1st Annual Golf Tournament was great!...

One warm, sunny day early this summer Rachael Althaus announced to me that she'd like to create a golf tournament this year as a benefit for the Jennifer Ireland Foundation. I was a little hesitant based on the busy spring we had and given the short amount of time to prepare before the golf season would be winding down. Today I am proud to say that she did it and the tournament was a huge success. Eight golfers short of a full field of 144 golfers, we teed off at 8:00 AM on what ended up being a beautiful Saturday. I am pretty sure that I speak for everyone when I say that it was one of the best tournaments I have attended. Thanks to Rachael, Adam's Pointe Golf Club, all of our sponsors and donors, the many volunteers, and the participating golfers for making our first annual event memorable. I was honored to meet Christy Harrell and her family on Saturday. You can link to her blog on our Cancer Blog Network on the side of this page. Some of the participants and volunteers included relatives - quite a few out of town members of Jen's family, cancer survivors, cancer patients, J.I. Foundation board members, friends, friends of friends, and even complete strangers. We will definitely see you next year.

On the foundation front, we have finalized the grant program details. You can now find a fairly simple grant application available on the front page of the Jennifer Ireland Foundation website. Please spread the word that we are here to help and very excited to disperse the generous funds of our supporters.

My last post - from several weeks ago...sorry - was regarding the Crawl for Cancer. We ended up entering nine teams that represent Jen and the foundation. Of those nine teams, three of them are basically wide open. I got a late jump on registration and didn't give anyone much time to sign up. Please e-mail Melanie Reece at wigginsmel@hotmail.com if you would still like to participate and just didn't get the information in time. Again, the cost is $50 per person and includes a t-shirt and beer ALL day on the 13th of October.

Finally, on the home front things are going well. The girls are growing like weeds - as someone put it to me today. Emma is loving school, her new teacher, and her new gymnastics class. Peighton seems to be several years older than she really is and wants to do everything Emma does. I'll be working on getting her involved in some activities in the coming weeks. I'm doing fine too. Late August and September were very busy for me and I found myself on the road for about four weeks straight. I did, however, sneak in a short getaway. All in all, it has been a good summer.

Thanks for the continued interest in our family, your support for the foundation, and for turning this blog into a network of support for the many deserving people fighting this disease.

Comments

[Kasey]

Hi Chris,
Like many others, I have been reading your blog daily for the past 10 months and finally had the pleasure of meeting you, Jan and a couple members of you and Jen's family this weekend at the golf tournament. I was there with the Brigade Girls and although we only got to stay a short time we all felt very honored to be apart of the event. Thank you so much for including us!
You all did an outstanding job putting it together. We hope to help again soon with other events the foundation has. We will proudly wear our bracelets and magnets to promote the foundation and of course to honor Jen. Your family is in my thoughts and prayers many times through out the day.I wish nothing but the best for you and your family!
Kasey
ps... your girls are absolutely adorable!

[Sarah Hunter]

I have heard from many people that the tournament was a blast and a huge success. So glad to hear it!!! I'm so happy that you and your girls are doing so well. I wish you the best! Always checking in, Sarah

[sue]

I am happy things are going well for you Chris. And, I am glad you are taking some time for yourself also. Sue

[Shawna Lockwood]

Hi Chris, well you do not know me but I have followed your story for somtime now. I was a classmate of Jens at BSHS, but in a large sea of faces I never got the opportunity to meet her. I saw you Saturday night at the reunion and was led to talk with you , but with compounding anxiety of being among so many faces of whom I had not seen in ten years my nerves were too frazeled to meet anyone new. Although after seeing your pictures every day on the blog and reading your updates I felt as though I did know you and your family. So I thought this might be a better way to say what I wanted to say. And the main thing I wanted to tell you and your family is Thank You! Thank you for sharing your lives with us. When I read about Jennifer I not only read about a wonderful wife , mother ,daughter, and friend; I am reminded that we are not promised another day here. And as believers we are to be that becon of light that shines in the darkness. Jennifers smile was that light. A smile of love and of life. Thank you again, and may God continue to guide you in All your ways and be your strength. And my prayer for you is that you continue to radiate the love of God through out the world. The same love that is so greatly seen in your love for your Wife. God bless you Chris.

