2025 Beatcancer Raffle

 Just like with the Rams Raffle, this raffle is meant to support team We Will Find A Cure as it participates in the 2025 Student Visionaries of the Year campaign to raise over $50,000 in the 7 week period ending March 21, 2025. If you have read the Rams Raffle post, you can just jump to the details below for this raffle as the words will be repetitive.  This team is comprised of high school students that have joined together to make a difference.  My daughter, Thalia, accepted the nomination to participate and some amazing friends have joined her in the fight.  I used this same team name in 2014 when I competed in the adult version of this campaign which was called Man/Woman of the Year tied to the story I have shared on this blog and will briefly share again below. Before we get there, I want to talk about this raffle which is attempting to raise $4-5,000 for the campaign.  We are selling 250 tickets, and only 250 tickets, meaning you know your odds.  You can purchase 1 ticket for $20 or 6 tickets for $100.  We are utilizing Venmo for the payment: you can send funds to @christopher-wilno or scan the QR code that is on the flyer included here. If you absolutely need another form of payment, you can email chriswilno@gmail.com and we can figure something out.

RAFFLE DETAILS 

Prize list is as follows:

• Prize List is as follows:
• Apple AirPods Max Wireless Over-Ear Headphones - Space Gray
• Bose QuietComfort Headphones - Sandstone
• Ninja CREAMi, Ice Cream Maker (+ Sorbet, Gelato, Smoothie Bowl, Milkshakes and more)
• Ninja AG301 Foodi 5-in-1 Grill and Air Fryer
• Ninja Blast Portable Cordless Blender
• Beats Pill Bluetooth speaker
• Anker Soundcore 2 Bluetooth Speaker
• Restaurant Gift Cards (Islands, Yardhouse, Woody's Diner)
• More prizes are NOT guaranteed but we are working for more
• PAYMENT is via Venmo.  In the comments section, state BEATCANCER and list the team member you are supporting: Thalia, An, Andreya, Anna, Carina, Faith, Jordyn, Katie or Summer.
• Raffle will be held once 250 tickets are sold.  We will give a week's warning before we do a live Instagram drawing via @run2savelives.  We will post the drawing date here, on Facebook at We Will Find a Cure and at Instagram (run2savelives is me).  All team members will reach out to let everyone know as well)

I hope you will support these amazing girls and this amazing cause as all proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  All of the girls were asked to figure out their 'why' for doing this campaign.  Thankfully, not everyone has a story and that is the point........someday the sad stories end.  For my daughter, Thalia, my story is her story.  She heard it growing up so many times as I shared it to groups of people.  I don't think she really absorbed it until now because she wasn't alive for most of it.  It all happened in less than 2 years which began September 2002 when my Dad was diagnosed with Leukemia. Around this time, my wife Crea became pregnant with our first child Isabella so we shared that news as a surprise on Christmas 2002. My Dad was so excited to meet Isabella and this gave him one more reason to fight.  For the first six months of 2003, my Dad made weekly trips from Bluffton, SC to Charleston, SC to do all the things that go with a cancer diagnosis. It was a tough time because of so much uncertainty.  I spent as much time with my parents as I could and made some of those trips with my parents.  In July, we were coming up on my 4th wedding anniversary (7/29/03) and Isabella was due a few days later so I flew back to CA to be with my wife. On that 4th wedding anniversary, I got a panicked call from my wife that she was heading to the hospital because something was wrong.  I raced out of work and met her at the hospital and everything unraveled quickly.  I remember sitting in a room, while nurses searched for a heart beat begging them to find one but Isabella had left us.  Her due date was 2 days away, so Crea had to go through labor knowing the outcome was horrible. Because it was our anniversary, she refused to push until the clock struck midnight.  She did not want Isabella's Day to be on the same day as our anniversary likely to protect both occasions.  When the clock struck midnight, Crea pushed and not long after we were holding Isabella but with an immense amount of grief.  I had horrible calls to make as this was before social media.  My Dad was the worst call and it took some of the fight out of him. Not long after, my Dad was told there was nothing else that could be done and that he was terminal.  He begged for more chemo but his body was beat down.  In November 2003, I walked away from my job and went to be with my parents until my Dad let go.  He lost his battle January 12, 2004, six days before my parents 40th wedding anniversary.  I went home and started raising money to fight cancer by running a marathon.  My wife became pregnant again with our son Jaden and, while pregnant, on my birthday in 2004, Crea was diagnosed with cancer. It was already a high risk pregnancy but this obviously made it worse.  We had to decide whether to have Jaden first or fight the cancer first.  After many consultations, we decided to protect Jaden.  He was born October 29, 2004 and 2 weeks later Crea was back in the hospital doing all those cancer related things.  She beat it then and 5 years later when it returned.  My daughter was 1 year old when the cancer came back so most of this story preceded her.  I know the story is sad.  Time healed much of that sadness but I have accepted I will never heal fully from the loss of Isabella. She took part of me with her and I am forever a bit broken.  So many blessings came from this story though which led to my mantra: Blessings Come From the Worst of Times.  I will spare you all those blessings except for one: Thalia. Crea and I wanted two children.  If Isabella had not passed, Thalia would not be here and I cannot imagine life without Thalia.  She and her friends are now carrying the torch to raise money to fight cancer and I am forever grateful.  If you made it to this page as friends/family of one of Thalia's teammates..........they have some of their own sad stories so talk them. For those that have a 'why', listen to it.  For those that do not have a 'why', it is a good sign for our world that we have kids willing to join a fight they were not drafted into.  Cheers and please join us.  Below are a few pictures from my story.

