WE'VE DONE IT!

Thanks to Sarah's hard work at planning our wine tasting fundraiser (which was awesome!) we've exceeded our $5,000 GOAL! We can not express how grateful and humbled we are by everyone's generosity.

Enjoy the pictures from our wine tasting fundraiser...what a blast!

Amazing Weekend!

We had just an absolute blast camping and hiking with our Hike for Discovery crew this weekend. We stayed at a campground just outside Leavenworth specifically for non-profits, how cool is that. We hiked the 9 mile roundtrip and got to enjoy soaking our feet in Stuart Lake. Great weather, company, hiking, food, laughter, campfire, no bugs, riverside...it just doesn't get much better ;)

Thank You Armondo's - $816 raised for LLS!

A Huge Thank you to Armondo's for their willingness to help out with our fundraiser.

Together we raised $816 for LLS over the 2 days.

Mike promotes LLS w/Armondo and Angela

Spread the word! Bring your friends and family, make an evening of it!...Dine for a Cause at Armondo's Monday and/or Tuesday (Aug 20th & 21st). See you there!

Mike promoted the LLS and Armondo's contribution nights coming up Monday and Tuesday (Aug 20th & 21st) at the Renton Farmer's Market.

Mike got to speak to the anxious crowd as they were waiting to get their hands on Armondo's delicious Ceasar salad with smoked salmon!

Below, Mike is pictured with Armondo and his wife Angela,

Thanks again you two! -Mike and Sarah

Our First Event!

A portion of Armondo's proceeds from these two days will be donated to LLS. Stop by to enjoy some great food and company...all the while supporting cancer research!

For Directions, visit armondos.com

See you there!
- Mike and Sarah

ps If you chat with Armondo, thank him for hosting!

Saddle Mountain

Sarah and I went for a brisk 5 mile, 5,000ft total elevation hike up/down Saddle Mountain...45mins southeast of Astoria, Oregon. Annika was enjoying time with duJy and Oompa while mom and dad hiked. Under the cover of the trees it was great...then we got to the summit and it was blowing about 20 knots and pouring rain! It was a blast ;)

Event Coming Soon!

Sarah has been working tirelessly to plan a fundraising event...and we're getting close! Sarah met with one of our favorite local dining establishments, Armondo's. And we have some fun ideas in store.

Don't worry, we'll keep you posted.

Another great Hike!

This weekend was Snoqualmie Point. We hiked it out and back, chalking up 8.5 miles in the process. I and ibuprofen have gotten to be pretty good friends since then! Annika actually "hiked through the jungle" as she puts it on her own for a good 100 yards ;) Probably the biggest news is that Annika learned to, well....go potty...in the woods...YowZaa. This was huge, and Annika was rewarded handsomely with brownies and cookies afterward.

Here is a great shot of the Hauer crew, with Annika ensuring you can see her eyeball.

Thanks to everyone for your support. This continues to be an amazing experience and we are astounded be the response from friends and family. Of course, feel free to pass on to anyone and everyone you know. Together we can help spread the word about great fundraisers like this and get more folks involved in the process!

Love,

Michael, Sarah, and Annika

A little cross-training and inspiration

This past weekend we didn't have a group hike but we needed to continue keeping Annika's tolerance up for being confined so we did a little "cross-training" on the lake by my parents house. Kayaking was a great way to beat the heat.

Being in my hometown we also caught up with lots of family friends and we are continually amazed at the impact cancer has on all communities and how cancer does not discriminate against where you live or how old you are. A family friend from our church just learned that her older brother has leukemia - we will be hiking specifically for him this Saturday on a 10 mile hike at Snoqualmie Point.

Another family from my home church has a five year old daughter that is fighting a fierce battle against cancer. In a matter of 2 weeks they found out their daughter had bone cancer in her leg which spread to her lungs, they relocated their family to the Seattle area to be right next to Children's Hospital and she has started chemo. Mike helped my parents move a few of their bigger items up to a town home. Two months later she continues with her chemo treatments and family continues to live temporarily relocated in the Seattle area. A photographer came to their home and has posted an amazing photo tribute to their family. Here is the link http://amandamayphoto.com/Emma/

We are reminded all cancer cures start with cancer research.

