Partners in the world of Cancer

It is amazing where the bridges you cross will take you. Almost three years ago this journey began with a few friends. Now we have grown in many ways. So many lives that have touched ours. People we never met before become dear friends, old friends become new treasures.

Extended families and friends become new supporters and advocates of the Battling Life Together mission.

The BLT Ladies attend many fund raising events and organize a few of our own to keep the Hope Alive.

Just recently a fabulous event at a local Ruby Tuesday restaurant brought us the realization of the number of people that can be touched by our growing organization.

Joining forces with other agencies gives power to the potential that Together we can and we will make the positive difference in the world that we intend.

Stay tuned for many updates to our friends, partners and advocates as we continue to grow, to strengthen and to reach out to more and more people that need a little reminder they are Never Alone.

The June/July 2013 edition of the Guilford County Womens Journal was a blessing to have our article published. Hope everyone picked up a copy... Page 27. 

We are honored to be part of such a prominent magazine in our area. Thank you to so many who helped us prepare and publish this article. 

Most especially but not limited to the following:

Andrea MacDiarmid 

Elizabeth Johnson ~ Elizabeth Ann Photography
http://www.elizabethaphoto.com/


Guilford County Womens Journal ~
http://www.gcwjournal.com/

 

Where We have Been.... Where We are Going...

What does all of this mean? Battling Life Together has started from a single package for a woman most of us had never met, to providing meals and gifts to a little girl and her family at Christmas. To deliver packages to a hospitals where instead of Santa Clause giving gifts requested a few ladies come together and strive to bring a smile to the face of someone facing the fight of their life.

So many sides of the world of Cancer. A young man diagnosed ready to fight and standing beside him his beautiful wife and family who are fighting for him and they are all fighting for the "normal" they had before the day the 'C' word changed everything.

A child that fought harder, longer and so many battles succumbs to the disease at the tender age of 9. His parents, his family who were making life happen in the life of cancer now begin again with learning the life without their baby. This can never be a new normal, life for them will carry on although it will never ever be the same. 

A teacher going to school everyday while fighting the fight and still making life seem normal to her students, even on the days when she is her sickest. Coming to school the first day when she has no hair and teaches like nothing changed.

A lady approached me recently and was touched by the mission of BLT and wanted to share her story. More than 10 years ago she went to the doctor for what to most people would have been a simple podiatry visit to end up being diagnosed with Leukemia and spending many weeks in the hospital. During her illness she collected more than 600 cards and the same day as we met she had sat down and looked through these cards and the emotion overwhelmed her at how each person had taken the time to think of her when she needed it most. 

These stories and so many more show the family and friends of Battling Life Together what it means to need someone to give them a lift, lend a hand or say a prayer at just the time that is right for them. Sometimes it is the cancer patient who teaches us how to be stronger how to fight harder and how to enjoy the days of what we would call normal.


Together we can do this... Together we will do this..... Always we will fight this....

Battling Life Together then and now and in the future we continue the mission we hope you will too.

When we join hands and hearts we can move mountains. Three ladies face the challenges of daily life, just a small undertaking considering the number of people fighting the daily battles for their life.

We are on a mission, a journey to make positive changes in the lives of others and in our own lives along the way. Reaching out our hands and our hearts to touch the lives of those in need. Maybe in need of a friend, in need of someone who will comfort them with a token of kindness. Over the last three years we have crossed the paths of wonderful caring people; some patients, some caregivers, some just like us on the path to share the love and commitment to help someone else and pay it forward.

We have found in this journey we are each being touched, healed in many ways ourselves. We have found the positive impact we are capable of in the world and how it is so contagious. Share your faith, share your kindness and it spreads like wildfire. So many people have given to Battling Life Together, not just monetarily or in donating supplies, in the kind words they share with others, in the way they feel the desire in their hearts to help others. We are so fortunate to have come together again, rekindled old friendships, created new ones and so blessed to share our experiences with others.

In a world so filled with sadness, poverty, suffering and pain we are Battling Life Together to provide Comfort, Support and Hope to others. We hope you will join us in this Battle and Together we will win the War!


Sincerely - The BLT Ladies

Thanks for the group photo:

Elizabeth Ann Photography
Www.elizabethaphoto.com

How do you measure....

