G105 Radiothon

What a great day! Black Friday started out for most of us at 3:30 am with a bit of shopping. Chase decided that sleeping is was a better idea, and so that is what he did. As for the rest of us, we were up and shopping and helping the economy. First it was Kohl's at 4:00 am; WHEW! Who says people are not shopping! Next is was on to Target. Again, another long line wrapped around the building. But, in order to get that surprise for Chase, "you gotta do what you gotta do" as they say. People for the most part were very nice. However, I would never have expected to find what I was looking for in Men's clothing.....(don't ask, Chase isn't supposed to know)

After a short nap it was off to Crabtree Valley Mall to sign in and volunteer for the G105 Radiothon benefiting the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Parking was a bear! Again..... who says people aren't shopping!

When we arrived we quickly met Michael Beaver whom I had emailed and chatted with on several occasions lately. His family has also been affected by brain tumors. He was in the radio business until five years ago when he left that job to come and work for the foundation. What a great one too. My sister, Mary Beth and I were put to work on the phones while Mom was posted as a greeter. She loves to smile and say hello and strike up conversations. That is her gift, one of her many talents one might say. :-)

So, after an hour or two of volunteering, Chase and I had our 4 minute interview. It was very nice to be able to put in a plug about the UNC Hospital and how good our doctor's were. The PBTF has a lot of research going on at Duke Hospital and we are thankful for that, but we know that UNC was good to us too. We also met Mike Traynor who is the founder of the PBTF. What a neat man! I am so thankful for him and for his entire family for what they are doing for pediatric brain tumor research. Thank you Mike for including us in that wonderful event.

Thanks Michael, for taking my emails and seeing that Chase and I have a passion for trying to help others with pediatric cancer. Thank you G105 and Bob and the Showgram for supporting the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. We need more people like you! Chase and I will continue to do what we can to help also and were blessed to be a part of such a great program yesterday.

Did someone say MALL?

Yup, that's right, Chase and I, along with Aunt Beth and Grandma will be going to Crabtree Valley Mall on Black Friday. My mother and sister both swore off of shopping on that day. However, I have managed to get them there for a very good cause. Bob's Buddies, along with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation have invited both Chase and me to be part of their big day. We have a one hour time slot from 2:00-3:00 to be interviewed on G105 radio. Prior to that we will all be volunteering by either manning the phone or being greeters. You know how Grandma is....she loves to greet. Maybe if you come on out to the mall you can stop by and say hello! Or, you can listen on the radio.....
Can't wait to be a part of the mob scene, right Grandma? Right Aunt Beth?

We Won!

We Won! Yippee!

What an exciting morning when they announced it over the radio and then Clay JD Walker showed up on our classroom to do some live "spots" for the radio station. Needless to say, with so much money raised, the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation was extremely happy with us and has also been in contact with both Chase and me. Our next adventure will be being part of a radiothon in Raleigh to raise more money for the same great cause.

Chase is beginning to get a lot of exposure due to all of this. Take a look at this following interview that was put together by our local Fox 8 station here in Greensboro. It is very inspirational, so you can see why both foundations are seeking him to speak for them. Both Friends of Jaclyn and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation have found a great young man.

Delivering the check to 93.1 The Wolf

After all those weeks of collecting coins, having the Tar Heels come to our school and sign autographs and then the auction, our school ended up raising just over $15,000! Wow, what an amazing thing to be able to do in just 4 weeks during such hard times that we were and still are in these days. I am so proud of our school, our community and especially the kids. The kids have learned so many lessons about Kids giving to Kids, it is heartwarming.


Above are Jennifer B. and Jennifer R. and myself along with the radio show hosts Chuck and Leanne who sponsored the School Spirit contest to raise money for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. We took our $15,071.49 check to them on Monday, November 3rd and waited until Wednesday the 5th to see if we had won the promised concert with Kellie Pickler. See, the school that brought in the most money would win the concert. So, the waiting began....

Benifit Auction for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation

October 25, 2008 was quite a night for the Jones family and a night to remember. At Oak Ridge Elementary, as the third part of our raising money for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and as a way of having closure for us as a family and our fight against brain cancer, we ended up raising just under $5,000. Rich Brenner was our guest auctioneer with Chase doing a wonderful job of speaking to the crowd about childhood cancer and his experiences. A video that was put together by Mitch Townley, my brother-in-law, was a way to send the message home even more, that cancer has hit our family more than once. It is dedicated to not only Chase, but also to my late father who passed away in April 2004 from complications of a brain tumor. Brain cancer has hit my family twice; fortunately for Chase, he can say he is a survivor!

