Archive for the ‘ Blog Talk ’ Category

Tonight…I am extremely moved to write this note with a very heavy heart, tears in my eyes—no, pouring down my face—and hope that those of you who read will be touched by this story and reach out, even if it’s only in prayer.

Thanks to the release of my book, RADIATE, a fictionalized version of what I went through as a teenage cheerleader with cancer, I am so much more aware of cancer in our society and how it touches so many lives.  I dare any of you who are reading this to tell me you don’t know one person in your five degrees of separation who haven’t battled the disgusting disease.  This August will mark thirty years — 30 years! — since I kicked the nasty invader to the curb and told it to piss off. Okay, it wasn’t that easy…the three surgeries, radical chemo, and extensive radiation did the trick, as well.  As did the support, prayers, and concern of not only my family, but my friends, church, school, and the community in which I lived in. That was the only “social media” I had in 1982.  Most of my days in the hospital were spent watching TV, playing Canasta with my mother, and wondering if anyone gave a lick or a damn what I was going through.  (Even though I found out later they did.)

Social media didn’t exist.  Blogging didn’t exist.  Facebook and Twitter were nowhere to be found and their inventors probably hadn’t even been born yet.  There weren’t charities or organizations to help families get through all the damning effects cancer has on a family unity.  Okay, there was one.  A certain fast food clown’s house that offered housing to parents of children going through hospitalization.  However, they wanted my parents to mortgage our house and farm before they would even consider giving them a hospice for a night, a week, or a month.  (Yeah, I’m still pretty bitter about that.)  We were alone.  Dealing with a potentially deadly–in the worse–and life-altering–in the least–disease that rose up from nowhere and attacked my very physically fit, fifteen year old body.  I was a cheerleader.  I was active.  I was healthy.  I wasn’t supposed to get cancer.

No one is.  But we do.

So often in my life when more and more stupid things occur and provide road blocks in my life, I would always harken back to the summer of 1982 laying in a hospital bed in Birmingham, Alabama for two months and wonder, “why did I have to have cancer?”  It wasn’t until I was in my early 20s that it hit me.  I *had* to have cancer because it made me a better person.  It made me stronger so I could face the even stupider obstacles yet to face me in life.  Things that were a piece of cake next to defeating cancer.  I had to have cancer so I could share my story of triumph and overcoming in the hopes that just ONE other person would know that they could beat it too…that they weren’t alone…that people cared…people were praying…and people were cheering you on.

As I sit here basking in the amazing reviews of my personal tome, I find myself back in those red and white Adidas sneakers that I wore.  The ones I cheered in.  The ones I limped in.  The ones I overcame in.  I’m back in those shoes because there’s another.  Another girl suffering.  Another fifteen year old cheerleader who is fighting cancer.

Her name is Madeline McTier and she’s an ACE All Star cheerleader in Atlanta.  You can read about Madeline’s plight here at ACE’s website.  Madeline has/had meningioma which is a diverse set of tumors arising from the meninges, the membranous layers surrounding the central nervous system or better known to us non-medical types as brain cancer.  Surgery has been completed and her prognosis looks good.  She will be going to Jacksonville, Florida for her follow-up treatment of chemo and radiation. Hmmm…Jacksonville was one of the choices that my parents had back in 1982.

You know what else Madeline has?  Her family…sure.  Her friends…most definitely.  Her teammates at ACE of Atlanta, as well as the whole tribe of ACE gyms…heck yeah!  Most of all, Madeline has social media and stretchy, long fingers of awareness to people who don’t even know her.  People who’ll hear about the 15 year old cheerleader going through cancer.  People who will stop what they’re doing and pray for a teenager’s healing.  Yeah…Madeline’s got that in droves.

