists to prove that fans can do more than simply sit back and watch TV. We want to show anyone who cares to look that we care. That we can use social networking to do GOOD in this world. “Bones” has always been the little show that could and while our online fan base has been known to fanic(Fan+Panic) and moan at every little piece of news that comes down the pipe, we are also a group who has ALREADY raised over $6000 for 3 worthy charities over 2 short years. So thanks to all who’ve allowed their timelines to be clogged with our pleas and for all who given, or even just spread the word. I am still a firm believer that every dollar counts and I am proud to say that I am, and always shall be, a BONES FAN!!

Apr 17

#Squart is back, Baby! And what better place to start? @HartHanson @Squarechicken #Bones

Apr 03

Apr 02

Dear TV Guide:

Thnx4finding the actual picture from that photo shoot. @TVGuide you should be ashamed.