Last day at the Cooley's Anemia Foundation... for now

Well everyone this will be my last blog post for my internship. Today is my last day in the office and it is definitely a little sad. I will miss everyone here so much. All of the people I work with are fantastic and I have learned so much from them. I have learned so many different aspects of PR campaigns. Researching Niche Media has definitely been interesting; learning different outlets to advertise with is an asset to any campaign. The press release articles I have been writing have helped me to strengthen my writing skills and will help me in any other future pursuits. Most importantly I feel like I have made a difference. I’ve learned so much more about myself that I could have ever thought possible. I lived in NYC by myself for a month, that’s a big accomplishment in itself. The life lessons along with the PR lessons I have learned are insurmountable. I am at a point in my life where I needed to learn to be independent, and I have. I feel that this internship prepared me not only for a job in the field but for an exciting fast paced life. Although I miss Ian and will every day I can keep going.

New Article about a Concert for Cooley's

Hey everyone check out this article I wrote about my Cousin -in-Law Sarah and what she's doing to make a difference for people with Thalassemia :)

http://cooleysanemia.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=490:benefit-concert-for-caf-in-pennsylvania&catid=1:latest-news

TAG Conference

Well this last week has been very busy. On Friday of last week I went to Disney land in Anaheim, California for the Thalassemia Action Group conference. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I mean that in all sincerity. The people I met at this conference have forever changed my life and my view. Every single patient and family member of a patient that I met is completely awe inspiring. It makes me feel so great to see people with thal living normal fulfilling lives. I would be lying if I didn’t say some of the weekend was difficult. It was, I had this empty feeling in my heart the whole weekend something was missing and that something was Ian. He has made the biggest impact on my life out of anyone I have ever met. We shared everything for so long and whenever there is a big event it always makes me miss him more. Especially this event, I think that if Ian had gotten more involved with TAG he may have had an easier time with compliance. I think conferences like this from the time children are adolescents to adulthood will be some of the most helpful experiences. Everyone at the conference is there for one another and I think that is the most important thing about TAG and CAF. The overwhelming sense of friendship shared by everyone is huge and I think that will always be what saves a thal patient the most. More than transfusions, chelating, and any other surgeries, friendship with other patients is what makes all the difference. I will be forever changed by knowing these people and I hope I can make the conference next year as well. A study Ian participated in (Pain in Thalassemia Patients) was presented at the conference. I had to take a break after that it was too much to handle all at once. But then I met more and more people and all I could think about was how far they have come and it cheered me up. I think I met Ian for a reason every day I believe we were sent to each other. We needed to show each other what it truly was to be loved by someone; Ian needed me to be happy so that his last few years were full of love and not emotional pain. And Ian needed to show me what it was to be appreciated. We were supposed to meet, and I was supposed to do this (at least that’s what Ian said, those were his words not mine). I am supposed to help all these people. It’s a lot to take sometimes, it’s a tremendous feeling.  After I got back to NYC Ian’s family came to visit me in the city. We went to all my favorite places; strawberry fields, Rockefeller center. We also visited Times Square Canal Street and Chelsea for a wonderful dinner at Tellos. It’s been six months now that I’ve had to live without Ian. It’s a weird month marker that first six months. I still wake up and don’t want to get out of bed and just don’t feel like living anymore. But then there are also some days that I wake up and feel good about helping others and that’s what pushes me through the day. As long as I feel that I am helping others I can keep going.

Internship

Hey there everyone. I’m back from another eventful weekend. Friday afternoon my best friend came to NYC for a weekend visit. She knew it was going to be a rough weekend for me and I was definitely happy she came for support. I think this past week has been the hardest week in the last few months. My and Ian’s anniversary was on Saturday and the whole week leading up to that day was like another step back. I am moving forward again though. Friday night we went to this awesome restaurant called Ninja. It was in the soho area and it was a blast. The restaurant is so fun and so pretty. When you get there its all dark and you have to ride in an elevator downstairs. Then you have to walk through this dark path and when you get to the end the restaurant has recreated a beautiful Japanese feudal village; Bridge, music, huts and all. I highly recommend this place if you are looking for something fun and cheesy to do. Saturday we woke up early headed to midtown for some muffins from Magnolia’s Bakery and some shopping. Then we decided to go to the Museum of Natural History. It was so much fun. Then we went to find some flowers. For my and Ian’s anniversary I wanted to put flowers at the imagine stone in strawberry fields in central park. I know that is what Ian would have wanted to do if he was here. So we got some beautiful flowers. I started to get a little emotional as I was putting all the flowers together. This old hippy came over to me and said “Sister, remember things will always get better” and then he set all my flowers up around the peace sign so that it made a really pretty picture. He saw the card I left and said to not worry because Ian was with God and he was with John. It’s amazing what one random person being kind can do. Then Saturday night we met my friend that lives downtown for dinner. Sunday we had a nice brunch on the Upper East Side. All in all it was a good weekend. Now I’m back in the office working on mostly the same stuff as last week. I am still researching niche media’s. This includes online newspapers, magazines, and blogs. I tried to stick to Italian American, Greek American, Turkish American, Middle Eastern American, Asian American, and Indian American.  I am also working on helping the facebook page by asking questions to our friends on facebook. This week I will also start writing articles about two concert benefits this summer. Until next time.