Energized!

I know Mike already logged a little bit about our hike yesterday but I thought I'd just add a little. Great hike - Mike did most of the work carrying Annika - we figure 7 miles is really the farthest Annika has gone in the backpack. This week we hiked specifically for Courtney, a close friend of Molly Schultz and a University of Portland graduate who will be celebrating 5 years of remission this fall from Leukemia, and also Lisa McDonald's Aunty Kay!

Yesterday while hiking I got out of carrying Annika most of the way because I've been nursing a little twinge in my back. While I was taking care of my little achey back I began hiking with one of our teammates who just started his chemo in the last 2 weeks and this past week had been particularly crummy - I'm really not sure how he keeps trekking; needless to say I was humbled.

And with all of that to inspire us, Mike and I still found ourselves a little overhwhelmed this Sunday evening by the enormous commitment. We rode the valley of the rollercoaster for most of the evening. We finally sat down after Ani was in bed and talked out our reason's for being involved in raising money for LLS and the parts that are wearing us down. It was pretty cool to watch us get energized within an hour and anxious to get back to work.

-Sarah

Twin Falls

Today was very exciting for the Hauer clan as Sarah, Annika, and myself got to enjoy the amazing Twin Falls trail. It was an absolute beautiful day and the company (18 of us) was great!

Annika had an absolute blast...we sang songs and kept admiring the 'big water'. She really liked peering over the 100ft tall bridges we crossed.

We crossed the $1K mark last week, YEAH! But, we're only 10% to our goal and our deadline is fast approaching (September). We're working on putting on an event, but please don't hesitate if you're considering supporting us and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Thanks for your amazing support!

Little Si

What a view! Our hike up Little Si this Saturday was awesome. We had a crew of 23 fundraisers, survivors, mentors, and alumni. I absolutely love talking with others in our group about why they signed up, how they are doing, sharing stories, and getting to know each other.

Next week, Twin Falls.

Thanks again to everyone for their donations!

- Mike

Here I am sporting the "Naming Necklace" which is awarded to the person that can get everyone's name right. With 23 people on this one I just announced that I knew my own name...it must have amused everyone enough that they gave it to me. I plan to add something fun to it for the next "winner". What fun!

Logistics

It's our day off and when not chasing and playing with Annika today - I've been spending time figuring out the logisitics for planning a fundraising social event, identifying business's that might be interested in donating, and figuring out how to get our check donations to count toward the total on the website. And since Ani and I won't be able to join the hike tomorrow morning we ("we" as in I hiked and Ani slept for an hour in the jogger) did some hill climbing and descending this morning for about an hour.
-Sarah

Mid-Week

It's been exciting to check the snail mail and e-mail these days. We are overhwhelmed by the stories that people are sharing that are inspiring them to donate to Leukemia and Lymphoma society. We are figuring out are weekend plans and it looks like it's Mike's turn to hike with team this weekend. The hikes are getting pretty early and long to take Annika along. This weekend is Little Si - should be great weather and always a good group.

Sarah and Annika hike Carkeek

I was busy mountain biking in Bend but Sarah and Annika had a great time hiking Carkeek park! It was a little drizzly (nothing new for the great PNW), but they had a blast regardless. Annika was singing songs while they hiked which kept everyone in a jovial mood. We look forward to our next hike!

A HUGE THANK YOU, to those who have donated, please keep 'em coming, we've got a long way to go!

Mike and I just got back from a fantastic retreat to our cabin. We didn't get to hike with our teammates back in Seattle, but we did get to discover an amazing trail just a few miles from our cabin up by Mt. Rainier called Skookum Flats. First we mountain biked it and then the next day my parents and Annika joined us on foot. It's a gorgeous rolling trail that is slowly being eaten away by the White River.
After getting home mid-afternoon on Monday and busily getting ready for a week that's already started I quick checked e-mail before bed and found this incredible story shared by a mom of a kiddo just 3 years older than Ani. We've got work to do!

