So we are over the first speed bump

This morning first thing, even before my first cup of coffee, I sent an email to my brother, sister and uncle telling them we are only at the first of many “bumps” in the road. The road ahead is long and unpaved and we need to be the ones to pave it. The foundation was not started to help only mom, it was started to help, help people just like us. The people faced with a brick wall over and over. Helping to get over that brick wall, one person and family at a time. We are going to knock that wall over and overcome the challenges we as a family have faced.

Today we have started just that. Since we started this mission, purpose or passion in life we have been blessed with the support, thoughts and prayers of over 100 people. I can’t speak for the other board members or family members when I say this, however this has become a passion and purpose in my life. I am sure the other board members and family members will agree. We have started something that should have been started years ago, back in the 1970’s when the US declared war on Cancer. I often wonder why the USA, being a world leader does not have national insurance. The Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation will work hard to change that, every person deserves the same treatment, regardless of their financial situation.

The Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation was only an idea just 13 days ago and today we are impacting the lives of people all over the continental US and soon to be the world. We have in place already a Blue’s Band fund raiser here in Phoenix as a start. We are going to bring this cause across the world so The Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation will change the lives of millions.

I am going to close this blog with only one thing. Mom I love you and with your battle with lung cancer the foundation started in your name will change the world.

So even I am not sure why I say I am going to close with only one thing, as I never do. Mom for your 53^rd birthday you are getting a passport. I am headed back to Cancun for an amazing transformational workshop where you and I will walk over 1200 hundred degree coals hand in hand, without breaking a sweat.

I love you mom, and I love that you have taught us to change the world even though we were unsure how to do it. You did it without knowing, I am pretty sure!

Danny

A more positive outlook

Well today has been a great day. We have been getting contributions for the foundation most of the day! Wonderful! As I chatted with my brother over the weekend we were both wondering when the contributions would start kicking in. As you know tomorrow is a big day for mom. She's going to have her scans, which are costing a ton of money!! $6900.No worries though. We are getting there. By mom's appointment tomorrow we will have what it takes. I am a true believer in "God will only give you what he thinks you can handle". Everything that he has given me thus far I have been able to over come (mostly with the help of my family). When I first found out mom has lung cancer, it devastated me. But as time passed with the support of my brothers (I LOVE YOU GUYS!) I have been able to get through this, you see because I know the Lord knows I can't lose my mom therefore she's not going anywhere. This devastating disease has definitely taken a toll on our family. We have grown stronger as a family & we will get through this. I can remember at the beginning of this wondering how we were going to help our mom. We all put ours heads together & started this foundation for mom & many others. Please visit our site Lizmartoccilungcancerfoundation.org. Contribute if you can but if you can't remember to sign in on our guest book. I'm going to wrap this up by saying mom is feeling good most days. Soon she will feel better everyday. Thank you to everyone who has helped our family and this foundation. May god bless you & your families.

With Love Laura

We Will Beat this Disease

Today when I woke up I called mom she didn't answer so I went on about my morning business well about 45 mins went by and mom still hadn't called back so I called again still no answer this time I was getting kind of worried she usually answers the phone when one of the kids call. I called my pops and asked him if mom was around he said she was in the shower, wow what a relief I thought maybe something was wrong because with this disease you just don't know what tomorrow is going to bring. I know that we will make this goal to cover the scans so we can find out what stage were in and fight this thing head on. This has been a real struggle for me other than the coughing you really cant tell mom is sick but in my head I know she is truly sick and will only get better with the support from our family members.
So in closing I just want to say that everything works out for a reason and this is just another reason for us to continue on. because we will beat this disease that makes everyone stronger. May god bless you and your family's

Jeff

Never in a Million Years Would I have Thought

Daily I sit here at my dinning room table on my laptop computer waiting to hear the next “ding” of my computer indicating an email has arrived. Some of the emails are those of support and prayers which I truly value and some of the emails are titled “Dear Liz Martocci Lung Cancer Foundation a Donation has been received”. Today I am waiting the hear a ding indicating the latter. As I mentioned in my previous blog we need to be gifted another $4800 by Tuesday. I gave my mom my word the PET scan and Brain scan were already taken care of. At this very moment I am hoping for a miracle, yet inside me I know it is just going to happen if I allow it to.

