We lost one of the good guys a few weeks ago. Mauri Booton and Mary Hellerstedt owned a Great Harvest bakery in Des Moines until he was diagnosed with cancer. They retired to fight his fight and did so successfully for a number of years. Unfortunately, the number wasn't big enough.
The best Great Harvest story I have heard was when someone 
walked into Mary and Mauri's store, closed their eyes, took a deep breath and said something like "Whew. Now the day is better. I can go on. I just needed to come here and get a love fix."
That is Mary and Mauri. Making each of us feel like we are the most important thing in the world. Making us all feel like we can all go on. Just because a life is too short, doesn't always mean it is tragic. Mauri made us better. He helped us go on. He took our tragedies and made them better.
Now, Mary needs us to help her go on. Everyone in the cancer community needs us. She is running her first half marathon in San Diego on June 6, 2010. She is doing that in memory of Mauri as part of the Team in Training program sponsored by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Our goal is to help her raise $30,000 for the cause.
Big number? Yep..... But, like a run, we can do it if we break it into manageable chunks. 13.1 miles? Oops. That's a big deal. One lap around the track? I can do that. Just do it, take a break and do it again. Keep going until you hit 13.1 miles. Piece of cake.
$30,000? Oops. Big deal. Break it down into small pieces and we can do it. A little here and a little there and we have it. 200 bakeries? Yes. $150 per store? Piece of cake. Look for a picture of Mary at the finish line in June.
Our plan is to take a day in March or April (keep checking back for details) and ask each customer in each store to donate $1 for the cause. Cancer knows no boundaries. This is a fight for us all. Please help us in this fight when the day arrives. To paraphrase the world's best known cancer fighter, "Game on....we may as well win."
Read more about Mary's race at her fundraising page. Thanks for your help.
Do you have any stories about Mauri or the Des Moines Great Harvest Bread Co or Team in Training events like this race? We'd love to hear them.