Dylan was born on April 11th, 2001. He weighed 7 pounds 3 ounces and was somewhere between 19 and 20 inches long! The first time he was measured, he was 20 inches and somehow he shrunk to 19 the next time he was measured- or more likely someone messed up!

He was always such a good baby and healthy too. I never had to take him to the doctor's much except for regular checkups. That changed in the winter of 2005/2006. It was right before Christmas when we first noticed little things with Dylan. He started to say that his legs hurt or his back hurt. We thought that he was probably just going through growing pains because he seemed fine otherwise and it did look like he was getting taller. There were times when he would say he hurt at bedtime and it kind of seemed like a ploy to stay up later. We never really gave it a second thought.

Through January he got sick a lot. A fever here and there, headaches, a little bit of a bloody nose. Nothing that seemed too unusual for the winter months. The rest of the family was pretty sick too. In February he really got sick. His color was pale and his energy level was really low. That was when I really thought something was wrong. The preschool even noticed that he just wasn’t himself. He started to say that his ears were hurting. He got a quick exam at the doctor’s and was treated for ear infections and pneumonia. He was given a course of antibiotics and was sent home. He seemed to recover from the ear infections and the pneumonia.

Dylan went to his dad’s for the weekend and when he got back, his color was worse. He was extremely pale and yellow looking. He also looked really bloated around his ribs. I took him back to the doctor’s and this time he saw a different doctor who took one look at him and asked if he’d had a blood test done the last time he was in. No, but it didn’t sound good. Why would they need to do a blood test? The doctor did a preliminary blood test at the office and about 15 minutes later he came back with some bad news. Bad is an understatement. Devastating would be a better term. Even that doesn’t really seem to fit. He said he could possibly have viral Parvo, but with all the other symptoms, it was more likely that he had Leukemia. It was like getting shot in the face with a shot gun. I was stunned. Leukemia. Cancer. Not possible! I thought we’d get more antibiotics, go home and he’d be fine. I was told to go home pack a bag. He was sending us to Mary Bridge Children’s hospital in Tacoma and that we’d probably be there for a while.

On February 22nd, 2006, Dylan was admitted into Mary Bridge Children's hospital where after numerous tests, it was confirmed that he had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. And the whirlwind began. He immediately began getting blood and platelet transfusions. There were lots of transfusions along the way, which made him feel a bit better.

On February 24th, they started treatment the first part of a three+ year treatment protocol. He had a spinal tap, bone marrow biopsy, and got his first round of chemo. They also installed a semi-permanent "PICC" line in his arm for transfusions, drawing blood for tests, and for IV injections. This was replaced a month and a half later with a port-a-cath.

On March 3rd, Dr. Irwin said he was doing well enough that he could go back home, and continue treatments from there. It was nice to be home. Within two weeks, he was in remission. He was considered an early rapid responder and fit in the low to standard risk group.

So far everything has gone pretty well. His response and reaction to treatment has been great. He's had a couple ER runs and an unexpected admit because of fevers, but they were taken care of quickly. No infections. Just viruses that ran their course without any problems. He has gone through the hard chemo and was delayed a few times due to low counts. In September 2006, he started maintenance chemo and will continue with that until May of 2009.

Making a commitment

Mike has been talking to me on and off all week about the commitment to raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society while hiking alongside fellow fundraisers and honored teammates. I'm aching at the thought of the time commitment when I'm already feeling like we never have enough time for anything. At the same time I am in awe at Mike's energy and readiness to dive in to something we've never done before.
During church we listened to a familiar prayer for all of the members in our community that are battling cancer. Instead of getting that pit in my stomach I get that feeling of knowing what we need to do.
I agreed to attend the kick-off party as my information gathering opportunity.
Mike hung out with Ani and sat back to watch my reaction as I met all the people involved in the organization and heard their inspiring stories.
I'm in!

Finding out about Hike for Discovery

Mike doesn't have enough to do so he and Annika attend an informational meeting at Redmond REI about some sort of hiking training while raising money for Leukemia and Lymphoma society. Mike is intrigued but wondering what Sarah will think about the commitment.