We did it….together!!

 

“My Road to Paris” Fundraiser Dinner was held on Saturday night…and after hours of planning, I’m extremely pleased to say it was a huge success! Amazing food, fun atmosphere and awesome entertainment! Thank you to each and every person who attended and participated in any way!!

I feel like shouting from the rooftops…WE DID IT! Together, we exceeded my fundraising target of $10,000! Thanks to all of my beautiful sponsors and supporters, we’ve now raised a whopping total of $13,522.00 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF)!

Image from my Everyday Hero Fundraising Page

This is our bit in helping NBCF researchers reach their goal of NO MORE BREAST CANCER DEATHS BY 2030…and it’s the very goal I focus on each day as I wholeheartedly continue to train for the Marathon de Paris in support of the NBCF.

Once the nerves settled, I actually got to enjoy myself at “My Road to Paris” dinner! And from the many messages and phone calls I received in the days following, it seems that my guests greatly enjoyed themselves too.

Chef Simon Lawson at Agape Organic Restaurant did an amazing job with the delicious organic menu that was served. And with the support of over 26 wonderful Corporate Sponsors, each of my 104 guests were chuffed to take home a Pandora goodie bag filled with organic beauty products, Mount Franklin sparkling water, Fletcher & Grace jewellery voucher, an Agape dinner discount voucher, and a yummy Carman’s muesli bar, among other things!

So if you weren’t there, you should have been 🙂

And the night would not have been the success it was, without precious friends who gave of their time to entertain us all.  I’ll be forever grateful to them…

Amazing MC Chris Roe

 

Special guest Katrina Roe from Hope 103.2FM, who interviewed me

Amazingly talented “Ludemann singers”

 

Beautiful ballroom dancers, Sidonie Eccles & Andrew Kita

Author/storyteller & breast cancer survivor, Cynthia Hartman from Tales for Kids

Hilariously entertaining auctioneer, Nick Khouri

And not to mention this extra-special surprise guest from MKR, Steve Georgiou and his beautiful wife Maria!

My sister & niece, who are travelling to Paris with me. Here, they’re reading a fairytale they wrote about me (copy below)…

A Fairytale:


Good evening ladies and gentlemen. My name is Rita, I’m Jen’s sister and this is my daughter, Elizabeth. We are here to tell you a fairy story that goes something like this…

Once upon a time there lived two wonderful parents named John and Adebi, who left their home and their families in Lebanon to come to a magical country on the other side of the world in which their children could prosper. 

John and Adebi had nine children but their youngest daughter Jennifer’s arrival showed the world that there was always room for one more. “Welcome to the world, little Jen,” they said. “Welcome to the love of the Trad haven.”

She was a tad special and she knew it, and all eyes were on Jenny as her parents and brothers and sisters, like fairy godmothers, watched out for her to make sure she grew up good and strong.

Jenny’s feet didn’t touch the ground for many years as there were always plenty of hands on deck to carry her around. She danced to the music of the ads on tv, always had new dresses and her hair took on a smooth silkiness because her mother lovingly styled sausage curls for her princess each morning. 

Inquisitive as she was, she grew up to be an expert in many things. She mastered the art of reading and harassed her siblings for pencils and paper so she too could do homework. They didn’t have the heart to tell her that she would soon enough be doing homework for real. 

Jenny articulated her wants at a very early age and negotiated contracts as earnestly as any businessman. At the ripe old age of four, she decided she wanted a computer (which was the size of a fridge at the time) but her mum explained that computers were very expensive and they just couldn’t afford one.  Jen was sad for a moment, but suddenly, a big smile spread across her face. 

“Don’t worry, Mum,” she said. “My big brother Vinnie will buy one for me.”

Jen soon forgot about the computer, but discovered a world of clothes and shoes that she just had to have. 