[Jan]

Dear Jennifer's faithful followers,
I don't know how many of you still read my daughter's blog, but I'm hoping you'll open my comment. This is the only way I know to get the word out that our family is once again in need of your mighty prayers.
First, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for all the support, prayers, and love you sent Jennifer and our family during her fight with colon cancer.
Thankfully, our family hadn't been familiar with the "C" word prior to Jen's diagnosis. After hearing those words, there was a feeling of shock, denial, anger, sadness, loss, and eventually acceptance. Personally, I sought guidance from my family, my supportive friends, my church and a grief counselor to begin the healing process. It's been 8 months since Jen has died and Emma, Peighton and I have all had signs from Jen that she's happy and safe in God's loving arms. She comes to us in the form of butterflies and the sightings we've had would make even the unbelievers, believe.
This past week my family was told that my dad has advanced stage non-small cell adenocarcinoma which is lung cancer. My dad was a non-smoker, but was constantly exposed to 2nd hand smoke. He always held a very special place in his heart for Jen, his first-born granddaughter. When he found out Jen had cancer he unselfishly wished he could take that burden from her and carry it himself. His hearbreak after Jen died was all encompassing. My strong, intelligent, hard-working dad was reduced to a powerless grandfather watching his granddaughter be buried. Now he has been sentenced to the diagnosis of cancer as well. I know I speak for Jen in asking for your prayers for her grandfather, Emma and Peighton's great-grandfather, and my dad.
Jen will rejoice to be reunited with her grandpa again, but now she'd want his time here on earth to be as long as possible. She'd want her daughters to go to his family farm with him. She'd want Em and P to go fishing with grandpa. She'd want her girls to sit on grandpa's lap and hear stories about the things he did with their mommy.
Please join my family in powerful prayers for my dad.
Most sincerely,
Jan, Jen's mom

[Joyce Smith]

Dear Jan,
I wouldn't have known to look for your comment, but for the reference on Shawndra Turner's blog. I didn't know Jennifer, but read her blog from start to sad finish, and felt as if I'd known her, and/or wished I could have known her. I am so sorry to hear about your father. I wonder if you would at some point share with us the stories of Jennifer's appearances in your lives, yours, Emma's, and Peighton's. Joyce

[Christy Harrell]

Jan, I'm so sorry to hear about your dad. I will keep him and your entire family in my prayers. It hardly seems fair to have this happen twice in your lifetime. But nothing about cancer is fair. Just to let you know, I do still faithfully read this blog and Shawndra's every time there is an update. It was so great to meet you at the golf tournament and I only hope we can meet again someday.

[sue]

I am so very sorry to hear about Jen's Grandfather...he will be in my prayers. I am sure Jen is watching over him too. Chris could you post and tell us how you are...it has been so long since you have posted. Sue

[Kristi E.]

Jan,

Thinking and praying for you, your family and Dad. He sounds like a wonderful person. I am constanly thinking about you and your family. God Bless!!

[Shawndra]

Hey chris- I am so glad your tournament and the crawl were successfull. I wish I could have attended both of them, but this last few rounds of chemo have knocked me down a bit and I am on precautions not to be around crowds, etc. I hope you are doing well and letting Jan help take some of your burden with the girls. I know you have so much going on and I know she loves those girls like her daughters, she would love to help by spending more time with them. Those girls need so much love from you and her. They are wonderful girls, I wish you all the best.

[Dawn Thomas]

Dear Jan, like many others who have posted, I have never met you but feel that I know you through Jen's blog. When I read about your Dad on Shawndra's page (which I found through Jen's) I could not believe that your family would be struck again by this dreadful disease. I just hope that the fact that people still read and check this blog regularly is a comfort to you and a testament to you, Jen, Chris and all your family. I am praying for you from Wales and hope that yours, Em and P's time with your Dad is precious and wonderful over the coming months. With love to you all, Dawn x

[sue]

Where are you Chris. I am worried about you! Sue

[Sarah Hunter]

Continue to always be in my thoughts and prayers....thinking of you all, Sarah

[monica]

Jan,
I am sorry to hear about your father. Your family will continue to be in my prayers.
Chris, I hope all is well with you and the kids.
Monica Burton

[Shanna Ludwig]

Hi Chris i hope you are doing fine! I have left a couple comments on your outstanding website. My name is Shanna and im from the Cape girardeau area. I was just wanting to leave a comment to ask you and others that are faithful to your website to pray for a special girl named Megan Rooker. Megan was diagnosed in the last stage of Leukemia shortly after her pregnancy with her first child. It is incredibly sad to see Megan with this disease. Megan was always good at sports and she was the life of the crowd. She is in the hospital just taking it one day at a time. Megan is only 22. Not only does she have cancer but her friend was diagnosed with cancer also just a couple weeks ago. The family does not want to tell megan at this time because they want her to focus on getting better and keeping a positive attitude. This family needs prayers! We pray for them at church every sunday. Our preacher went and visited with Megan and shortly after the visit with Megan he went and saw megans friend dianosed with cancer, my preacher prayed with him and his family wept because they saw that someone cared and that someone is praying for their son. The family told my preacher "he cant respond to you but he can hear you". Megan and her friend really need prayers right now. They tried a donor for megan the first one was unsuccesful so they tried another donor it also was unsuccesful. They told our church members that megan would be soon released from the hospital. They were gonna do a light chemo with her and then send her home where she would only live a little while maybe just a couple of months. Megan and her newborn baby and family need everyones prayers. God Bless!

