Just because I have been out of circulation doesn't mean that life hasn't gone on and time hasn't continued to tick away, so here, let me catch you up.
The fundraiser took a great deal out of me as it did all involved. Several came down sick or simply didn't feel well before during and after. I don't know whether it was just the stress or something going around. Trust me, some of the people that helped out and actually did a great deal of the work were already extremely busy in their own lives, so taking on David's fundraiser was just added stress and complication to their lives. They did it though, bless their souls and I can never thank them enough.
A couple of days prior to the fundraiser, a friend from Texas came up to help. God bless her as I had a ton of cheesecakes to bake and we were getting down to the wire. With her help though, the cheesecakes were baked and delivered on time. On Friday night we all emerged on the church to make chili and get the church hall ready for the next days events. I plated and prepared cheesecakes while others set up the auction tables, made chili and just generally got everything ready for Saturday.
While I was working I started feeling very sick. Circumstances made it so I had to go home anyway and after getting home, my fever shot up and I laid and shook for several hours. By 5 a.m. I thought I might die. It's an exaggeration now, but that morning....not so much. I took a final dose of ibuprofen and prayed alot and by 7:30 a.m., I felt much better and the day began.
The fundraiser ended up being a success as we raised close to $9,000 when all was said and done. The left overs from the fundraiser were used to feed the homeless and David had an amazing time walking around and well.....walking around. There was a lot of space there and he and his walker managed to cover it all.
By the time it was over, we were all fundraisered out but I was so grateful to all who showed up to help and who were so kind as to be a part of helping to Save David's Home. The $9,000 helped to bring our total to about $45,000. It was amazing. The sad reality though was that even though we had raised so much, we still had a lot left to raise and March 31st wasn't getting any further away.
Truthfully though, the Sunday following the fundraiser, I was absolutely sick. God got me through Saturday but Sunday He definitely made me aware that I needed to rest. I had no idea how much stress and frustration that I was going through or how badly I was taking care of myself. I was bound that this house was not going to kill me in the process of saving it, so......I decided to allow myself the time to recharge.
Oh, I may have left out a small detail here. The week following the fundraiser, my lawyer contacted me and told me that my father had a new lawyer. Since my lawyer had not yet talked to the new lawyer, I had no idea whether this was a good thing or a bad thing and what this might mean going forward. I literally almost cried as I just wasn't up for having to slay anymore Goliath's. The next day however, after talking to the new lawyer, my lawyer got back with me. According to the new lawyer, my father is financially not healthy. That being said, he had gotten wind of the fundraiser and the money raised and he was willing to give us until June 30th to finish raising the money which all in all will be $78,000. I had a few questions as to why if he was in such a bad situation I was never made aware of it and also, why he had not put his own house on the market yet as I was originally told this was part of the fix to his problem. My lawyer also asked if since I had to give them a doctors note stating David was actually having surgery, if we could see some concrete figures as to his financial stress. Of course my lawyer was denied which didn't surprise me. My dad is old school where finances are private and I am sure just the fact that his need is out there is embarrassing to him, so no we will not be given any info on that front. I simply told my lawyer that at this point, the "why's" really don't matter. All that matters is, "the what is" and the what is...is what I have to deal with. Oh...and I was also told that I couldn't bad mouth my dad or my brother as I guess they had received some back lash. My lawyer assured him that I had not. I will not, but I am not responsible for the opinions or knowledge of others.
I took this as a huge win in the respect that it gave me time and with that time it gave me a week or so to heal, get strong and then get back at it. I am grateful to my dad for giving me this added time. It truly was a gift. So today I am back. I have my windows open and the spring air is blowing in. I am starting to feel rejuvenated and ready to get back in the fight.
Going forward, the fundraisers are still in the works. We have a beirock dinner fundraiser at Laurie's Kitchen on April 7th, a quartermania on April 8th (place TBD) and an upcoming 20% fundraiser night at Mulvane Pizza Hut and possibly a 20% fundraiser night at a restaurant in Wichita. I also plan on doing a cheesecake fundraiser after David's surgery (if his recovery allows). So I have not given up. I am still going to Save David's Home and I am still in the game. I just needed to get healthy.
Also, David's surgery will be April 10th at 7 a.m. at Wesley Medical Center in Wichita. I ask for continued prayers for the success of saving David's home and for a successful and beneficial surgery for David. Your prayers have gotten us so much farther than I ever dreamed and I have no doubt with their continuation.....we will go all the way and David will be happy and healthy in "his" home.
I also want to thank all of you who have helped, attended, worked behind the scenes, given and also those who have prayed. You all have no idea what it has meant to David and I. I can't thank you all enough and I will be paying it forward for the rest of my days.
Thank you all and have an amazing day!
No comments:
Post a Comment