A Year in the Life.... So many people have crossed our path, so many lives we have been honored to touch with the comfort of a small basket, a get well card, a telephone call. How do you measure your life? Do you have a day to day routine,a regular job, wonderful family and friends even a few activities during the week or weekend. Each and every person measures their life differently. 

Once you have a cancer diagnosis this routine changes, your days are different, your nights consist of new routines, new 'to do lists', your family takes on a new role of care giver, nurse, and google expert. (each of you who have ever supported someone battling cancer knows what this means)

We all have a place in this world, Our stay here might not be long for everyone we do choose the writing on our headstone. 

We are blessed to have our place in this world, a world so full of uncertainty, violence, tragedy... and of course a place in this world still so full of Love, Compassion, Commitment, Loyalty... yes it still exists. 

With each step we take we can decide to walk on someone, walk around them or walk beside them. You choose. We did. 

Battling Life Together has been a journey for each of the BLT Ladies as well, we have met new and wonderful people. Found so much love surrounding this journey and compassion for each other. We are paying it forward everyday. We have each experienced this disease from different perspectives, not physically diagnosed with the disease we carry it in our hearts, on our minds and have clear memories of each person we have walked this journey with. 

With the right steps every minute can be useful, helpful, healing and memorable. 529.600 minutes... how will you spend yours? 

Believe

Time ..... believe every minute will take you to the next hour, the next day, week or month. 

Hope....believe you have a chance to redeem yourself, ask for forgiveness, fulfill a mission.

Compassion... believe others show compassion in different ways, to different people, for different reasons. There are still good compassionate people in the world. 

Battling Life Together takes all of these things seriously because we Believe. We believe in each other, we believe in you. We believe in our God, we believe in our Soldiers and their supporters. What do you believe in? Do you believe you can make a change that you can show compassion to others, to yourself.

We all have a struggle, a complaint now and again. No matter how big or small it can be hurtful to deal with if you feel you are "alone". Believe that you have someone who will understand, someone who will listen, someone who wants you to share your heartache with them. Battling Life Together is here, so you are not alone and others are here for you too. 
Be strong, be confident, be yourself and most importantly Believe.....

Love and Comfort from your Faithful Founding Members of Battling Life Together. Where you are never alone in the journey you are on.

Life is Change

“Man can live about forty days without food, about three days without water, about eight minutes without air...but only for one second without hope.”

― Hal Lindsey

 

It is Hope that makes change possible, without Hope we have nothing. With every sunrise brings change, with every sunset more change. BLT has experienced many changes as we have grown and we will continue to grow and change and our journey, our mission remains the same. To our Soldiers we Battle On for you, because of you. 

 

We are set out to sail the seas of change, to change the lives of those we touch, to comfort the individuals and families touched by Cancer. 

 

Sweet change, we breathe in the Hope that surrounds us all. 

 

Much Love,

Battling Life Together

 

Together we are Never Alone

BLT Charm

Battling Life Together continues to receive an outpouring of Support from our community near and far. We have recently received this blessing from Cathy's Creations Jewelry to print a charm for BLT and part of the proceeds will benefit BLT's mission of helping those fighting cancer and their caregivers.

I hope you will take the time and go to her site and purchase one or many today for you, your friends, your family. The Ribbon is colorless to represent ALL Cancers- Cancer is fought by so many in so many ways and we want BLT will continue to represent how Together we are Never Alone!

http://www.cathyscreationsjewelry.com/BLT-Battling-Life-Together-Pendant-BLP-p-1.htm

2 Years have Passed

Time has gone by so quickly, we are celebrating two years as Battling Life Together on 10/10/12. Since the start we have seen many changes. Milestones have been met, obstacles overcome; we became an official Non Profit 501-C3 organization in July of this year. We are now moving forward to raise money and get involved with the larger organizations, Cancer Centers, Hospice facilities etc. We have touched so many lives in many different ways. Even more so we have been touched, changed, improved because of each and every one. We have made so many new friends, supporters, and met many BLT Soldiers along the way. Sadly a few have earned their wings and we pay tribute to them by paying it forward and continuing to do our work and providing others on this journey a little comfort and a lot of support. 

Each of us Thank You for being here with us so far and pray each of you and more will be by our side to continue on for many more years to come. 

Come visit us and friend our page on Facebook and get a chance to win a gift - 2 winners will be chosen from our list of friends you can be one of them if you aren't already!