So, why am I posting this other than the obvious?  Yes…I want you to pray for Madeline.  Madeline McTier from Atlanta, Georgia.  Pray for her doctors.  Pray for her nurses.  Pray for her technicians.  Pray for her parents.  Her parents most of all.  Pray for her teammates and her friends.  Pray for everyone in her life.  Pray for your own kids that they don’t have to EVER deal with the horrors that cancer brings into your life.  Tell everyone you know to pray for Madeline.  Facebook it.  Tweet it.  Whatever it.  Just do it.  Hashtag it on Twitter so her friends and supporters can see that complete strangers are rooting for her:  #PrayforMadeline.

Her gym is also raising money to help her parents with the exorbitant medical bills.  In this day and age, these people are looking at over $1 million dollars in medical expenses.  That’s nothing compared to saving your child, but still…  If you’d like to help that way, contact ChrisTreherne@acetribe.com at ACE of Atlanta to get information on how you can contribute or purchase a #PrayforMadeline pink t-shirt.

What am I doing?  You can bet I’m praying for my metaphoric cheer sister who is the EXACT same age as I was.  I pray that she stays strong.  That she never gives up.  That she’s tenacious.  That she’s as determined as I was to overcome this asinine disease and put her cheerleading uniform back on.  That she knows she’s not alone.  That she realizes there are strangers on this big blue planet that care.  That through the power of our prayer…through strength in numbers, she will be healed.

What else am I doing?  I’m sending her a copy of RADIATE for inspiration.  If I can overcome that disgusting disease, so can she.  I’m also going to Tweet about her fight to make others aware of what she’s going through.  And I’m also going to make her the first recipient of The Radiate Foundation’s efforts – before our 501(c)(3) status is approved, before we have the bank account set up or the website finished.

What’s The Radiate Foundation?  It’s the charity that I’m in the process of forming that will provide cheer baskets to be delivered by a local cheerleading group to a young adult currently in the hospital undergoing cancer treatment.  Why?  Because a local cheerleading team in Birmingham, Alabama did this for me in the summer of 1982 when I laid in a sterile room wondering if anyone cared.  These girls – the varsity cheerleaders from Homewood High School—came to my room in uniform and brought me a basket full of goodies and balloons.  They cheered for me and made me feel like anything was possible.  That I could overcome.  And I did.

So, with your help…I’m going to make Madeline the first recipient of The Radiate Foundation’s efforts.  Together, we’re going to create a cheer basket for her and get it sent to her hospital room in Jacksonville, Florida.  Strangers.  All of us binding together to help a young girl know she can kick cancer to the curb.  Just like I did.  Just like so many others did.

How can you help? Donate.  Donate to The Radiate Foundation and help me make the most disgustingly cheerful cheer basket ever…full of candy and magazines, CDs, movies, t-shirts, teddy bears, beauty items like mascara, eye shadow, you name it…sports drinks, socks, gum, movie tickets, gift cards, anything…everything.  I will work with her gym in Atlanta on how to get the basket delivered to her.  I will have everyone’s name on the card who donated and helped out.  She will want to know each and every one of you.  Strangers who cared enough about a fifteen year old cheerleader lying in a hospital bed fighting off this repulsive disease that’s attacked her in the prime of her life.

I do this for Madeline.

I do this for my 15 year old self.

I do this for everyone who’s ever felt alone and scared and wondered if anyone cared that they’re dealing with cancer.

I do it because I have to.

I do it because this is why I had to have cancer…so I could help.

Help me help Madeline.  Help her radiate.

Thanks so much.

Love to all,
Marley

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Apr, 11th Blog Talk | No Comments »

Hey everyone and thanks for being patient with me. Who knew that Easter and the kids’ spring break were going to fall right after the release of RADIATE? LOL! Sorry, been a little busy with family stuff but now I’m ready to announce the winners of the RADIATE online pep rally!

Thanks so much to everyone who participated. Tons of entries and a lot of people saying they’ve already bought or ordered RADIATE. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Please let me know what you think about it and be sure to do a review or a blog or a star rating on it at Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, on your blog, Facebook, Twitter, anywhere!

