Monday 30 April 2012

Team Jamie...

    Can anyone of you say that you know 1400 people? I didn't think I could either before I got sick. I will explain this statement later on in this post...
    In times of need it blows my mind how people can rally together for a single purpose. That is exactly what Team Jamie was. My former hockey coach and long time friend Ralph Nespor came up with the idea. Everyone wanted to help in some way, but there was really nothing to be done. I was only allowed to have my immediate family as visitors, so for everyone else it was as if their hands were tied. No one knew what was really going on with me. The only thing that they had heard were rumors or what they had heard from word of mouth. It was like that game of telephone that you play as a kid. The story was bound to change somewhere. Team Jamie eliminated this problem.
    My Mom would take as good of notes as she could of what was going on with me, forward that in an email to her fiance Phil who would then write it into a more formal update to email out to the ever growing "Team Jamie." The Team started as just family members and close friends but as more people heard about it, more were added to the email list. Phil was getting more and more requests by the day of people that wanted to be included in the updates. His email list was up to about 30 or so people who would then forward that on to more people. I'm very popular!! 
    On a busy day at the hospital Mom wasn't always able to get her information to Phil in sufficient time. If the Team Jamie email wasn't sent out on that day, people would automatically start to assume that something drastic had happened. I don't blame them. It became another routine. People have told me that they would be sitting by their computers constantly refreshing their inbox waiting for the daily update. Even on days where there was no change in my condition an email needed to be sent out so people wouldn't panic.
    This system eliminated a lot of the phone calls my family was receiving as well. This allowed them to keep their focus on me. Team Jamie was a very good idea! I got all the attention haha just kidding :).
    In times like these all people want to do is help in any way they can. That's where the idea for "Positive Moment for Jamie" came from. There was nothing to be done, so in the update emails everyone was asked to have a positive thought, prayer or anything for me every night at 9pm. I don't know what everyone was thinking but it obviously worked! I am still here stronger than ever telling my story.
    In addition to the positive thoughts, prayers, gifts, cards and emails, Ralph went ahead and had bracelets made up for me. They were yellow and said JAMIE'S TEAM on one side and BELIEVE on the other side. He started with 100 of them for my family and friends. He must have underestimated how popular I was. When people saw these they wanted one immediately. 100 bracelets ran out in a hurry. He had 500 more made, also gone in a hurry. In total 1400 were made and there are none left. Thats where my question comes from. I did not know I knew 1400 people. They were everywhere. Those bracelets made their travels. They were in Winnipeg, Stonewall, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Switzerland, Egypt to name a few places. All the sports teams from the university I attended (University of Wisconsin-Superior) were wearing one.
     I woke up one day with a yellow bracelet on my wrist beside my hospital bracelet. I thought I was hallucinating. It had my name on it, I thought to myself what a coincidence, someone else named Jamie is in need too. That's when my family explained it to me. I still thought I was hallucinating. I didn't believe them, I wasn't that popular. It finally clicked when I saw all the nurses and doctors wearing the same ones. Holy shit this really is for me! Who do I thank? There were too many people doing little things for me behind the scenes that I never thanked so I will use this opportunity to do it. THANKYOU EVERYONE!!!
    The bracelets were a non-profit thing. If you really wanted to make a donation my family requested that you donate the money to CancerCare or Canadian Blood Services, two organizations that were responsible for saving my life.
    There were also blood drives being organized in my honor. One in Stonewall and one in Wisconsin at the university. If you have ever heard the ads on the radio or TV stating that leukemia patients require 8 units of blood per week it is no word of a lie! I can't even begin to count the amount of blood and platelet transfusions I received. The need for it is so great and I am living proof of that! If I could make one request it is that each and everyone of you at least considers donating blood or signing up to be on the bone marrow registry. It's true that it saves lives. I owe my life to the generosity of complete strangers!




Team Jamie bracelets

Team Jamie makes a stop in Egypt

...And Mexico

...And at a game at the University of Wisconsin-Superior

My former university team retired my jersey for the season

And played a game dedicated to breast cancer and leukemia awareness

I like this pic of my little mini afro :)

   
  
   

1 comment:

  1. I just discovered your blog. I can relate to so much of what you've shared thus far. I was diagnosed with ALL in 2010 and experienced many complications along the way. Stay strong.

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