Days before my Dad passed teaching me to cook an Italian dish

Crea right before surgery

Isabella

Thalia

Rams Raffle For A Cure

This raffle is meant to support team We Will Find A Cure as it participates in the 2025 Student Visionaries of the Year campaign to raise over $50,000 in the 7 week period ending March 21, 2025. This team is comprised of high school students that have joined together to make a difference.  My daughter, Thalia, accepted the nomination to participate and some amazing friends have joined her in the fight.  I used this same team name in 2014 when I competed in the adult version of this campaign which was called Man/Woman of the Year tied to the story I have shared on this blog and will briefly share again below. Before we get there, I want to talk about this raffle which is attempting to raise $6,000+ for the campaign.  We are selling only 400 tickets and the drawing will be held one week after that last ticket is sold.  We will announce the drawing date here at this post, on my Instagram @run2savelives and the We Will Find a Cure Facebook page. You can purchase 1 ticket for $25 or 5 tickets for $100.  We are utilizing Venmo for the payment: you can send funds to @christopher-wilno or scan the QR code that is on the flyer included here. If you absolutely need another form of payment, you can email chriswilno@gmail.com and we can figure something out.

RAFFLE DETAILS 

• Tickets are for the 2025 season featuring the San Francisco 49ers at the Los Angeles Rams.  The 2025 schedule has not been released yet so the date is to be determined
• A parking pass at Sofi stadium is included
• The seats are in VIP112, row 113, seats 1-4 which are on the visitors side at the 40 yard line.  See picture from a fan cam. The upper red box is where the seats are. 
  
• These seats have all inclusive food, soda and alcohol as part of the Pechanga Club.  This club is field level which has a patio that is right up against the visiting bench. See that same picture. The lower red box is the patio for the club.
• My recommendation is to get there when the gates open 2 hours prior to kick-off, hang out in the Pechanga club eating, drinking and watching the players warm up.  After the game, hang out in the club for another 30 minutes while traffic dies down. 
• PAYMENT is via Venmo.  In the comments section, state Rams and list the team member you are supporting: Thalia, An, Andreya, Anna, Carina, Faith, Jordyn, Katie or Summer. 

I hope you will support these amazing girls and this amazing cause as all proceeds go to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  All of the girls were asked to figure out their 'why' for doing this campaign.  Thankfully, not everyone has a story and that is the point........someday the sad stories end.  For my daughter, Thalia, my story is her story.  She heard it growing up so many times as I shared it to groups of people.  I don't think she really absorbed it until now because she wasn't alive for most of it.  It all happened in less than 2 years which began September 2002 when my Dad was diagnosed with Leukemia. Around this time, my wife Crea became pregnant with our first child Isabella so we shared that news as a surprise on Christmas 2002. My Dad was so excited to meet Isabella and this gave him one more reason to fight.  For the first six months of 2003, my Dad made weekly trips from Bluffton, SC to Charleston, SC to do all the things that go with a cancer diagnosis. It was a tough time because of so much uncertainty.  I spent as much time with my parents as I could and made some of those trips with my parents.  In July, we were coming up on my 4th wedding anniversary (7/29/03) and Isabella was due a few days later so I flew back to CA to be with my wife. On that 4th wedding anniversary, I got a panicked call from my wife that she was heading to the hospital because something was wrong.  I raced out of work and met her at the hospital and everything unraveled quickly.  I remember sitting in a room, while nurses searched for a heart beat begging them to find one but Isabella had left us.  Her due date was 2 days away, so Crea had to go through labor knowing the outcome was horrible. Because it was our anniversary, she refused to push until the clock struck midnight.  She did not want Isabella's Day to be on the same day as our anniversary likely to protect both occasions.  When the clock struck midnight, Crea pushed and not long after we were holding Isabella but with an immense amount of grief.  I had horrible calls to make as this was before social media.  My Dad was the worst call and it took some of the fight out of him. Not long after, my Dad was told there was nothing else that could be done and that he was terminal.  He begged for more chemo but his body was beat down.  In November 2003, I walked away from my job and went to be with my parents until my Dad let go.  He lost his battle January 12, 2004, six days before my parents 40th wedding anniversary.  I went home and started raising money to fight cancer by running a marathon.  My wife became pregnant again with our son Jaden and, while pregnant, on my birthday in 2004, Crea was diagnosed with cancer. It was already a high risk pregnancy but this obviously made it worse.  We had to decide whether to have Jaden first or fight the cancer first.  After many consultations, we decided to protect Jaden.  He was born October 29, 2004 and 2 weeks later Crea was back in the hospital doing all those cancer related things.  She beat it then and 5 years later when it returned.  My daughter was 1 year old when the cancer came back so most of this story preceded her.  I know the story is sad.  Time healed much of that sadness but I have accepted I will never heal fully from the loss of Isabella. She took part of me with her and I am forever a bit broken.  So many blessings came from this story though which led to my mantra: Blessings Come From the Worst of Times.  I will spare you all those blessings except for one: Thalia. Crea and I wanted two children.  If Isabella had not passed, Thalia would not be here and I cannot imagine life without Thalia.  She and her friends are now carrying the torch to raise money to fight cancer and I am forever grateful.  If you made it to this page as friends/family of one of Thalia's teammates..........they have some of their own sad stories so talk them. For those that have a 'why', listen to it.  For those that do not have a 'why', it is a good sign for our world that we have kids willing to join a fight they were not drafted into.  Cheers and please join us.  Below are a few pictures from my story.

Days before my Dad passed teaching me to cook an Italian dish

Crea right before surgery

Isabella

Thalia