Apron Release Scheduled for 12/12!!

Hello everyone! Please visit the Help4Maria facebook page to claim your apron on or after Sunday, 12/12. A sample apron is shown in the close-up photo here.

Here's how it works:
1. Donate
2. "Like" the Help4Maria facebook page
3. Claim your apron by commenting on the photo in the album
Detailed instructions for the three step process are within the text below.


Now that mom's feeling better, she's ready to raise funds with a sewing project.
We are sewing one-of-a-kind aprons using materials that were passed on from Maria's mother (check out the Bias Tape photo on facebook - only 8 cents!) and many were sewn using a machine and thread that belonged to Maria's mother-in-law.
We are raising funds for all the costs associated with Maria's cancer treatments, prescriptions and nutrition regimen.
A commemorative informational card on ovarian cancer awareness will be included with each apron.
Suggested donation for each apron is $18 to $30. They make great gifts!

HOW TO GET YOUR HANDS ON ONE OR MORE OF THESE BABIES:

1. Donate! Visit help4maria.blogspot.com and click the “Donate” button on the right. You will be able to make a secure payment straight to the donation account! You can make your donation at any time before you claim your apron. We are so thankful for the donations we have already received before the release of the aprons. Thank you!
**The suggested donation for this fundraiser is $18 to $30 per apron.
**In the "Message" section of Paypal, you can let us know how many aprons your donation is covering.

2. Please, if you haven’t already, go to the Help4Maria Facebook Page, and hit the “Like” button. This way you’ll be able to claim your apron(s) by commenting on its photo!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001072334413&v=wall&ref=profile#!/pages/Help4Maria/116140365091102

3. Visit the "APRONS: Raising Funds" photo album on the Help4Maria Facebook Page and comment on the apron you would like with something like, "I'd like this one. Send." OR "This one's mine! I'll pick it up." There is only one of each type of apron - the first to comment will receive the one-of-a-kind apron. It is very important that you comment on the exact photo in the album as it is the only way we can track inventory and for others to know the apron has been claimed. Comments on the wall will not hold an apron for you.
Depending on your response we'll send it to the billing address you provide in paypal or we'll send you the address in Reno where you can pick them up.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Help4Maria/116140365091102?v=photos#!/album.php?aid=34308&id=116140365091102

~~~~~PLEASE SHARE THIS ALBUM WITH THOSE YOU KNOW WOULD BE INTERESTED IN DONATING TO RECEIVE ONE.~~~~~~

ENJOY! Thank you for supporting our weeks of effort to make this happen and for supporting Maria in her courageous battle. She's sure a trooper! :)

Posted by Monica, Maria's daughter.

Accountant Here Reporting

Hello everyone!

Thank you for following the blog and for your comments at the end of the blogs. I know my mom really enjoys reading them. Please don't forget she is on facebook and we also have a page for the cancer journey called Help4Maria on facebook...

Monica, Maria's daughter, here.

We had a wonderful fundraising drive earlier this year and appreciate everyone's efforts. With all the appointments and the state of my mother's health it is difficult for my father, Ron, to find a job that would be understanding of the time off required and him calling in to stay home with mom. Not to mention the fact that he is on a work-trade agreement with his landlord to get a discounted rate on rent.

What will help us now is for you all to continue praying and sending positive thoughts mom's way and to follow through with any fundraising ideas you've had... For instance with the help of a few friends, I am setting in motion a pancake breakfast, a 5K run and a spaghetti feed here in Reno.

Please comment to the post with ideas for fundraising and what is working well and not working so well for you. Together, we can raise the funds needed!! Goal: $60K

Surgery is a go!

To everyone who has called, emailed, facebooked, texted, donated, prayed and focused ultra-good vibes Maria's way during the past few days:

As you know, our out-of-pocket expenses for care must be paid up front. We now have enough money to pay for mom's surgery and lock it on the schedule for Thursday! Not a moment too soon as she's still in a lot of pain and discomfort.

Any extra funds contributed from now on will be applied to fees related to mom's post-op recovery, such as a daily epidural to numb the pain while she heals, and her chemotherapy treatments to come.

The last few days have been a frantic race against time to raise enough money just to get mom's treatment process started. This surgery is the first step in mom's battle. She has a long road ahead of her and we will back her up every step of the way. All of your thoughts, prayers and support are invaluable to our family in this time of crisis. We are so blessed to have you in our lives.

With your help, we've gained a strong start. Now we have a little bit of breathing room and time to focus on the next steps in fund raising for the out-of-pocket fees we face down the road. We have some awesome creative ideas for raising money in the near future: A motorcycle poker-run and 5K race here in Reno, a variety dinner show, Karaoke tournaments, a benefit dance-a-thon in the Coeurd'Alene ID area - just to name a few. It's truly a blessing that many of our friends and relatives are up to the task of creating and producing these events, we couldn't even think of doing this without them. If you have some ideas, please share in the comments or email us.

Please note: Mom's surgery will be on Thursday, May 13 1pm at Renown Medical Center in Reno. The procedure is estimated to take 6 hours at a minimum. Please look for updates after 8pm that evening.

Again, thank you all very very much!

The Reeds
Ron, Maria, Rocky, Casey and Monica

A Very Happy Birthday for Maria

A very happy birthday for Maria happened today. She was diagnosed, when she was 56 years old, with cancer. And everything since the diagnosis in April has been not happening - every avenue we tried to get help from the state and the county and the government has failed. But our daughter Monica told us about Access to Healthcare Network and after being turned down so many times by the others, we went to talk to AHN. It is not an insurance company, it is a discounted health care program. Through their program specific doctors and specialists give generous discounts to people who have no insurance. We met with Dr. Lim, gyno-onc, yesterday. We got some good news and we got some bad news. The good news is that he would accept our case and give us his services at an enormous discount to get Maria on her way to recovery. The bad news is that he gave her less than 6 months to live if she does nothing. If she does just chemotherapy, he gives her 12-18 months to live. With his surgery and 18 months of chemo following it, she has a pretty good chance (80%) of living five years or more. That's what Maria wanted for her birthday - surgery and to get on the road to recovery. We have come up with about half of the cost of the hospital and procedures that will be done next week in just one short day!
We need to raise $8000 total by Wednesday in order to pay for this.
So, I am asking that if you could take a serious look at your financial situation and can contribute any amount of money, large or small, it will help tremendously.
In order to receive the heavily discounted rates through AHN, one must pay upfront. We have to turn in all the funds to each provider by Tuesday. The quickest way to donate is to put it in the Wells Fargo/Wachovia account so that we can make it by Tuesday.
Thank you all for listening to me rambling and babbling but I really don't know what else to do. I really have no other choice. And if I can ever help you out, just ask. And God Bless You.

Any amount you can give, big or small helps.
Kindly Send Donation To:

Help 4 Maria
c/o Delta Pi
P.O. Box 14644
Reno, NV 89503
OR
Donate to Account Number 6123685494 at your local Wells Fargo Bank
OR
e-mail help4maria@yahoo.com for more details, information, to send a message of support and encouragement, etc.

Please Help Maria and Her Family Keep Her Alive and Well!