Wednesday, January 29, 2014

One Year Re-Birthday!

The following video talks about my one year re-birthday. So many things going on in social media I'm forgetting to updates blog!

Http://bit.ly/pghl1yr

Enjoy!

Bill

Monday, January 27, 2014

#WWAE a WeekWithoutAnElevator!

This week is #WWAE - please spread the word!


Http://bit.ly/pghlwwae


To donate: http://bit.ly/pghlESBRU


Wednesday, January 15, 2014

An Amazing Day!

Today was an amazing day!

I've been writing my blog since I first got diagnosed in 2008.  And a lot of you have actually spent time reading my blog and, for that, I'm grateful.  I write the blog to get things off my chest.  I write the blog so I don't have to explain things to my mother.  I write the blog because it makes me feel like I'm doing something.  But I write the blog because sometimes you just need to put it out there.  And when you do it in a blog you don't have to argue your point...it's your point and that's all there is to it.

Now, as for "what I do" - it's simple - I live.  For those that have read YIDWID you understand that I Do What I Do because I can.  I have cancer, I have a disease and that disease is incurable.

And that sucks!

But that's sort of like saying I have hair - yeah, I know, this really doesn't make sense right now but wait for it...hopefully this will be clearer (and for full transparency, this is NOT a grappa fueled diatribe!)  Everyone has hair - some more than others, some fine, some thick, some curly, some straight.  Everyone has hair but not everyone's hair is the same.

I have cancer, I have a disease, it's called Multiple Myeloma - but not everyone's Multiple Myeloma is the same.  Some have heavy chain, some have light chain, some get bloodworm, some get 24 hour urine tests, some take Revlimid, some take Polalidimide (sp?).

SOME GET REMISSION AND SOME (TOO MANY) DON'T.

I do this because I CAN!

A number of you think I'm doing something special, but I'm doing this because I don't have to go to the hospital twice a week.  I don't have to take drugs that wipe me out and leave me without energy.  There are so many things that I don't have to do it's really easy to do what I'm doing now.

Today I got so many messages, telling me how I'm inspiring people.  Listening to these messages a bunch of these people have their own diseases to fight...you inspire me!  Now with my #DailyStairs I'm also getting to know a lot of people that are fighting the fight or have lost the fight.  For me, I"m running a bunch of stairs and tweeting and fbooking!  That's not fighting!  Today I got a flurry of donations, in addition to all these comments.  I'm not trying to be humble but I really appreciate all your comments - they really help to keep me going.  I also really appreciate all your donations - they are going to help me find a way to get this disease out of the "incurable" category in my lifetime!  At some point this disease is going to come back at me, and I'll be back on the drugs, trying to motivate myself but I guarantee there will be someone else out there helping to "promote global hair loss" and fight this disease.  With all of you behind me I have no worries!

As I said, Today Was An Amazing Day!  Thank you!

Monday, January 13, 2014

a Week Without An Elevator

I've taken this off my doc on Scribd here.  Please feel free to re-send, re-post, re-tweet, re-whatever it takes to get the word out.  I just realized I hadn't put anything on my blog regarding this.  As most of you have probably figured out, I'm running the Empire State Building on the one year anniversary of my stem cell transplant.   To help promote the event and help me raise money for the cause I'm going to be a bit crazy and have a Week Without An Elevator (#WWAE).  My building has 29 floors and I'm saying I will go to any meeting and NOT take the elevator up.  Also, I'm trying to encourage anyone else in Manhattan, Chicago, Hong Kong, wherever we have tall buildings to join me and take a Week Without An Elevator.  Please pass this along and help me raise funds for The MMRF.  Donate here: www.bit.ly/pghlESBRU

cheers...Bill
(follow my training at #DailyStairs)

 A Week Without An Elevator
 January 27-31
In preparation for the Empire State Building Run Up on February 5th, we will have a week at work
where we don’t use the elevator to go up. Bill McHugh is running the race this
 year in celebration of
his one-year anniversary of a stem cell transplant to fight the incurable cancer Multiple Myeloma.
Bill has been tracking his training using his Nike+ iPhone app so that he can get cheers from his
friends and keep himself motivated. And everyone can track his progress.
What if everyone in Manhattan used an app to track his or her steps that week? How many people
can we get counting their steps? How many times can we walk the Empire State Building in a single
week? How much money can we raise for The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation?
The Empire State Building Run Up is an iconic event pairing an exercise in endurance with one of the
world’s architectural treasures. But above all, this Event gives a lucky few the ability to raise money
to fight an incurable cancer, Multiple Myeloma. Multiple Myeloma is one of those diseases for which
there is no cure, but The Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation is working to combat that
diagnosis; and their efforts are leading the way in cancer research.
The idea for a Week Without An Elevator (#WWAE) came from Bill McHugh when he was looking for
a way to celebrate his one-
year anniversary. At last year’s ESBRU, Bill was in hospital
, on day 4 after
his stem cell transplant. As he was thinking about how to celebrate this anniversary he realized
what better way to prove his health, his Complete Remission, than by running up the same building
King Kong climbed! Where this offers Bill a way to prove his health and raise money for The MMRF,
how do we raise awareness and money
for the event? That’s where WWAE comes in.