All entries were given a number.  Then, using a random number generator, numbers were picked and the corresponding entry with that number won the prize.  There was one exception.  My sister entered the contest and she won a prize.  Really?  Like I’m going to give my sister a prize?  LOL!  So I too the entry number higher than hers.  Don’t you love my scientific approach?  Next time, I’ll have Madi and Boo choose the numbers.  LOL!!

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And now, without further delay…here are the WINNERS!!!!

The first announcement is the ten (10) winners of the TEEN SPIRIT AWARD!  These winners will get a RADIATE bookmark mailed to them:

Joanna Walker
Terry Kerwin
Haeri Kim
Greg Swanner
Stephanie DeStefano
angelgirl11
Heather Pearson
Jenna DaTrapani
Carla Brewer Lee
Kristalyn Thornock

 

Herkies all around for the winners!  Score!

The next set of prizes are the SPIRIT STICK AWARDS where five (5) lucky winners will receive a pair of red RADIATE cheer shorts and a RADIATE bookmark.  The winners are…

Paige Schwartz
Kate Tilton
Crystal Holder
Kimberly Schor
Sara Palo

 

Yeah!!!  W00t!  Let’s have a cheer!

The SPIRIT PERSON AWARDS go to five (5) winners who’ll get a RADIATE bookmark and a signed copy of RADIATE!  Those winner are…

Noelle Walker
PeaceLuva99
Pam LaDelle
Susan Burdorf
S.trufillo

 

You read it right!  R-A-D-I-A-T-E!

And before I get to the grand prize winner, there was a “secret contest” for subscribers to my newsletter.  These extra three (3) peeps will also get an autographed copy of RADIATE.  The winners are…

Nola Dillard
Melanie Maldonado
Ron Greelan

 

Pop it, lock it, do a little dance…poms overhead swaying to the celebratory music!

And the top prize…the MVP TOP SPIRIT AWARD WINNER…is…(drumroll)…(cheerleaders lining the field with pom poms shaking)…this winner gets a signed copy of RADIATE, a RADIATE bookmark, a pair of red RADIATE cheer shorts, a six-pack of glow-in-the-dark nail polish, and a MAC makeup set….that winner is……

Julie aka twistipher AT sbcglobal DOT net

Whoooohoooo!!!  You guys don’t know it, but there is a reason everything happens the way it does.  While I used a random number generator, I have to say that Julie must have been destined to win the top prize.  You see, Julie informs me that she wanted my book, but couldn’t afford it because she’s just paid a fortune in medical bills on her own chemotherapy.  The Universe meant for Julie to win and I’m thrilled to send her this prize pack!

All winners, please contact me at marley.h.gibson AT gmail DOT com with your mailing address as soon as possible so I can get your prizes out to you.

Thanks again to everyone who entered and keep watching as I’ll have other giveaways!  Please visit the RADIATE website to purchase the book, watch the trailer, read reviews, or just to send me a comment.

All the best to everyone and…

Keep Radiating!
Marley = )

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Apr, 9th Blog Talk | 5 Comments »

Happy RADIATE release day!!  I can’t tell you how long I’ve been waiting for this day.  Well…thirty years, really.  Since I had my own personal battle with cancer and kicked it to the curb when I was a teenager.

Today, the book of my heart, RADIATE, is available for you to read and enjoy yourself!  While a work of fiction, RADIATE is based on what I went through as a teenage cheerleader with cancer.  It truly is a story of how cheerleading saved my life!

If you haven’t already bought your copy of RADIATE, you can order it now from Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million or go to your local bookstore and request it.

Now…to celebrate the release of RADIATE, I’m hosting an online pep rally to cheer for the book and for everyone who’s ever had to battle cancer.  Today is all about cheering, celebrating, and showing your spirit!  There will be prizes to those with the most school spirit!  And there will be copies of RADIATE given out!  This is open to US, Canada, and International residents.

First…here are the prizes!

