“They were redoing our building and painting over our hall. So we got out paint brushes and did a little art therapy. I painted on the wall some lyrics by Seattle rock band, Moneta, ‘Don’t Give Up. Never Give Up. February 29, 2008.’ This was the date I celebrated the five year anniversary of my VHL diagnosis.”

Bloomsday Fundraiser, Washington State

Joining forces from both sides of the state, Jenny Mathison of Spokane, Kim Hall and Alice Coday of Seattle, are walking the Lilac Bloomsday Run in Spokane to raise funds for VHL research. A native of Spokane, Jenny is participating in Bloomsday for the first time to celebrate her good news that she has no pending surgery for the first time in 5 years!

Snippets:

Alyssa H. of Iowa sold wristbands and did a very nice Powerpoint presentation at her High School, and raised $389.25 for VHL!

Scott S. wrote a college class report on VHL.

Ranjana S. did a research paper and presentation on VHL for a graduate school course.

Astronaut Frank Caldeiro was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He made a video which is on YouTube. See vhl.org/press

Ariel and Rosita have created “cause” pages for us in Facebook. Please join their causes and help to raise money for VHL.

Ariel is also constructing a presence for us in MySpace. Would you like to help?

Other meetings? See www.vhl.org/meetings

VHL Washington State Chapter Meeting

We invite you to attend the Washington VHL meeting June 21, 2008. The meeting will begin at 1:00 p.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. or whenever the last story is shared or all desserts have been consumed! The meeting will be conducted in an informal setting where we will share experiences, provide informational resources, discuss new treatment options, and gather information from each other that we’ve found helpful in dealing with VHL.

Please RSVP to either Jenny or Diana via phone or email whether or not you will be attending and include the total number of people coming so we can plan accordingly. We look forward to sharing our stories and VHL information with you!

Jenny Mathison: (509) 922-5862 or us-wa@vhl.org

Diana Beal: (425) 252-3193 or us-wa@vhl.org

Attached is a photo of me and Clancy. Clancy is a three year old Portuguese Water Dog. We are a member of the Delta Society and we visit patients once a week at Bailey Boushay (part of Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle). He will be joining us at our June Washington VHL Meeting. Clancy doesn’t have VHL, but is a VHL supporter and hopes to become a member of our group.

As printed in the VHL Family Forum 16:2, May 2008. For permission to reprint, please contact VHL Family Alliance, editor@vhl.org.