Mom It Forward Spotlight: Blogger Helps Raise Awareness & Funds for Leukemia & Lymphoma

by Jyl Johnson Pattee on August 29th, 2010 | No Comments »

This past Tuesday, I had the pleasure of dedicating my #gno Twitter party to raising awareness and funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

I got an email from Renee Ross in July, letting me know that she had set a goal to run a half marathon in an effort to help her friend's daughter who was suffering from Leukemia. As part of the Mom It Forward mission, I am committed to helping change the world one mom at a time and when I heard about Renee's initiative, I knew a #gno Twitter party was just the thing to get the word out.

Renee lined up many panelists, including members of the American Cancer Society (ACS). As word spread, cancer nurses and those struggling from cancer caught wind of the event and RSVPed.

The Twitter party generated nearly 8 million impressions from 235 participants. The information shared was amazing. I learned so much and at times, just sat back and took it all in, remembering my mom's best friend who had died of Leukemia when I was 15. I wondered what tapping into such a community would have been like for my mom and for her friend Diane. To feel the strength of a group of women sharing with and caring for each other was powerful.

Today, I received an email from Renee. She stated:

I think it is so important to use influence for good. Thank you so much for offering to host this special GNO. BTW, I ran 10 miles today before church. I am just so excited that I completed what I thought was an impossible task just a year ago!

Not only is Renee making a difference in others' lives, but she is also momming it forward to herself. Way to go, Renee!

If you know of someone who is a Mom It Forward mom, please submit their story to momitforward [AT] gmail [dot] com.

Bio
Latest Posts

Jyl Johnson Pattee

An active part of the Mom It Forward team, Jyl primarily writes about parenting, social good, and all things travel related. In a past life, Jyl was an award-winning copywriter and designer of corporate training programs for Fortune 100 companies. Offline, Jyl is married to @TroyPattee; a mom to two teen boys and a beagle named #Hashtag; loves large amounts of cheese, dancing, and traveling; and lives in the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Topping her bucket list is the goal to visit 50 countries by the time she's 50.