Auctions (benefiting LIVESTRONG)

Just a few days left to bid on rare LIVESTRONG items, including a Lance Armstrong signed US Postal Service jersey and a signed LIVESTRONG cap, rare jerseys (including LIVESTRONG/ Ride for the Roses jerseys), TREK water bottles, Team LIVESTRONG shirts, a LIVESTRONG yellow band car magnet, stickers, etc.

If you're in the US, you can "pay" via a tax-deductible (to the extent allowed by law) donation to my LIVESTRONG Challenge fundraising page. To bid, please visit

in the UK=> http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/challengeaustin/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562

in the US=> http://www.ebay.com/sch/challengeaustin/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562

Deutschland=> http://www.ebay.de/sch/challengeaustin/m.html?_trksid=p4340.l2562

In Loving Memory of Courtney Clifford

In loving memory of our Court (Courtney Clifford, 1982-2011)

"Love is stronger than death even though it can't stop death from happening, but no matter how hard death tries it can't separate people from love. It can't take away our memories either. In the end, life is stronger than death."

~ Unknown

Cancer stole another beautiful soul and a strong & tireless cancer advocate: Rest in peace, Courtney! We'll miss you tons... your soul & inspiration will live on!!!

Comforting thoughts & prayers for Courtney's family & friends and everyone whose lives got changed for the better just because they've met Courtney! I met Court at the LIVESTRONG summit in Columbus, Ohio, and she sure changed my life just by the way she looked at life, the way she made everyone feel better (even in tough times), and the way she faced her cancer battle head-on!

The following blog post from my friend Crissy will provide comfort & wonderful memories to those who've met Courtney (and it will probably make you smile or laugh out loud while reading). If you haven't met Court, you'll get a pretty good idea about her awesomeness =>
http://www.crispyteriyaki.com/blog/2011/02/10/courtney-clifford-1982-2011/

If you want to help honor Courtney's life + support LIVESTRONG, please consider a donation in her memory/honor and I will match it (http://philly2011.livestrong.org/henrike) ... such a small and insignificant way to honor her life, but all I can do from the other side of the pond.

Silent Auction Round 2

There're still 6 days left to bid on a Chris Carmichael signed "28" poster and the Team RadioShack musette , and in honor of World Cancer Day (Febuary 4th), I just uploaded the 2nd silent auction (benefiting LIVESTRONG 100%).
This silent auction is for all of the following items and the package includes (detailed pictures of the items are posted below):

• 1 Team LIVESTRONG Nike dri-fit hat (distributed to members of the 2010 Team LIVESTRONG who raised at least $500)
• 1 Team LIVESTRONG shirt, sized either XL or S (winning bidder can chose between those 2 sizes)
  
• 1 LIVESTRONG bandana
• 1 Team LIVESTRONG sticker
• 3 pins (I'm a survivor, Choose Hope & Cancer sucks)

The current highest bid on the Team LIVESTRONG package is € 18 (approx. $ 24.50) - quite the bargain if you remember that the cap has been awarded only to team members who raised at least $500 :-)

To bid, either leave a comment on this blog or message me on Facebook or Twitter. No additional costs => I'll pay for registered shipping.
If you're in the US, your donation to LIVESTRONG via my fundraising page is a tax-deductable donation (to the extent allowed by law). Thank you for considering a donation and/or bid. Winning bidder will be announced on March 1st, 2011.

Detailed pictures:
Team LIVESTRONG cap (front and back):

Team LIVESTRONG Shirt (front and back; winner can chose between a size XL or a size S):

LIVESTRONG Bandana (plus 3 pins + 1 Team LIVESTRONG sticker):

It’s all in how you FIGHT (in memory of another beautiful soul lost to kidney cancer)

Reading Brock Yetso's post of the Ulman Cancer Fund for Young Adults , one sentence really stuck with me: "It’s all in how you FIGHT that really counts!"

If that's the way we measure their fight, they all were winners: they fought back with tons of determination for as long as they could. They were persistent and lived gracefully with no regrets. They inspired the people around them, and passed on values we are trying to install in our everyday life.

"Cancer is a ruthless, uninvited, deceitful, rude, and cheating opponent but it is an opponent that can be beat over time. It doesn’t follow any rules and it will continue to invade all of our lives. It doesn’t care who you are, who you love or what you have to live for – it cheats and steals until it feels it has been victorious." (Brock Yetso)

I am pretty sure that everyone can relate to that passage, even more so when you lost a loved one to cancer. But just like Brock, I don't think cancer really is victorious. We lost way too many friends and loved ones to cancer, but without those people/their fights/their legacies/their sufferings/their deaths, we wouldn't be as determined to fight back as we are today. We wouldn't hate cancer as much as we do. We wouldn't be as inspired as we are because of them.

It hurts like hell to lose someone to cancer. But we need to turn this hate into something productive to honor their lives and legacies. Since they are no longer physically able to fight back, we need to step in and fight back for them.

There will be times when it seems we are still losing, there will be times of hope, there will be times when nothing seems to go forward. Yet, "we need to be able to be proud of the performance we gave and be able to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and move on to the next challenge."

In memory and in honor of all our cancer angels, I will ride the 2011 Philly LIVESTRONG Challenge in August. I will wear the names of cancer angels (and warriors), written on cancer ribbons, on my jersey to honor their fight, celebrate the impact they still have on the fight against cancer and thank them for their continuing inspiration.

If you can, please consider a small donation to my fundraising page (http://philly2011.livestrong.org/henrike) in honor, support or memory of someone who inspired you in this global cancer fight. Donations to LIVESTRONG are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law in the U.S. and I'll send you a personal thank you note after the Challenge weekend!