The Bluebonnet Gala was Amazing!!!

[I know it has been a very, very long while since I posted, but I’ve been quite busy. To hit the highlights, after two months of heavy networking, I’m back in Dallas (Irving, actually) working at my new job! I started on February 5 and I’m really enjoying the new gig. The hours are long, but, maybe I that’s just related to the fact that I hadn’t really been working a normal, full-time schedule since Jamie fell ill in November 2008… Man, lawyers work a lot!! I’ve also been the No. 2 in command of planning The J.A.M.I.E. Group’s first annual Bluebonnet Gala, which is our first major/formal fundraiser. Also, I ran a half-marathon on Valentine’s Day. It’s not related to my absence from this blog, but it’s still pretty neat!]

Anyway, that being said, I’m glad to be back writing about Jamie and her story. It’s been so long since I’ve written that the general theme of her story has changed. When I used to post, the posts were dedicated to the medical minutiae of her recovery from Meningococcal Septicemia and the amputations related thereto. (“Thereto”… can you tell I’m working as a lawyer again?) Now, the story has changed a bit. Certainly, a vast majority of the story pertains to Jamie’s gradual acclimation to her new life, new legs and new abilities; however, there’s a large chunk of this blog that will become dedicated to Jamie’s new mission. By acting as the main voice of The J.A.M.I.E. Group (which is an acronym for Joint Advocacy for Meningococcal Information and Education), Jamie will attempt to educate students, teachers, parents, doctors and whoever else that will listen about the dangers posed by Meningitis. Meningitis is a life-threatening disease that, considering how severe and sudden its effects are, the public and the medical community are relatively under-informed about. But, if you’ve been reading along, you’re well aware about the damage that this disease can do.

This post is about The J.A.M.I.E. Group’s Bluebonnet Gala and what an amazing night it was. