When What You Need is a Little Boo-Yah

The most difficult battles have always required teamwork.

Forgive me peeps, it’s been two weeks since my last post. I’d like to say that I’ve been busy with a cornucopia of fabulous things, but really, I’ve just been trying to get by. Trying to find some Boo-Yah. “Boo-Yah” (inspired by our addiction to “Arrested Development”) was what Andrei used to say when he needed to bolster his courage for another round of chemo, another needle jab, another day. His courage and love got me through the day.

Now I’m floundering around trying to find some meaning while dealing with the harsh realities of settling his estate. Months ago, I signed up for the Big Climb in Seattle, and today’s the day. It is, as it turns out, the day I need a little Boo-Yah to get me up those steps. I’m hoping I’ll be able to find the poster of Andrei at the top, too—right where he’d want to be, cheering people on. The pledge proceeds go to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, a very good cause, but I must confess I’d rather have Andrei back than raise all the money in the world. With the aggressive-randomness of cancer, it’s hard to see how all this money will make a difference.

But the truth is, it already has. We know more about the nature of cancer now than we ever have before due to the funds that have been channeled into research. I will write more about this in future posts, but cancer is a difficult foe. Like the nine-headed hydra that Herakles battled in ancient times, cancer has its way of morphing, adapting, and returning with the aggression of two new heads for every one we cut off.

Perhaps we’ve learned, however, from the effort of Herakles and his nephew Iolas (whose job it was to singe each neck stump with a flaming torch to keep the heads from growing back) that teamwork is how we beat the monster. That teamwork is how we keep it from eating other people we love.

So, I’m going to muster a little (or a lot) of Andrei’s “Boo-Yah” and make the Big Climb. Amazingly 6,000 people signed up to make the climb this year and everyone raised funds to do so. I’m happy to report that with the help of many amazing people, I raised $1,242.88, funds that will be matched by Andrei’s Fund for a total contribution to the Lymphoma & Leukemia Society of $2,485.76. That’s a decent dose of Boo-Yah if you ask me.

Now I just have to get up all those stairs. One thousand three hundred and eleven of them. Boo-Yah Baby! Boo-Yah!

The Big Climb

One thousand three hundred and eleven steps up the Columbia Tower in Seattle we’ll go. On March 25^th, some people will race, some people will climb, everyone will put one foot above the other for a reason, a cause, a memory. I’m doing it in honor of Andrei, and because I believe that the dollars we raise will help the super smart scientists working in this field to find more ways of stopping this deadly pandemic called “cancer.”

According to the American Cancer Society, Leukemia is the number one cancer among children, charting in at 34% followed by brain cancers at 27%. For adults, the Leukemia numbers drop significantly but the disease increases in tenacity, as if it were the Joker morphing from curable kid into malicious adult.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the Superman of blood cancers, providing not only research dollars to scientists but tremendous support to those who have been diagnosed with either disease. But like every super hero, they need public support and the belief that we can find ways to beat this thing. Every one of us who have lost someone to Leukemia/Lymphoma, and for every person who beat the disease, we owe tribute to the work of the LLS.

Please join the climb by making a pledge to anyone you know who is making The Big Climb. Andrei’s awesome boss Corina McCleary, her husband Lem, and many of Andrei’s co-workers and friends made the Big Climb last year and inspired me to do it this year. We hope to inspire you to make a donation and help us stomp out leukemia and lymphoma.

Pick and click to make your online donation or send a check made out to

LLS Big Climb to Stephanie Lile at P.O. Box 2121, Gig Harbor, WA 98335.

The Curesteppers: Corina & Lem McCleary, Jenn Stevens

The Education DELegation: Sheri La Bruu-DeLeon & Joyce DeShaye

Yvonne & Greg Dymerski

Steph Lile (Note: Everything I raise will be matched penny for penny by the Andre Fund)

Thanks for helping us make a difference, one step at a time.

The CHAIR-ity Event – Wowza!

Winnie the Pooh rocked the house.

Wow, what a night. What great energy and fantastic fun. Thanks to each and every person who came to have dinner, who bid on auction items, made general donations, “got swabbed” (as in registered as a bone marrow donor), and who simply helped out with all the schlepping, organizing, and spreading the love. We love you right back, people. Big time.

We don’t have all the evening totals yet, but we do know that we raised over $7,000, and that coupled with the earlier Treasures Sale is enough to keep a roof over our heads during transplant time and the medical bills paid. This is truly a case of “the  village” working together. We wish a bounty of blessings to all of our donors, chair artists, Joeseppi’s staff, and all-around supporters. Thank you so much for making this event possible.

We can all make a difference, no matter how small or large.

The CHAIR-ity Auction – What’s on the Block

Artists and clever sorts have been working ’round the clock to create a fascinating line-up of art chairs, rockers, and other unexpected “loungeables.” Here is a little taste treat of things to come…

The NW Reader’s Lounge

Curl up with a good book and a cuppa Joe on this deep mocha lounger. Northwest authors such as Anjali Banerjee, Deb Lund, and Michelle Torrey will keep you enthralled for weeks with stories of life, love, and big adventure.

The Gnome Chair

A wee little chair for the gnome in all of us.  Truly, this is a tiny little chair for a tiny little person, specially painted by Keegan Hall.

The Liberty Chair

Red, white, and blue. Stars, stripes, and a touch of Colbert. The creation of local artist Curtiss Hall, this chair is sure to inspire the patriot in you.

Retrofantastic Crystal Chandelier

Perfect for the star in you, this vintage chandelier would make a statement in any entryway, dining room, or special getaway where you need the light of inspiration.

The Magical Mosaic Chair

Polymer clay artist Christy Dickerson created 10 different designs of clay tiles for this amazing creation. Meant to serve as a pedestal or shelf, the chair is a masterpiece of mosaic work in black wood and colored metallic tiles.

The NW Beer Barstool

The Pacific Northwest is home to some of the finest craft brews in the world, and no event here would be complete without an homage to the micro-brews it is so famous for. This bar stool will be there for you and all of your beer needs; providing you a comfortable place to rest your back while you exercise your drinking arm. It comes with a beer devotional, to guide you through 365 days with daily beer suggestions and inspirational drinking quotes. With this handy guide you will be sure to never go a day without imbibing! Also accompanying this bar stool is a fifty dollar gift certificate to The Parkway Tavern, a Tacoma institution with 32 taps of craft beer that will keep your liver working and your beer palate quenched. So beer lovers out there, bottoms up, this bar stool is for you. Ask yourself, what would Andrei do?

Rock-a-Bye Rooster and Duck

You’ve heard of rocking horses, but what about a tandem rocking rooster and duck? Handmade by an artisan woodworker some three decades ago, this is a one-of-a-kind piece generously donated from the collection of RL McFarland.

The Traveler’s Trunk

This beautiful flat-top wooden steamer trunk was once used by a Norwegian immigrant in his travels across the states. Great for an end-table, coffee-table, magic tricks, or even storing all your secrets.

Winnie the Pooh Chair

A.A. Milne lovers will delight in this chair painted with Winnie-the-Pooh and all his friends. This white and purple rocking chair will no doubt inspire you to rock a little one to sleep, imagine a walk in the big wood, or lick honey from a pot.

The Chair of Many Stories

A Whidbey Writer’s Workshop special project, The Chair of Many Stories will take you on a journey through the mind. Purchased years ago in an antique shop in Vermont, the simple wooden chair that inspired the stories has no doubt had many roles. Now writers from the Whidbey MFA program have joined together to imagine its past in a series of short stories bound into an “addable” book. Have a seat, turn the page, and let the stories begin.

The Bodacious Brass Bed

Lounge a little or a lot in this circa 1930s brass bed. Full sized and super sturdy, this vintage bed frame was once used by Garry Schalliol’s dad back in his Indiana days (and nights).

The Washington Explorer’s Chair

Buckle up and take this chair on a road trip (for two) through WA.  Starting with two passes to the Washington State History Museum and a quick stop at the BKB Art-o-matic, you’ll then venture out for a walk, over the mountains for a two-night stay at the Big Horn Bunkhouse in beautiful downtown Loomis, and on to the river of your choice for a day of drift-boat fishing with personal guide Dylan Hall. And don’t worry, if you get lost, this chair comes with it’s own commemorative Vancouver blanket and Lewis & Clark Highway map (yes, they wish it had been so easy).