Just before I started to type this blog one of those “dings” did happen. It was an email from PayPal requesting a bunch more paperwork we do not currently have. Again we are left waiting by the government. Once the 501c3 paperwork is complete and sent to the IRS is can take 3-6 months to get approval. If you don’t believe me do a search on the net or just visit http://www.501c3solutions.us/faq.htm You may also notice on that site the number of hours that are required to complete the paperwork. Let’s just say to complete the paperwork (if you are a pro) you would need to work on it non-stop for 5 days. That means no sleep for 5 days. Thankfully I hired a company to do the paperwork for us so I can spend my time building the website and getting the word out.

I have always known if you put your mind to something you can do it. I have walked over 1200 degree coals with the instruction of the same teacher that took Diane Sawyer over 1200 degree coals in time square. When you think about that it is pretty amazing, what a blessed life I have.

I sit here at my dinning room table knowing I can walk on fire wondering how we as a family, a foundation, with a board of directors, wondering how we are going to raise the funds needed with such little time. I continually look up at the clock thinking last night we need to average $50 an hour and now it about $67 and hour, and nothing has come in today. With each hour that passes the amount per hour needed goes up. Do I fear it will not happen? No I do not. Again I stay focused on the end result and somehow someway it will happen. As I reflect back on previous times in my life that have been a challenge I think about all the times my mom has said “don’t worry baby it will all work out for you it always does”. You know what it has always worked out for me, but this time it is not about me, it is about her. That makes this challenge even greater.

I am going to close this blog with one thing I truly believe in, thoughts become things. What you think about you bring about. I can already see the $6900 dollars in the bank account on Tuesday to cover her PET scan and Brain scan, after all we already have $2100 in there.

May god and the universe bless you and those around you!

Until next time,

Dan Hart

Disability Kicks In

So hear goes another night of my mind racing 100 miles an hour, wondering what else I can do to help my mom and others in her situation. The foundation has raised just over $2500 in gifts in just a week. $390 of that went to moms Dr Visit yesterday. Last night while I was blogging I knew we had it all under control. Mom needed a PET CT scan we were told. That was fine, $2400 would not be difficult to come up with, after all we still have just over $2100 in the foundations account. Then the shocker hit, the doctor has also requested a brain scan. The brain scan is $4500. It appears we will need to come up with about $4800 in less than 96 hours. If my math is correct we need to average gifts $50 an hour until her test, and that does not count the payment processing time. Of course it is possible; however I am not certain how to do it. Just over a week ago I could not imagine getting to the point we are currently at, yet we did so I know we will get over this hill. I am not sure what country song it is but one speaks about sometimes those mountains we are trying to get over are really just a grain of sand. I know this is just that. I will continue to focus on the end goal and the path to get there will appear.

Today has actually been a pretty cool day. Mom is scheduled to see what stage her lung cancer is in. Tuesday is the big day for the scans, both PET CT and brain, and then it is the waiting game. Waiting is hard for me I can’t imagine what she must feel like. Mom also got a letter from disability saying she will receive a check each week for $217. She called me at work to tell me and it was the most excitement and joy I have heard in her voice in weeks. The 501c3 paperwork is coming along well. It was suggested we add a disclaimer to the site stating donations are considered gifts at this time and may or may not be tax deductible.

As you may know from previous blogs mom has never really used a computer, thus making blogging a little difficult. We considered having her write in a journal with pen and paper and then one of us would type it out. Most likely my brother or sister since I live 350 miles away in Arizona. I decided it would be a good idea if mom did it in her own words and her own voice. I talked with mom and asked if she would be willing to do it and she agreed. I then spoke with my brother and sister to make sure they were on board and now you can listen to mom online. She simply calls into a number that records her much like a voicemail and a link is created that can be posted on the internet. If you read my last blog, tonight I am thinking the internet is a great thing.

I called her and told her the number to dial and what to do and asked her to call me back when she was done. She was eating ice cream at the time so I expected she would wait until tomorrow to do it. Not 5 minutes later my phone rang and it was mom. I played the audio on my computer while she listened. I think she was pretty amazed. I have now posted it on the foundation website www.LizMartocciLungCancerFoundation.org Currently it is on the Meet Liz page, however as she records more and more audio file of her battle with lung cancer I will archive them on a special page. My nephews that are not yet old enough to write to their nana can also call in and record and we will post them as well. The audio is a great way to hear my mom’s voice whenever I need to. I also hope it will inspire others that are either living with lung cancer or are a friend or family member to do the same.