Out shopping one afternoon with her brother Mark, she eyed a $100 pair of shoes that were perfect for her. It was time to strike a deal. She negotiated with Mark that if she put in $5 for the shoes, it was only fair that he subsidized the other $95. Marky handed over his first pay packet and so began Jen’s footwear addiction. 

While her brothers occasionally bought her presents, her sisters watched over Jen as she danced around with life. They knew that some things made her scared, like the dark, getting her hair cut, being left alone and running out of lipstick, but she was never scared enough to not do what she needed to do. This trait would serve her well when facing the monsters of her adulthood. 

She met her knight in shining armour earlier than most and their life was how it should be, easy, fashionable, with big hair, matching clothes and a love that fairytale princesses could only dream about. They had a big fat Lebanese wedding and Jen’s fairy godmother waved her magic wand yet again and multiplied Jen and John by two. With the births of Jasy and Josh, Jen and John’s family life became complete. 

Because Jen became an expert at many things early in life, she contracted what you might call “career ADD”. After Uni she became a banker, then a beauty therapist, then a teacher, a blogger and radio presenter. She excelled at almost everything she pursued and she was always reaching for the next challenge. 

Jen and her little family were sailing along beautifully when suddenly they came to a roadblock. Jen discovered that she had a mysterious illness that could take her away from her fairytale family. 

It was going to be a tough battle to fight this illness, but Jen decided to meet the challenge head on, with the same steely determination she showed when pursuing that first pair of shoes. 

It was an arduous fight. Sometimes the doctor’s potions made her sick. The shiny hair that her mother had so tenderly curled disappeared and Jen retreated to the darkness of her bedroom. 

But Jen underestimated the power of her secret weapon, her family. All the people who made sure her feet didn’t touch the ground in the early years of her life, rallied around her now bringing love, support and food to her side. 

Ever the fashionista, Jen became a connoisseur of scarves and hats and she always had a new colourful scarf trailing over her shoulder. 

There were still days when it was hard for Jen to face the world. When everyone had gone to work and school and her house seemed empty. 

On days like this, Jen’s mum would visit. She would bring dinner, fold the washing and go to Jen’s room. Jen’s mum would wave her magic walking stick and say to Jen, “You must get out of bed and come for a walk in the sunshine. The day will work it’s magic on you.”

Jen pulled the covers over her head and cried a little, but eventually she got up and leaning on the arm of her mum, walked out into the sunshine. When she got there she looked up and said, “You’re right, the day is beautiful.”

And so began Jen’s pursuit for life’s beautiful things and her desire to create beautiful things for her life. 

She decided to pursue her love of writing, to go back to educating young minds, to cook organically, look for the best in people and to run 42 kilometres through Paris to help save other women who were touched by the disease that touched her. 

How fitting that she will travel to the city of light and love the fittest, happiest and healthiest she has ever been. 

Though life isn’t always the fairy tale we would like it to be, it has turned out for Jen to be so much better. Tonight has brought together over 100 people and 26 businesses who are aiding her wish to support doctors working to find a cure for a disease that has touched the lives of almost every Australian. We are sure that whatever her next pursuit and wherever in the world little Jen and her family roam, their story will end with a happily ever after.

In my next post, I will share some of the facts I learned after attending a meeting with Dr Alison Butt, Head of Research Investment at the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the week before my event. I requested this meeting, as $10,000 is a lot of money, and I want my supporters to know where this money is going. I was able to talk about some of these important facts at my dinner, but for those who couldn’t attend, I’d like you to have the opportunity to know more about where research dollars actually go. So stay tuned 🙂

And remember, you can still support me in this worthy cause by donating online at my Everyday Hero Fundraising Page. Every dollar brings us one step closer to the goal of NO MORE BREAST CANCER DEATHS BY 2030!

 Jennifer xo

P.S. I’d love to get some feedback in regards to how much you know about where research dollars go? And what are your thoughts on giving for cancer research – are you suffering from donor-fatigue? If so, I’m hoping my next post will spark your support for cancer research again. Please leave a comment below. Thanks 🙂