Our first 2011 WACKY event was held in honor of Nick’s memory as we participated in the CureSearch for Children’s Cancer Walk in Salt Lake City, UT. There are annual CureSearch walks all over the country and this was the first walk held in Salt Lake City. Nick and I were originally on the event planning committee, but obviously we withdrew as his cancer progressed. However, I want to make all our readers aware that the moms and dads on the committee were absolutely amazing in their commitment to pull off such a successful event, all while their own young children were going through treatment. My admiration and respect for them all is overwhelming.

There were 46 teams participating and raised over $72,000 in donations. This includes the $11,700 we donated, representing 50% of the donations WACKY received in Nick’s memory. The money will fund and support collaborative research to find a cure for all cancers affecting children.

We had quite an entourage of WACKY participants and it was good to see familiar friends joining together again. For me, the touching moment came during the memorial portion. They asked those that have lost a child to cancer to come up front. Thankfully, there were only nine of us, and we were each handed a white balloon. After a moment of silence, we released our balloons simultaneously. We were sending up messages of love, letting Nick and the other children know we were here fighting for them still. I personally said, “Oh, Nick, I wish you were here with us in person but I so glad those other children have a big brother in you.” I wanted to wave to him as the balloons continued to rise as I envision Nick with his arms around several children all smiling and waving back, “Hi, Mom!”

Enjoy the pictures! It was a terrific day and can’t wait for next year!

Love, Lori