May 17, 2015
Due to technical difficulties, I do not have my normal blog entry.
So no pictures or images this week.

My laptop is now considered "very old," and must be fixed.

Luckily, it is a fixable problem.

......

I would like to say Thank You to everyone who contributed to the Two Week fundraiser for the Cancer Support Community. Your contributions raised $500 for the organization. Thanks to those who joined me for the walk on Saturday. Over 150 people walked and they raised $70,000.

Have a good week. Hope to be up and running soon.

Love, Sosa

May 10, 2015
Happy Mother's Day

This has been an incredibly busy week for me, and I am exhausted.

First, besides work, I spent a few days in Las Vegas, visiting with family and watching Fresno State softball win the Mountain West Championship.  Our girls played some great games and head to Oregon for the NCAA regional.  First game is Thursday versus North Dakota State.  I am very grateful to have met the players and their families this season. 

Second, I started some fundraising for the Hope Walk for Cancer Support Community on 5/16 in Walnut Creek.  This is a fundraiser for an organization that provides FREE support services to patients and their loved ones.  This includes support groups, exercise classes, therapies, and children's services.  The walk is on Saturday and you can pay $25 to support a good cause.  Tax deductible, of course.
Love the large, heavy bag of pennies a coworker produced from her desk for me last week.  Wonder what else I can find.................

And finally, the picture above is from today's Giants game versus the Marlins. Along with the other honorees, I was welcomed onto the field and they announced all of our names.  There was a video on the Jumbotron, and we were all very lucky to be part of it.  I am pictured with Lou Seal and his mother, Louisa.  I have a Team Sosa shirt in my pocket, which came with me onto the field.  I touched the dirt and took a thousand pictures.  Friends and family were in attendance all over the park.  I also saw the Honorary Batgirl winner. 

And they took us to the ninth inning, and won in walk-off fashion.  I would not have it any other way.

Love, Sosa

Very Early Monday, May 4, 2015................

I am just getting in from attending a concert in San Jose.  For the third time, in so many years, me and my godbabymama saw New Kids on the Block.
We keep getting closer and closer to the stage...  I was very happy to be able to attend this year, and stand for a majority of the show.  And scream, of course.
Looking back, there is absolutely no way I would have been able to see them last year.  Ironically, they did not come into the Bay Area last year.  As if they knew I was unavailable, of course....My ears are gonna be ringing for a few days.............
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This is a very busy week for me, as I head to Vegas to watch Fresno State Softball secure the first division championship in six years.  And, on Sunday, I will be on the field at AT&T Park as part of StrikeOut Cancer.  I am among honorees who were selected by the Cancer Support Community to participate in this cancer awareness event.  I would love to meet with you if you plan to attend on Mother's Day.  Its going to be an emotional day for everyone involved in the event.  And there will be a ballgame too.

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Last, but not least, I am fundraising until only May 15th for the Cancer Support Community.  There is a Hope Walk at Heather Farms in Walnut Creek on May 16.  I would love anyone and everyone and their dogs to come walk with me.  This is a fundraiser, so it costs $25 to walk.  If you can't make it, I will be around to collect donations of any amount.  Maybe you have some change in your car?

The Cancer Support Community has provided free services to patients and their loved ones for over 25 years, and not just in the Bay Area.  The organization is in most major cities.  I cannot stress how important support is to the journey that I have been on.  Cancer patients depend on the support of others, whether its family, friends, or medical professionals.  Some of the best support is from others who understand treatment because they survived it. 

You never think you need this service until you need this service.  Please help in any way you can.
http://www.cancersupportcommunity.net/events/hope-walk/

Sunday, April 26, 2015

http://www.cancersupportcommunity.net/

http://www.cancersupportcommunity.net/events/hope-walk/

Thank you to everyone who continued to vote over the past month for me to be a Batgirl with Major League Baseball.  I was a finalist, among ten women, who competed to be a part of the San Francisco Giants on Mother's Day.

Unfortunately, I did not win the Batgirl.  However, I have wonderful news to share.

During the past year, I visited the Cancer Support Community in Walnut Creek on a weekly basis.  I benefited primarily from the support group where I learned so much about the journey that cancer has become in my life and the lives of others.  The Community provides therapeutic classes to encourage wellness and healing, and education on how cancer can affect so many different parts of one's life.

The Cancer Support Community, along with Strike Out Cancer and Genentech, selected me as an Honoree for the Cancer Awareness event at AT &T Park on Mother's Day.  I join a group of survivors who will be interviewed to share our stories and be featured on the big screen before the game on May 10.

I was very surprised to be asked, as I will be stepping onto the field as a survivor.  Last year, was so long of a year.  And Giants baseball helped me through. Myself and another Giants fan who went through treatment last year, relied on our team to get us through the longest summer.  And the championship means something else to us.

