A 50th Birthday is a milestone that many celebrate, but after the challenges of the past couple years, we needed a special party. On November 12th, 2019 we celebrated big time with our Celebration of Life. Let me start with details about how this celebration of life came to fruition.
What can you do for a special 50th birthday party?
In late July, I had lunch with a Be the Match representative where we discussed stem cell/marrow drive and fundraising ideas. Afterwards, I happened to mention that I was thinking about throwing a surprise birthday party for my husband since he was turning 50 in the fall. I pondered what I could to make this party special.
Shortly after this lunch meeting, the Be the Match representative called to let me know that she reached out to Grey Sail Brewery. Grey Sail brewery has a ‘Cheers for Charity’ program and they wanted to host our celebration of life with Be the Match being the charity that would benefit.
I discussed this with my husband, and since he was on board, we began planning our Celebration of Life! My husband’s birthday is in October, and mine is in December, so we chose a date in November for our party.
How do you fundraise at a birthday party?
For $25 per person, our friends and family enjoyed two hours of socializing, food, and two drinks that Grey Sail included with each ticket sale. The food was either donated by friends, purchased by us, or donated by our favorite local businesses: Amigo’s, Vetrano’s, and Westerly Packing Company.
What do you do at a Celebration of Life party?
At our celebration of life birthday party, we had music, lots of fantastic conversation, door prizes, a 50/50 raffle, and Be the Match representatives on site to register to help people do their cheek swabs and register in the stem cell/marrow registry.
Our children were there to set-up, share in the joy, and watch their Dad tear up as he thanked everyone for their support over the past two years. I had a hard time holding myself together as I saw my husband’s eyes fill with tears – he has been a pillar of strength and stability.
How do you decorate for a celebration of life party?
For decorations, Be the Match brought green and blue balloons, to add to the gold confetti balloons I purchased. In addition, I ordered large number 5 and number 0 mylar balloons from Amazon. I also purchased items to decorate our 50th birthday cake.
We can’t possibly express the depth of our gratitude for all the support we continue to receive as we move into the next phase of the post-transplant process.
A special shout-out to my friend Dawn who came down from New Hampshire to help.
How can you make your birthday extra special?
By registering to be a stem cell/marrow donor and saving someone’s life!
For more about my Stem Cell Transplant, read about the day of the transplant or the first 100 days after the transplant.
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