Enjoy the video, it is a pleasure to share it with you and many others. We are blessed and know that God's grace continues to be among us with every MRI that shows Chase to be "clean" every three months.

Evening With The Tar Heels

Wow, what a night it was when the Tar Heels came to Oak Ridge! We estimated about 500 people to have come through the line to have items signed by the baseball team. Each of the players took time to chat with the kids and adults too. Those players are so enthusiastic for this cause and their manners are second to none.

One of the most enjoyable moments for me was when I was able to introduce James to the team. They applauded and Jame's face showed such excitement. Coach Fox proceeded to give him an autographed jersey and baseball cap. Later it was said that they thought James would probably sleep in that jersey. What a heartfelt moment. At the end of the night, James and his mother were given some time to share their journey of being in the brain tumor world with the guys sitting on the edge of their seats listening. Meanwhile, I'm thinking, "There for the Grace of God go I". Please, pray for James and his life with a brain tumor. It not only affect him, but his entire family; those of us who have been there know this.

My thanks to the UNC Baseball team and to Coach Fox for coming out to Oak Ridge Elementary school. The whole school the next day was just abuzz with excitement from the night before and could not stop talking about it.
In the end, another $2,000 was raised that evening for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. You guys are the best!

Fund Raising!

Whew....what a busy time Chase and I have had recently! Our whole school has been collecting "Coins From Colts" to raise money for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. In just a little over three weeks we have raised over $3,000! Isn't that incredible!?!

Thursday Chase came to my school, Oak Ridge Elementary, and was thrilled with the kid's enthusiasm. We were both interviewed by GCS TV channel 2 (which will be broadcast a bit later), then we were interviewed live on Fox 8 with Brad Jones.

Our next event will be Thursday, October 23rd, when the UNC Chapel Hill Baseball team will come to the school to sign autographs for anyone in the community who would like to come out, meet the guys, and support the cause. Just come out to the school that evening from 6:30-8:30. We will have a small admission fee of $2.00 to get in the gym, and baseballs for signing are available for $3. The entire team will be signing! Wow, they are so excited. Again, all the proceeds will be added to our donation to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation.

Coach Fox is excited too because his UNC team is a part of the Friends of Jaclyn and have adopted James, who will be coming that day to meet the team for the very first time. I love what Denis Murphy has done with this program in arranging kids with brain tumors to be involved with college athletic teams. It is so cool that these kids can be uplifted in spirit while going through such trauma in their lives. As Chase remembers, it is not an easy battle. That is why he was the first to volunteer to lead the outreach program for his baseball team. He makes me proud to say the least.

For our final project to help bring closure to Chase's cancer battle, Chase and I are having an Adult Evening Out at Oak Rige Elementary School on Saturday, October 25th. There will be food provided by JP Looney's with the help of our local IKON Office Solutions. Desserts will provided by Bistro 150.

We'll also have a live auction hosted by Rich Brenner offering some really nice UNC things such as an autographed basketball from Roy Williams as well as a ball signed by the whole team. We'll have many items from Nascar drivers and even a thrill ride in a Ferrari!

Chase will be the guest speaker and we are so looking forward to a fun and rewarding evening. After the big event, we will tally up what we have raised throughout the month and enter our school's donation to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation via 93.1, The Wolf's School Spirit Contest The school that raises the most money for the Foundation will win the concert with Kellie Pickler, and winning that concert was the goal for the kids at school.

But I can tell you now, they have learned way more than just seeing if they can win a concert, they have learned about kids helping kids. Thank you kids of Oak Ridge~You are the Best!

I could say "boo" like my sister did, but that would be too much like her and she wouldn't want me to be like her. Hee hee, but it is almost Halloween! This is no trick, I am blogging, yes, me, Judith; Chase's mom. It has been two years now and we are so thankful that Chase has continued to be tumor free. YEAH! His MRI's every three months are a "pain" he says and merely an inconvenience. Such a teenager, oops, can't say that anymore, he is 20 now! Man, I'm getting old.

There are many things going on in our lives that have to do with raising awareness of pediatric cancer, especially with the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. I am proud to say that my school is part of a great community and we are raising money for a great cause.

Keep watching the blog for more information!

Chase has been through with treatment for a year now and he's still cancer free! As a matter of fact, all his test results have been normal!

