There are a lot of causes this month and they all mean a lot to a lot of people. Some of them I know of because they affect me and my family directly, but if you Google "May is..." like I did, you'll find there's a lot of stuff going on out there. May is EVERYTHING month! So here's my Thursday Thirteen:
13 Things to Think About in May
1. May is Lupus awareness month. I know this because my mom suffers from Lupus. We're walking for Lupus on Saturday. Having Lupus means that the immune system can't tell what is a foreign substance and what is your body -- so it attacks everything -- including your body. It is terrible -- more than two million people have Lupus and more than 90% of them are women, like my mom. You can donate to Lupus here if you are so inclined to sponsor us.
2. May is National Fitness Month. And guess what? I'm running a fitness scavenger hunt! It's really easy -- just take pictures of stuff and post them! Yippee! Random winner takes home a $25 Barnes and Noble gift card; Most creative takes home Tommy Boy. Open to everyone!
3. May is Preeclampsia Awareness Month. I developed this disorder during my pregnancy with Poops (my first baby). He was born at 34 weeks because of it. If you've read my blog before, it was a terrible time for me. (He is now 2 1/2 and perfect. Well, physically perfect, anyway.) But Denise at A Woman with Hobbit Feet also suffered from this terrible disorder and she's walking to raise awareness. She has a very touching post about it and if you head to her blog you can sponsor her too.
4. May is also Military Families Appreciation month. I appreciate my sister, one of my very favorite people in the whole entire world because of what she does as a military wife. I cannot imagine being a military wife. If you are, I heart you. And I thank you and appreciate you. It is a very tough job that rarely gets the recognition it deserves. She just met the president, who thanked her! (You can read about that here). I wish every military family could get that kind of thanks!
5.Did you know that May is also Mental Health month? Me neither!
6. May is also Stroke Awareness Month.
7. And Older Americans Month.
8. And National Bike Month.
9. And it's Asthma Awareness Month!
10. Not to mentions: American Wetlands month!!
11. And Skin Cancer Awareness Month. Please, I beg you, wear sunscreen. I am getting my stitches out today from where I had a mole cut out (the same one twice) because of "irregular cells" that were just about to turn into skin cancer. Please wear sunscreen! Please! I rarely beg strangers but this one is a worthy reason!
12. It's also National Foster Care Month.
13. And finally (There are actually even more awarenesses out there but I am only listing 13). It's Motorcycle Safety Month. So always check your rearview mirrors and your blind spots because they hide in there! Don't forget the little guys on bikes!
Now *that* is a very cool idea for a 13. Who knew? I sure didn't. As screwed up as our society sometimes seems to be becoming, I think it's a good thing that we still take the time to make a point of raising awareness of so many worthy causes. Hopefully someday we won't need to because the diseases will be cured, other issues resolved, and our soldiers will be home with family because there are no more wars to fight (no, not realistic, even remotely, just dreaming and wishing aloud for a minute). Meanwhile, you are awesome to help. Happy TT!
ReplyDeleteWOW - they have a "month" for everything, don't they?!? Can we get a "National Overworked Mother's Month"? ;o)
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome list and I wasn't aware of most of these. Thanks for the wakeup call.
ReplyDeleteLove your TT, hope you'll visit my 32nd TT...Housework, Quoth the Mama, Nevermore at The Cafe.
Well, I feel much more aware now! Thanks for the informative list!
ReplyDelete9. OWH! It's Asthma Awareness Month.
ReplyDeleteWOW, guess I'm not aware of the things around me... HAHA. Thanks to u.
"BE AWARE!" (Picture me being yelled at by a random lady on the subway)
ReplyDeleteWow, I had no idea May was so full of awareness-type causes...
ReplyDeleteVery informative! Thanks for sharing.
My mom suffers from lupus as well, but I still don't know very much about it.
ReplyDeleteMay is also "Robin turns 37 month"..ugh.
ReplyDelete:)
I'd rather try to be safe on a motorcycle....