I was first given a gift of a shirt by your company by a dear friend and another survivor of cancer. We have both been diagnosed and have undergone treatment – and still do. She has breast cancer and I have non-Hodgkins lymphoma. Neither seem to be curable, but we are fighters and are not just surviving, but fighting and LIVING! We met last year while planning a benefit for the University of Iowa Hospital Chemo Center. We have become fast friends and supporters. We even spent a week camping at Sturgis Week together – but that’s another story. We are currently in the process of planning the second annual, bigger and better, benefit for the same cause. It is a family oriented day and includes bikers and others with a fun ride – not a poker run- with games at each stop- including butt darts, fish food targets, basket ball tosses, blown egg relays across a swinging bridge and a visit to a Veteran’s Memorial. We also have a silent auction, pick your own raffle and general raffle, food vendors and live music. Danita Cox (my fellow bitch) met you on one of her travels and blessed me with one of your shirts. I wear it proudly – where I can. I also teach second grade – which isn’t quite in character with the dress code. I have however shared my shirt with fellow staff members on inservice days. What are they going to do – fire me? I have survived first and second graders for 33 years and cancer for almost 6 years. Go ahead – make my day! My husband rides his Harley every chance he gets. I am not able to join him as much as I would like as the cancer has affected my bones and joints and makes riding not so fun.

I am attaching a flyer for the event and am making a totally shameless plug for any donation that you might contribute to either a silent auction basket or raffle item. Your designs are great and would be a popular pick. I plan to wear mine at the event – unless they tell me I have to wear a lame staff t-shirt. I totally understand that you are probably bombarded with such requests and are not able to accommodate them all. If you could just let me know one way or the other I would appreciate it. We may then look at hitting the profit margin a little for at least one item so we can get your name and materials out to this area. I’m certain that there are many who would love to own one or more of your items. My friends were all jealous. We are setting up a booth with sample raffle baskets, items, donations and for the presale of admission tickets at the Hog Wild Rodeo Sponsored by the Circle of Pride, May 15-18 at Conesville. It is quite an event – non family oriented unlike ours, but has bikers, babes and others who would donate to a great cause. More info on it is available at http://www.circleofpridemc.com/. If you could have things to us by then it would be a really big deal with the bikers and babes there. We could even do an advance silent auction with just that rowdy crowd. There would be a lot of babes who would battle mercilessly for your items.

Thank you so much for all that you do and for your consideration of our event. We hope to continue this annual benefit for many years to come. Cancer has affected so many of our friends and family – some still fighting and others who have passed on. As a very wise person once said, “We continue to have the courage and strength to allow ourselves to be who we really are (NOT CANCER PATIENTS but BITCHES) and won’t become anyone else’s idea of what they think we should be.”

Thank you again,

Penny from Iowa