September 15 is World Lymphoma Awareness Day (WLAD), a day dedicated to educating people worldwide about lymphoma.  WLAD is a global initiative hosted by the Lymphoma Coalition, a non-profit network organization of 59 lymphoma patient groups from 42 countries around the world.  The Lymphoma Coalition initiated WLAD in 2004 to raise public awareness of both Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin lymphoma in terms of symptom recognition, early diagnosis, and treatment.

This tenth anniversary of WLAD is the perfect time to do something to promote awareness of this disease that has touched so many.

Esperanza Renovada has begun fund raising efforts to build a lodge in the mountains of southwest Puerto Rico that will offer free stays to recovering cancer patients and their families, giving them a "restorative escape", a chance to reconnect and discover their new life's focus.  While we are not limiting the free stays to lymphoma survivors, we have a special connection to them because of my own diagnosis of follicular Non Hodgkin Lymphoma (fNHL) in 2006.

We're looking for 50 people (ideally one person from each state in the U.S.) to join our team and become "Ambassadors of Hope". We are in the first stages of the initial fund raising to build the lodge.  The concept for our lodge is unique--once initial funds are raised and construction is complete, renting to vacationers will sustain the daily operations, and proceeds will allow us to offer the free stays to those who have been affected by cancer.

We are asking for small donations from many supporters--$10, $25, $50, and $100 donations are welcomed, and those amounts are affordable for most people.  But we need help to reach enough people to raise the $300,000 we need to build the lodge.  As an Ambassador of Hope, we would ask you to commit to raising $6,000.  When that goal is met, we have a free stay for you, either at our current vacation cabin rental in Maricao, Puerto Rico, or at the lodge in San German when it is completed.  We would love to have you as our guest!

Can I count on you to be on our team?