Success!

I am speechless.  I am astounded.  It may have taken two days, but we did it!  $600 raised for mesothelioma research!

I never in a million years expected to actually hit $600.  When day one ended we were at $465.  I pushed it some more on day two because it was SO CLOSE.  And it happened!  In 50 hours, 17 people donated $625.  That last $25 came in while I was writing this, and I wouldn't be surprised to see a few more trickle in over the weekend.

I'd like to take a moment to thank the people who made this possible.  Thank you Beth, Marie, Janna, other Janna, Ruth, Rob, Rena, Simon, Katy, Shana, Ian, Jerry, Jeff, Lisa, Kristin, William, and John for your generosity.  Thank you countless others for your tweets and retweets and sharing on Facebook.  I can't even begin to figure out how many of you there were, but I thank you from the bottom of my heart.  The outpouring of love and support was surprising and heartwarming.

You.  All of you.  You took a day that is amazingly difficult for me every year, a day that causes me sadness and grief, and you made it AMAZING.  June 23 will no longer be dreaded.  June 23 is a day to remember how many awesome people there are in this world.  People that I've never met, people I've never talked to, people who have had cancer touch their own lives and instead gave of themselves.  I love you all SO MUCH.

Huge internet hugs to all of you!

Beating Mesothelioma

Louise Marie (Pedotti) Proto

4/2/54 - 6/23/05

$625 raised in 2 days!!!
Future donations are welcome but will not receive gifts. Thank you!

Six years ago today, my sister Katy and I lost our mother to mesothelioma.  As part of my Day Zero Project list, I had set a goal to raise money for mesothelioma research.  What better day than today?  I have a lofty goal: raise $600 in ONE DAY for the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation in memory of my mother.


If you'd like to help, please click this "Donate" button to make a contribution using your PayPal account or credit card:

To show my appreciation for your generosity, each donor will receive a personalized thank you card from me, and one of the following gifts based on your contribution amount:


$25 and up: A pearl "know more" cancer awareness rubber bracelet.

$50 and up: A pearl cloisonne cancer awareness pin.



$100 and up: A pearl cloisonne cancer awareness pin personalized with my mother's name and dates of birth and death to represent the memory we're fighting for.



If you would prefer not to receive a gift, please note this in the PayPal comments.


Thank you for reading and caring.  Together, we can find a cure for this often overlooked cancer.


Continue reading for the full story of my mother's battle with cancer...


Louise was a "surprise."  Her parents were nearly 40 and 50 when she was born.  Her father worked in the Quincy Shipyard and often came home with a white powder called asbestos on his clothes.  Louise's mother, Elvira, and her sister, Barbara (11 years her senior), shook out his clothing on the porch before cleaning them.  Louise and her other sister Rena (7 years her senior) were not involved in this chore.


When Louise was 14, her mother died of mesothelioma, cancer of the lining of the lung due to asbestos exposure.  Seven years later, her father Reno followed, and then her sister Barbara, who left behind a husband and two young children.  Heartbroken, Louise and Rena were the only ones left of their big Italian family.


They thought they were safe; that they hadn't been exposed.  They each married and had two children.  They each divorced, and Rena remarried.  Life went on.  Shortly after Louise's 50th birthday, she saw a doctor for shortness of breath.  It wasn't long before she received the horrifying diagnosis: mesothelioma.


My mother Louise had one last wish: to see my sister and I graduate from high school and college respectively.  In May and June of 2005, she dragged herself to each graduation ceremony, frail from chemotherapy.  On June 23, 2005, she lost her fight and passed away, surrounded by family, at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.


The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness and finding a cure for this disease.  My mother lived only a year after her diagnosis.  The average life expectancy after diagnosis is no more than five years.  So many parents, siblings, and spouses are still being taken from their loved ones by this aggressive cancer.  Please...help us.