Congratulations, Chase! Let me shake your hand...

On second thought - what color was the soap?

So I saw this teen from the back today. People said he was a member of our family, but with that curly hair? Who could it be?

Chase? Really???

Ha! Now that's hair! Not that I'd ever want to go through chemo, but if I ended up with nice thick curly hair and people pushing me to gain weight...

They told him his hair might come in different, and it sure did. The only editing needed was red eye removal.

Well, and a little smudging to get rid of a few pre-anniversary cruise tanning bed wrinkles, but no one needs to know about that, do they, Judith?

Good grief, I've forgotten how to blog...

Anyway, for the three of you (that would be Mom, our friend from Sweden, and... okay, for the two of you) still watching, Chase is back in Chapel Hill!

Packed and ready to go. And I mean packed.


Leaving in the Fantasy Car (don't ask).


Unpacking. Um, yeah. Soooooo effective.


Sit. Stay. Good boy.

As far as I know, no tears were shed, but he was definitly told that we did not want to meet him in the ER in six weeks.

He's officially on the baseball team in some capacity my non sports mind refuses to recall, his gig at the Omaha College World Series earned him a job as a High school sports stringer for the Greensboro paper, and then there are all those pesky classes.

NO TIME TO GET SICK THIS FALL!

Boo!

Did I spook you? Aunt Beth here, under direct orders from Judith to post links to Chase's blog from Nebraska. Oh, you didn't know he was in Omaha? Well, Chase is the freshman manager for UNC's baseball team, and they're in the finals of the College World Series in Omaha, NE. Chase has been asked to write a column for the Greensboro News-Record! No, I have no idea how this came about, but I follow orders real well. Just a little late. He started blogging, er, last week sometime...

:: rummages through inbox ::

Last Friday, his first blog

Saturday, Opening Ceremony

Sunday, I don't ever want to leave!

Monday, reporting on a little family fun

Tuesday, Ouch

Wednesday, visiting some hospitalized kids

Thursday, Rocky!

Friday superstitions...

And he and Reece even got press in the Omaha paper!

So far, UNC's in winning mode. Well, there was that one game, but we won't mention that. Saturday is the first of the double elimination games against Oregon State, who just happen to be the defending champions. Watch them play on ESPN and keep an eye on this page for Chase's next installment! And note the picture - look at all that hair!


:: waves to Judith, fresh(?) from her 18 hour drive to Omaha ::

Go Heels!

What's this?

:: rubs eyes with fists ::

A new blog???

Yup. The sitemeter keeps rising so I figure someone other than Grandma's checking in occasionally. Chase has been back in Chapel Hill, doing whatever it is he does with the baseball team and whatnot, looking forward to getting back into school full time.

Speaking of baseball, Mom and I met Judith and Buddy today in Chapel Hill today to watch a double header with Duke (yeah, Mom & I were a little late seeing as we got there just in time for the 9th inning of the second game). But the real reason we went was for this!

In honor of Reece Holbrook (Coach Holbrook's son) and Chase, the entire baseball team "volunteered" (some more willingly than others), to shave their heads to raise money for pediatric cancer research at UNC. With 39 team members charging $100 a head, they hoped to raise nearly $4000.



If I were having my head shaved, I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with everyone laughing...

At any rate, it was a huge success, and they raised over $5000! So the coaches had to get their heads shaved too. Even head coach Fox!



A few more pictures. Sorry I don't know names, and I don't even know if the camera was in my hands when these pics were taken, but here ya go:





If we're lucky, Chase will add some names to these pictures. If we're really lucky...

The link to the donation site from the Carolina Baseball news site is still active. Just sayin'

PS. He's got hair growing back. Just a little bit so far...be very, very quiet - we don't want to scare it away...

For the first time, I'm going to make an appearence on here.

Cancer was peculiar for me- I spent the majority of time denying that I had it, or just not realizing it. You hear cancer and it just devastates you. Personally, I had grown tired of thinking about it from the onset and just put it away. There was no way that I had this terrible disease. Not me, couldn't happen. I go to Carolina, I had just started making new friends, things like this don't happen to healthy 18 year old males. Maybe at State or something, but not me.

And now I've beaten it. That hasn't hit me yet- no way I could get cancer and beat it within a few months. I'm still waiting for the whole "I've seriously got cancer" and "I just beat cancer" thing to sink in.

