Henrike beat me to the punch. And it’s lovely punch to boot. Delicious. (?)

BUT, something this compelling cannot suffer from over-exposure. Anyhoo, I had planned, as it is only fitting, to follow angels with angels.

I’ve mentioned a very little about the LIVESTRONG Summit in July besides that fact that it was amazing – and that it was. As I’ve said, I was thrilled to finally meet the One and Only Amazing Henrike in person. Hmmm. That makes her sound a little like a circus act, but I mean it in the most sincere un-carnival-like way.

Now imagine what it was to meet person after person – each ALMOST as amazing as Henrike (now she’s my Soul Sister so she remains the MOST remarkable), but it’s hard to suffer in comparison. I saw Vicky Fletcher again. I never took the chance to talk about how she rescued my spirits and my hope on LIVESTRONG Day and the debt I owe her for myself and my family. But I’ll have to get back to that.

So I met person after person – there were inspiring stories, amazing accomplishments and there are wonderfully caring organizations – it was almost overwhelming. And then I met a force of nature. An bona fide, unstoppable force of nature. I’ll put it this way: There were over a thousand people at the Summit. If Jonny Imerman did not meet every single person there I’ll eat my hat (the figurative one that I always wear, naturally). Here’s a brief bio of Jonny from the site of the organization he started himself:

Jonny Imerman is the founder of Imerman Angels. While fighting cancer at 26 years old, Jonny had loving support from family and friends, but never met anyone his age who was a cancer survivor. He wanted to talk to someone just like him, someone who truly understood and remembered – someone who had already beaten the same type of cancer.

Today, Imerman Angels provides that gift for cancer fighters. Imerman Angels introduces each cancer fighter to one survivor who is the same age, same gender, and someone who has already beaten that particular type of cancer. A cancer survivor would be an angel – walking, talking, living proof to inspire the fighter that he/she can beat cancer. This was the beginning of Jonny’s vision. In 2003, Imerman Angels was founded.

Though Imerman Angels started in and is based in Chicago, their database has expanded so that they can connect cancer fighters and survivors “across the United States and the world.” Please visit their website for a wealth of additional information. And if you are a cancer survivor or a cancer fighter, PLEASE JOIN.
Imerman Angels.org

Here, too, is a must-read letter from Jonny and a brochure for the organization.

I’ll finish with more from Imerman Angels:

Jonny Imerman…is a survivor of testicular cancer. During his own chemotherapy, he noticed how many people fought cancer without family, friends, and other forms of support.

He created Imerman Angels so that no one would have to fight cancer alone. The cancer survivor would be an angel – walking, living proof that the fighter could win too. What an amazing connection.

What an amazing connection, indeed.