Amazing things are happening all around us. What seemed impossible last week now is possible. Personally I have grown leaps and bounds in just the last week.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

Until next time may god and the universe bless you and those around you,

Dan Hart

Today has been a very positive, productive day

Today has been a very positive, productive day. The foundation received several emails from complete strangers with their stories sharing their support. The age of the internet is pretty astounding. The internet has become one of those things I love to hate, yet love. Let me explain just a little bit of what I mean. I am on the internet all day at my job, which I truly enjoy. It used to be after a day in the office the last thing I wanted to see was a computer. After being on a computer all day I certainly did not want to jump on one when I got home. Since June 10, 2008 when my mom found out she “might” have lung cancer I have been on the net pretty much everything for hours on end. Searching the keywords “lung cancer, lung cancer treatment” well you get the idea. Type that into google.com and most of what comes back is truly negative. And I was allowing myself to fill my mind with negative thoughts. The fear of “what if”. I will not go into my thoughts of “what if’s”. I’ll let you use your imagination.

If you have been keeping up with my blogs and the blogs of the family you are aware we have a signed letter from a Doctor stating my mom is terminal. We as a family believe this was simply to help push us over the brick wall we keep running into. Apparently when you have a piece of paper saying you are terminal the government and other funding will help. That seems extremely strange to me. I have not heard of anyone in the world that has gotten out alive. Aren’t we all terminal? Men and women are dying in wars, children are starving all over the world, the first 8 minutes of every new cast is about someone being murdered, a car crash, a school shooting the list goes on and on. When you have an illness and statistics say time is not on your side isn’t it just a mind over matter thing? People survive horrible illnesses everyday. A very good friend of mine was told he would not walk with his graduating High School class. He had cancer as well. HE made his mind up that this would not be an end, just a new beginning. He is now 26 going to be 27 in Sept. He was terminal, and just like everyone reading this, still is.

As a family we had a remarkable day today. My mom was able to see the doctor, thanks to the funds we have raised with the foundation. Given mom’s current medical records the doctor only believes the cancer to be at stage 2b. Mom needs some more tests to be sure, however 2b is awesome. It might be in stage 3a which is still ok. When my brother asked the Dr what if it is stage 4, the doctor said “let’s not even go there, I don’t think it is”. When I heard what the doctor said I knew we had finally stuck gold. If a doctor is going to be positive then it will help ease the feelings inside of all of our family. Something even more remarkable, the doctor visits are $390 each time regardless of the amount of time the doctor see’s my mom. Mom’s doctor is so cool she said most things can be handled over the phone. Thus saving us and the foundation a lot of money. The other miraculous thing is we have raised enough money for the next set of tests. Not but a week ago we (as a family) were not sure how we were going to pay the $390 for today’s doctor visit. It’s amazing how when you focus on the outcome and not the means to get there, it just happens.

So the typical Dan blog, I go on to long and as I type what I had originally planned to blog about completely changed. Much like life, sometimes what we have planned for life doesn’t always turn out how we have planned yet with every new step there is a new discovery. This week I have discovered how powerful my family is as a unit. When we all pulled together and took action, things began to happen.

As I close this blog I have to mention the foundation just received an email from a comedian in Boston, the other side of the country, offering to do a comic show. He is even will to gather 3 more comedians all we need to do is secure the venue. He will even make the flyer to promote it. His email came from a craigslist posting my uncle Tim did. Maybe the internet is not all that bad.

May god and the universe bless you and those around you,

Dan Hart

We were just dealt an ACE

Lets just start by saying today was a good day for this ace that has been dealt to our family. We had a doctor’s appointment with my mom’s primary lung cancer doctor by what she has seen in the CT scan she thinks that mom is in stage 2b which is a good thing it is curable. She ordered some more tests just to be sure. The only thing that I worry about is what if she is beyond the stage 3 of this horrible disease. Stage 4 is not curable she did say that stage 4 is treatable but in the long run comes to DEATH and that we will not let happen even if she does have stage 4 she will be a survivor. I guess the point I am trying to make is that if we keep thinking positive thoughts we will get through this and mom will be here until I die. MOM I LOVE YOU JEFFREY