As for the past few months, they have been the absolute best and worst of times. I could not have ever realized how much I impacted people around me without something as dramatic as this happening, and my eyes were opened. I felt unbelievable knowing that around every blood check and MRI, everybody associated with my upbringing for the first 18 years of my life had my back 100%. And that right there makes the difference. Every card sent, gift, dinner, prayer, thought, time spent, and question about how I was sent bursts of hope through me. No one person actually beats cancer. A large group of people all rallying towards one goal beat it. So now, we can all take a deep breath: I'm done. Chase Jones, that kid who randomly got a brain tumor, is now that kid who randomly beat a brain tumor.

My thanks goes out to everybody, literally everybody, that had ever known me. That is the only way I would have ever managed this. Cliche- yes. Unmeaningful- never. I am indebtted to everybody in the best way possible.

Most importantly though, I have to thank my family. It was funny- I spent my entire senior year dying to get out of my house. I was ready to jump to the west coast, live on my own, forget the past, and never look at North Carolina ever again. After being in Houston for 6 weeks, I realized there was only place God created for me: home. To my mom: my only hope is for you to get cancer one day so I can possibly ever take care of you half as good as you have for me. Given, sometimes I have grown tired of seeing you at my side every day. But nothing will ever compare than the love that you've given me. You made me hot dogs when that was the only thing I'd eat, and you made me everything else when I could never stop eating. It takes a special person to do what you did, and if I ever become something, you made me it. Aunt Beth- I think your writing made more people interested about me than I ever did, and I thank you for everything that you have helped with. I don't know how you put up with me being cranky throughout this thing, yet there was still a blog to check all the time. And to the rest of my family- Dad, Jacob, Grandma, Memaw, every Uncle and Aunt, distant family, cousin, pet, and every one of my friends- I am where I am today because of your support. There is no way around it; without a family to lean against, I would have fallen a long time ago. And to God- well, needless to say we had a lot of long talks during a lot of sleepless nights. It gets awkward to pray to not wake up, to pray to just be done with everything at that time. I am alive, and could not be happier. Folks, if you ever doubt there is a God or that He loves, look at me. I'm a perfect example. After that, there is no argument.

On that note, this was probably the longest post of all time. Again, thank you to everybody for the support. Ragsdale- I'm speechless. I did not think announcing the lunch menu would bring this many supporters. But I always knew if I was ever low, I could walk into my former high school and immediately be cheered up by anybody there. I hope I did not kill everybody's time reading this, but I could seriously go on thanking all day.

I beat it. Check that. WE beat it. And that is the best feeling I've ever experienced.

DONE!

By the time we got back from the big celebration Friday, the apartment's internet access had been turned off. Not that they were rushing us or anything. But even after 24 hours without internet access, no one got the shakes. We were too rushed trying to pack up 6 weeks worth of "stuff" into 2 weeks worth of luggage. I think Mom and I were mostly appreciated for our baggage allowance.

Chase finished Friday afternoon and there was a big celebration. Here's a short video of "the gonging". What you can't see is the crowd of people, cameras, and cell phones in front of him - they really do it up right there! Unfortunately, Judith's camera doesn't have sound, so you'll just have to imagine a startlingly loud gong sound at the appropriate moment.



Applause! Applause! Applause!

Here, have a cookie!


If his face looks a little red, it's not because he's blushing, but because he just spent an hour locked down like this:


Aligning the acrylic forms for treatment.
But that's OVER - whew!

The celebration was fun, but...we still had to pack. Our flight wasn't at 7:30 Saturday, it was at 7:15! I did get the AM part right, though, dangit, and it's hard getting up at 4:45 when you were still packing at 0'dark thirty the night before. But we made it on time, thanks to no traffic and a very nice curbside check in guy. I think we had a total of 15 bags, including a last minute "throw it in that shopping bag over there" one.

We landed at RDU and headed for home - Buddy picked up Chase and Judith and drove to Greensboro, but I don't think Chase will light there long. NC State tonight, Chapel Hill tomorrow(?) and moving in to a Chapel Hill apartment on Monday. He's looking forward to becoming a college student again, ya think?

Many, many thanks to the friends, family, co-workers, neighbors, medical staff, and virtual strangers who made this passage bearable. Y'all are amazing!

I'm signing off and turning the keys to the blog over to Chase now. As rough as it was on him, at least he can never say he had a boring Freshman year!