[Jan Velander]

I noticed this morning as I daily check Jen's site, that on the chat site, someone had asked about my dad so I thought I'd give an update. Plus, I,m not sure what all the recent blog comments are about...a virus? I don't know, but I have to admit when I first pulled up a new comment last week, it was linked to last New Year's Eve and was written by Jen. It was startling for me to see and read, to say the least.
So my writing this morning is two-fold. One to let you know how my dad is doing and two, to hopefully stop that gobbledygook (Is that a real word?) commenting that is appearing.
My dad continues to recover from his thoracotomy surgery on Oct.9. He is getting stronger each day. He,my mom and brother are making the trip from Cape Girardeau to Kansas City next Thursday to see Dr. Pluenneke, Jen's oncologist. We are comforted to have Dr. Pluenneke's expertise, knowledge and compassion as part of dad's medical team for this next major step which is chemo. Radiation wasn't an option as the non-small cell adnocarcinoma in my dad's chest was too diffused. So Dr.Pluenneke will give his insightful opinion, relay it to the Cape Girardeau oncologist and together make a chemo plan for my dad. My dad, being the go-getter that he is, just wants to get the ball rolling so he can get back to his beloved farm and finish the projects he has been dreaming about and hoping to fulfill.
He is a truly amazing man and the things he knows how to do boggle my mind. My sons and I went to see him a couple of weeks ago. We took the short drive from my parent's home to my dad's childhood farm where he was born and raised. He has torn down the original farm house and has built a bunkhouse. The farm has always been a general gathering place for family and dad and mom's literally HUNDREDS of friends. He is now making additional lakes for fishing. How many dads know how to make a stocked fishing lake???
So, I'll be glad to be with my parents and brother as dad meets with Dr. Pluenneke next week. I have to admit that going back to an oncologist's office is frightening. It still seems like yesterday that I was with Jen there.
Speaking of Jen, this was a tough Halloween for me. Our family tradition has always been making a pot of soup or chili, gathering to eat, getting dressed and going trick or treating. I can picture exactly where Jen sat last year, reading the current People magazine while she ate, and helping me get the girls dressed up even though she was really feeling badly from her chemo treatments. She gamely went from door to door with the girls. She was such a great mother!
Emma and Peighton were darling for Halloween this year. Em was a Barbie cheerleader and Peighton was an angel, of course. They are doing really well and are very happy, loving little girls. Emma has been taking gymnastics and does great. Of course that's from a nana's perspective! We are also taking a series of 3 cooking classes through the Blue Springs School district and that's so much fun. We go tomorrow for a turkey cake decorating class.
So to you faithful readers, thank you for continuing to hold my family in your prayers. My dad will need lots of spiritual support as he confronts chemo and the battle it will give his body. But if cancer were just a battle of the wills, my dad would win hands down! Now you know where Jen got her fighting spirit...from her beloved grandpa.
With love and prayers,
Jan

[Kristi E.]

It is so good to get an update Jan. I have been thinking about your dad. I am glad that is is recovering well from surgery. I love that he has a great fighting spirit.

We are pulling for your family and praying daily!!

[Joyce Smith]

I, too, check Jen's site daily, and would LOVE to see pictures of the little Barbie Cheerleader and Angel. It is good to hear how well they are doing, and sad to hear of the aching absence at your family Halloween gathering.

[Dawn Thomas]

Hi Jan

Thanks for the update on your Dad - glad the surgery went well and that he is detemined to fight this all the way - he sounds like a truly remarkable and inspirational man. As you say you can really see where Jen got her spirit from. Good luck for the next round of treatment. It was good to hear of the girls too - Barbie and an angel sound like great Halloween costumes to me! I can only imagine how difficult each day must be without Jen and my heart aches for you. I still check the blog regularly for updates and also follow Shawndra's battle. It is incredible how Jen and Shawndra found within themselves the strength to share their journey with millions of others. I only hope that the fact that your remarkable daughter and her family have touched the lives of so many gives you comfort. I continue to think of you and send good wishes your way. Love Dawn x

[Crystal (Blue Springs, MO)]

Chris and Jan, I continue to check this blog daily and your strenght and courage continue to amaze me. I'm so glad to here that Jen's grandpa is doing better. Your family is in my thoughts and prayers daily. I sure would love to see some Halloween pictures....hint, hint. I would love to get information out in our clinic about the foundation so as soon as you have brouchers please let me know. *hugs*

[annie]

Jan,
Thank you for the update. I think of you often and pray for your strength.
Annie (Braun) Kedzie

[annie]

Another link for cancer followers

http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=en-US&brand=msnbc&vid=6534cd56-1a78-4d17-bc5a-160d036b4023

[JEN MILLER]

JUST A NOTE TO WISH U AND YOURS A BLESSED THANKSGIVING...U AND THE GIRLS ARE ALWAYS IN MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS...AN ANGEL IN KC, MO JEN MILLER

[Sarah Hunter]

Always thinking of you and your girls. Hope you all are doing well. Take care!

[annmarie]

Jan your dad is in my thoughts and prayers. Hope your family is doing well! happy holidays