By Julie Buehler
Whether it’s the extra inches on Richard Sherman’s outstretched hands to knock down a Colin Kaepernick pass, a hockey puck stopped short of the goal line by a mound of soft snow or the tying goal scored on the final play of World Cup action, every instance of effort and luck collude in a collision of circumstance for special moments in the world of sports.
And life is no different. That’s why sports and athletes make such great partners in raising funds, they understand that the smallest effort can make the largest impact and they’re willing to prove that.
You’ve likely heard about Desi Cechin and even more likely have seen her and her plight written about, talked about and discussed, but what you may not know is how YOU can help.
If you don’t know who she is, she’s a local 5-year-old facing round after grueling round of chemotherapy to fend off Stage IV High Risk Neuroblastoma. You wouldn’t know it to look at her smile, but her thinning hair and little body is a give away that she’s in a fight for her life.
The treatment insurance pays for gives her a 30% chance at survival and a hellish existence while she fights. The treatment that insurance doesn’t cover combats her specific cancer with specific science, gives her an 80% chance and is less injurious to her and her family. But it costs some $250,000 and with travel expenses, the family needs to raise about $300,000. By August.
Sound daunting? Not to the 5-year-old, whose smile gives strangers a joyful reminder of why life is precious.
And that number is not daunting to anyone who understands the extraordinary efforts of ordinary people is enough to change the course of history.
My listener, Corey Fitzpatrick got it started for me, and someone got him involved. But he called me out to donate $100 or get a bucket of iced dumped on my head.
Well, I did both. Donated AND got a bucket of ice dumped on my head. I made a video and called out my friends and influential people in the Coachella Valley and world of sports to do the same.
It took me about 15 minutes to make the video, but the reverberations are still being felt and there are still ice buckets being dumped on someone’s head from Washington DC to Los Angeles, Indianapolis to Miami in the name of raising money for this little girl’s life.
The San Francisco 49ers made a donation, sent autographed footballs and gear, the local media including Bianca Rae of KPSP, marketing guru Jaci Fitzsimonds, the Palm Springs Power and Palm Springs Nissan GM Abe Razick, just to name a few of the first to jump on board, all made their own videos in support of Desi and her fight.
And here’s the best part: YOU CAN TOO!
Here’s how:
Step 1: Make a list of 10-15 people who can donate $5-eleventy billion dollars and write them down.
Step 2: Grab 2 buddies. One to record you and one to dump a bucket of water on your head. (BONUS: With triple digit heat, this is the best way to be charitable AND cool you down.)
Step 3: Record you calling out your friends to donate $100 bucks (or $3 … ANYTHING helps!) Then have your previously mentioned buddy dump the cold water on your head in a dramatic fashion. (You wearing outrageous clothing, a funny hat or just doing the “That Is Ridiculously Cold Water” dance all adds to the video being watchable by the masses.)
Step 4: Make a donation to Desi. ANYTHING HELPS! Maybe add $1 or $1000, but just do something to help.
Step 5: Pray for the girl.
5 easy steps to learning the life-long lesson that when everyone works together, even in seemingly small ways, great things happen.
Fact is, had Malcolm Smith, not been there to catch the Richard Sherman tipped pass, the Niners would have had another shot at the end zone and who knows how that game would have ended. But Smith was there, cradled the ball and the game ended.
Let’s hope our community can be there to cradle little Desi and her family and watch her battle with this terrible disease end in victory as well.
To make donations go to www.youcaring.com/believingforDesi
If you make a video, feel free to tag me on Facebook, Julie.Buehler, I’ll share it a plenty!
Julie Buehler hosts the Coachella Valley’s most popular sports talk radio show, “Buehler’s Day Off” every day from 3-6 on 1010 KXPS, the valley’s all sports station. She can also be seen every morning between 6-7am on KMIR sharing the coolest stories in sports. She’s an avid gym rat, slightly sarcastic and more likely to recite Steve Young’s career passing stats than American Idol winners. Tune in M-F 3-6 pst at www.team1010.com or watch “Buehler’s Day Off” on Ustream and KMIR.com for her sports reports.