Our goal is to get as many people as possible to take the week and walk up the steps, GoVertical as
they call it, to raise awareness for this disease. Use whatever app or device you have to help us track
that success. We can create a community of people using their fitness apps to track their lack of
elevator use. Bill is going to do this that week at his office. There are 29 floors and Bill will only use
the elevator to go down. He expects to be late to a few meetings and expects to be quite out of breath
 which is better than being in the hospital any day of the week!
As mentioned above, the brainchild for a WWAE is Bill McHugh. I am Bill McHugh. I was diagnosed
in October of 2008 via a standard, annual
doctor’s visit 
 and the accompanying blood tests. In 2009 I
went through my four rounds of chemo and harvested my stem cells. In 2013 I had my stem cell
transplant and as of Fall 2013 I am in a complete remission and happy to be there! My efforts with
ESBRU are not just for me but for everyone else out there fighting this disease and specifically those
that can’t be as physical about it.

That is the story as it stands today. For more details about Bill and his efforts fighting this disease
please check his blog. To keep track of his efforts climbing a lot of stairs, follow him on twitter. For
details on ESBRU, check out The MMRF.
ESBRU
 Feb 5, 2013


PGHL Blog


Twitter - @PromotingGHL
Fbook -



#DailyStairs #PGHL #ESBRU

Thursday, January 9, 2014

The Stories We Tell and the Meaning They Carry

Tonight I had the opportunity to meet up with a number of people that will be doing the Empire State Building Race (ESBRU) with me in February.  For those of you that are avid readers of my blog you've heard my speech, "the story that I tell" and I'll apologize if I repeat it.  Bottom line, for the next 30 days I'm going to be asking all of you for money to fight this miserable disease.  I asked you last year and I'm asking you again this year.  I'd like to say I'm sorry but....I'm not....I have cancer, and I don't want it anymore and in my eyes, TheMMRF is helping to get rid of it (or at least the nasty part).  For that reason I'm asking for money.

But then, I need to remember, that there are others out there.  The aren't as lucky as me or they have that extra gene or depletion or whatever - they're still fighting.  I feel like a wimp because I'm not fighting.  For that...I'M FIGHTING!

There's a 72 year old lady running this race...(and here's the selfless plug) that owns Ellen's Stardust Diner (home of the singing wait staff) who is running this race...she already runs 60 stories!  I'm going to get my arse kicked!  (here's the plug - check out Ellen's page at http://www.ellensstardustdiner.com).  But I'm OK w/ that as Ellen's 60 year old friend has Multiple Myeloma and she's doing this for her friend...Good On Ya Ellen!  Now we need to coordinate a FlashMobBrunch at Ellens!  60 mimosas please!

Then there's another gent who's father just went through an SCT and just surpassed day 100 and is now allowed to have wine and some vegetables.  Yes, this is the stuff they forget to tell you...when you go through an SCT you lose most of your ability (if not all) to handle bacteria so some things are off the market for you.  His father is finally coming around and now the son has this crazy idea of running up a building.  The $2,500 minimum donation raised number was daunting to him...he will do it because 1) HE CAN and 2) it's his dad.  He's raised about $20k so far...so much for that 2,500....

And Sally, who has run this race twice, and will be starting with the original "wave" of runners (who maul each other in the first 20 fee of walk way to be the first to the stair and 'unencumbered' when it comes to getting up those stairs.  She's racing with her daughter and they are betting who can raise the most money based upon who the donators think will finish first.  More importantly, her late husband, and her twin children and her daughter that is running the race have a different version of cancer that they've been fighting and continue to fight now...amazing!

And then there are the two ladies that are running (or maybe it's just one) and one of them has a mother who has breast cancer....  Not Multiple Myeloma, breast cancer.  But she wants to do something and her mother doesn't want to talk about it and TheMMRF had this event...

The stories go on - for me...well, there are a few.  Bob went through his transplant days after me, literally.  Bob's a rugby fan and though he's an England supporter I was there with him!  Bob's back on medication.  Steve, went in a few weeks later, again for the same issue.  Steve's wife offered to pick up my prescription one day (she's in Long Island, I'm in Manhattan...talk about making me look lazy!) but Steve's back on medication.  Andy, he's had a beyotch of a time getting through this disease.  He's a trooper though and he's plugging away at it.  He's been through his second transplant (and he started a few months after mine).  There are others in various phases: Shells in the UK going for another transplant, Matt on the West Coast fighting a different version of the disease, Mike back in the UK jumping off bridges to fight this disease, Amy who's just doing well and helping others realize it's ok!  There are others as well and I apologize for not including all of you but I'm into my next glass of grappa before bedtime.  For all of you, I do this race.  And for me (yes, totally selfish).  I'm in a full remission and I'm in a position to do this...so let's rock this race!  And finally, for Brad, who's on day 5 or so right now - brother, keep up the fight as you always do...be BRADSTRONG!

Thanks for reading, now I need your support - follow me, tweet me, post me, but more importantly, find others to DONATE TO ME!  We're changing this disease from incurable to chronic in my lifetime!!!  Let's make this change - tell me your story!

Thanks...Bill

aka rugbyhubby
aka promoting global hair loss
http://bit.ly/pghlESBRU