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The links above are to the very first Cancer Support Community Hope Walk in Heather Farms.  This is a fundraising event to contribute to the nonprofit organization that provides entirely FREE services.  I will post more information next week as part of my THREE WEEK fundraising drive.  I will be stopping by different work locations and call on people for their spare "Change for Cancer" awareness.

I hope that readers share this link and encourage others to join in this walk event in Walnut Creek on May 16, 2015.  Its a Saturday morning and its a great way to participate and get some exercise.

So many people's lives are touched by cancer.  This is a small way to do something of support. Its easy to walk on a Saturday morning.  Its easier to contact me and donate any amount to contribute to the Cancer Support Community. 

I will be providing prizes such as Team Sosa T Shirts, pink bracelets, and raffling off Giants tickets, as part of this THREE WEEK fundraiser push.  I will sell cookies, too!

I need your help to contribute in any way.  Please share this blog and contact me or check out the links to the Cancer Support Community.  Come walk with me for $25. Bring your friends, family, and dogs, out to Heather Farms.

For example, $25 donation provides two weeks of services for anyone. 

Love, Sosa

 

April 19, 2015

 

Me and my parents at Fresno State Softball

Cancer Awareness Weekend

GO TEAM SOSA

 



We wore our Team Sosa shirts as part of the weekend's activities.  Louisville Slugger also gave away mini pink bats, similar to the one I received from Team Sosa last year.  There were lots of survivors out at the field this weekend, wearing lots of pink.

The community at Fresno State Softball has offered me support in many ways since last year.  From the parents, to the team, and from the fans that I have known all my life, there is new meaning to coming home.  I am very grateful to participate this season, after I missed last year. 

Thanks to Team Sosa, I am a finalist with the MLB Honorary Batgirl and I will find out this week if I won.  I appreciate everyone who took the time to vote, and everyone who spread the word within their communities to vote for me.  I also hope you took the time to read and vote for the stories of the other nominees who are cancer survivors like me.

April 12, 2015

Hello there and welcome back.

Just a quick note for your week ahead, about the note above. 

I like posting short images I find online because they resonate with me and I hope they resonate with you, too.

Remember,

It takes courage to face everyday challenges, whether its a new job or life changing decisions.  It takes strength to follow through with the decisions you make. It takes patience to listen and try to understand why people think the way the do, or say the things they say.  And it takes love to forgive.

When you go to sleep, and when you wake up, that's the best time to say it's time to try again.  Because if you live in the past, you are wasting time and energy you don't have anymore. 

I know I start over every day.

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I hope you are continuing to vote for me to be the MLB SF Giants Batgirl on Mother's Day.  This is the last week to vote and you can vote multiple times a day.

Click here for the site and go to the Giants page.  Scroll through to the picture of me and Team Sosa.  Click on my picture and you can type in numbers to vote.  Check out the stories of cancer survivors from all of the teams.

http://mlb.mlb.com/honorarybatgirl/2015/gallery.jsp

So many people have told me they continue to vote daily... Thank You.

April 5, 2015  Happy Easter

Today is an important day for renewal for most people I know.  It comes in the form of Resurrection, or returning to Church.  For some people, its spring break, or spring cleaning.  And for others, its the time of year when baseball returns.

I find a similarity to those who use the spring for a new start.  Cleaning, reorganizing, mentally preparing for the next few months.  Not surprisingly, I am on board with those who are ready for the return of baseball.  Its been a long off season.

But, I have to acknowledge those who believe in renewal, whether or not it has religious basis.  I understand the importance of suffering and recovery.  Taking the time in the spring to reevaluate, by giving up something for Lent, or thinking about the importance of penance, are parts of the Easter season. Then Easter Sunday comes and most people believe in a fresh start.

This concept is not lost on those who are not religious.  Its important to validate those who consider their struggles and decide to push through.  This doesn't have to happen only in the spring.  This doesn't have to happen each time something bad happens. This doesn't have to happen when the really bad thing happens.  Don't wait for the bad thing to happen to reevaluate.  Don't wait for it to happen to the people you love, or to yourself.

Its okay to start over whenever you choose, with a positive attitude and forgiveness.  It isn't as hard as one might think.  It might be easier when you are faced with the bad thing.  But don't wait for that to happen.

Some of the best advice I have integrated into my life has to do with dealing with anger or sadness or loss.  Let the bad feeling pass through; give those emotions or thoughts a few minutes.  Then be done.  Let it go.  Start over.  Whatever is still happening is still happening. 

But only you can choose how to look at it.

Which may open your mind to another way to deal with it.

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Thank you all for continuing to vote for me to be the Giants batgirl. Please keep voting this week, then vote ten more times every day. Here is the link, go to the Giants team page and scroll through the pages for Team Sosa.

http://mlb.mlb.com/honorarybatgirl/2015/gallery.jsp