MVP TOP SPIRIT AWARD – One (1) winner will receive a signed copy of RADIATE, a RADIATE bookmark, a pair of RADIATE cheer shorts, a MAC cosmetic kit, and a six-pack glow-in-the-dark nail polish pack.

SPIRIT PERSON AWARDS - Five (5) winners will receive a signed copy of RADIATE and a RADIATE bookmark.

SPIRIT STICK AWARDS - Five (5) winners will receive RADIATE cheer shorts and a RADIATE bookmark.

TEEN SPIRIT AWARDS - Ten (10) winners will receive a RADIATE bookmark.

So how do we win all of this cool stuff?  All you have to do is answer ten (10) questions and then click here to send the answers to me.  You must answer all of the questions and have them right to qualify for the prizes.  Winners will be selected at random from the qualifying entries.  Contest starts today, Tuesday, April 3rd at 9:00 a.m. ET and goes through Friday, April 6th at noon ET.

All answers can be found here!

CONTEST QUESTIONS:

  1. What year did Marley Gibson battle her cancer?
  2. What’s the name of Hayley Matthews’ school’s mascot in RADIATE?
  3. What did New York Times bestselling author, Simone Elkeles say about RADIATE?
  4. Who plays Hayley Matthews in the RADIATE book trailer?
  5. Where did Marley and her husband, Patrick, get married?
  6. What is Hayley’s dad’s nickname for her?
  7. What is the name of the “evil” cheerleader?
  8. What instrument did Hayley play in the Polk High School marching band?
  9. What song is playing throughout the RADIATE book trailer?
  10. What are the names of Marley’s two rescue kitties?

Again, all you have to do is answer all ten (10) questions and then click here to send the answers to me.

WAIT!  You can get bonus entries!

    1. Leave a comment here for another entry.
    2. Tweet the following: .@MarleyGibson’s book RADIATE debuts today! Online pep rally w/prizes & giveaways going on til 4/6. Check it out! http://marleygibson.com/?p=968
    3. Facebook the following:  Marley Gibson’s book RADIATE debuts today! Online pep rally w/prizes & giveaways going on til 4/6. Check it out! http://marleygibson.com/?p=968
Thanks so much for being part of the RADIATE debut online pep rally!
Hugs,
Marley = )

 

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Apr, 2nd Blog Talk | 21 Comments »

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in our YA Scavenger Hunt and made it such a huge success! It was a great event and we hope to see you on our sites more often.

I am pleased to announce the winners of my BONUS giveaway!  There were 207 entries (wow!) and I hope you all learned more about me and my books…especially RADIATE, which comes out tomorrow!

If you haven’t already, you can pre-order your copy of RADIATE here or here.  I hope you love it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

And now…the winners…

The four (4) runners up who win a six-pack of glow-in-the-dark nail polish are…..

Stephanie Leroux

Sarah Nicolas

Christina2227

Mary Perez

CONGRATULATIONS!  Please contact me directly at marley.h.gibson (AT) gmail (DOT) com with your mailing address so I can get your prizes to you!

And the grand prize BONUS winner, who gets a six-pack of glow-in-the-dark nail polish, as well as a Mac makeup set and a pair of RADIATE shorts is…..

Gabbi Calabrese

CONGRATULATIONS!  Please contact me directly at marley.h.gibson (AT) gmail (DOT) com with your mailing address so I can get your prizes to you, as well.

Thanks again to everyone and hope to see you again soon!

Hugs,
Marley = )

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Apr, 2nd Blog Talk | 5 Comments »

Thanks so much to everyone who participated in the YA Scavenger Hunt, as well as entering my bonus contest.  Please stop by here tomorrow at noon (ET) for the announcement of the winners of my prize!

I hope you will all check out my new book, RADIATE, when it is released on Tuesday!  You can click here or here to pre-order it now! Thanks for the support!

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Apr, 1st Blog Talk | No Comments »