Mom and I got in to Houston last night after a long flight on a teeny tiny plane. There were several doors leading out of the terminal, and we wandered every which way until we heard a voice we recognized say "Doesn't this mean anything to you?"



Houston's a big city. I know, Duh... Judith says we didn't see it all, but we did spend about 6 hours today in and out of the car. I need a nap!

This morning (and I use that term loosely), Mom and Judith left Chase snoozing (I was in the shower) and drove off to gape at all the huge houses in River Oaks. I told them to keep an eye out for secret service men, but they don't think they saw George Sr.'s house, reported to be in the area. By the time they got back, we had to rush to get Chase to his next to last treatment. We had lunch at a TX BBQ place, and then on the the Houston SPCA to thank them for their help with all the pets after Katrina. We came thisclose to bringing a darling, personable kitten home with us on the plane, but no... So cute, though!

Then we headed back to the Proton center to pick up Judith's phone...oops.

I have no idea what else we did today, but it involved a lot of traffic. Oh, we did pick up Chase's "goodie" for graduation tomorrow (a big chocolate chip cookie with the UNC logo on it). Judith was upset that Mom and I weren't particularly interested in shopping at the Galleria Mall. C'mon, Mom and me at Versace???

We're doing our best tonight to clean out the fridge and pantry of food - more chips any one? How 'bout a hot dog? Salad? Ice cream? :: burp ::

Tomorrow, the gong!



19 down, ONE to go!

Almost there... He's rounded the final turn and is racing down the home stretch. Or is it he's rounded third base and is heading for home? He's in the final quarter and up by 13? Are there any more sports analogies I can throw in here?

Packing up and getting ready to go, but Judith and Chase still have to entertain Mom and me for a few days. We'll be there Wednesday night to kick Chase out of his room for good (we get the twins, he gets the air mattress). There are a few things we need to see around Houston, and we wanted to make sure we were there for the final Gong on Friday. He had appointments with a bunch of doctors today and they all said he could leave Saturday. Good thing, 'cause we're all booked on a 7:30AM flight that morning!

Chase's treatments still take too long (at least according to him), but...

17 down, 3 to go!

Forewarning: a rather photo intensive blog ahead...

Since two influential presidents were conveniently born just 10 days apart, Judith and Chase had the day off. Not that they wanted it actually, but there ya go.

So they started out in a park in Houston where the arty boots are hanging out. If you click on the link, there are a lot of boot pictures there, or if just one will do, here's one for you:



There were some fancy kites flying as well. Judith took this movie of a circular kite flying (then, well, not flying). As of midnight, it's...not working, but hopefully by morning, youtube will have finished "processing" it (whatever that means).



Once it works, you'll see the slowly rotating rainbow kite, and behind it you'll see the Geico gecko taking off (or maybe it's a dragon - didn't the Chinese New Year start Sunday?)

After enjoying the park, they headed down to Galveston.

Who woulda thunk? The Gulf is cold in February!

Out on the pier (psst! Judith - "i" before "e", except after "c", not "p" ;-). Self portrait - notice Judith's arms reflected in her glasses.


They went to Pier 21 and saw the film on the Storm of 1900, when over 6,000 lives were lost, and the history of the protective wall guarding Galveston Island. The wall has held up through all the hurricanes since it was finished in 1905.



Just one of the friendly locals. Did he think Chase had a can of tuna under his cap???

So tomorrow begins the Last! Week! of Treatment!!!

Still...16 down, 4 to go!

In honor of Judith and Chase's final week in Houston, may I present:
Cowboys on Ice



I did talk briefly to Judith today, and from the sound of it, they had a great day off in Houston and Galveston. I was promised photos and maybe even a video. Until they surface, though, the cowboys will just have to do!

It was nice while it lasted :: sigh :: The weather cooperated, and a good time was had by all.

Buddy and Jacob are back home - already...but they had a very good weekend (many thanks to Susan and Charlie for the tickets!) I got a jumble of info in an email from Judith - she mentioned going to a Booster Ball with Debbie - cowboy chic dress requested:


A little bull riding (and showing off her new boots):


Those bulls look a bit different than I expected...


Meanwhile Chase and Jacob went to an Aeros hockey game where Chase was welcomed by name on the Jumbotron. Then they went back to Sugar Land with Debbie and Jake's two boys to play video games. I didn't even hear of any sibling fussing going on (not to say there wasn't any, of course!)

One more photo, and no, it's no one we know. But how often do you see a guy with a red mohawk riding a moped?



Countdown to Saturday - and home!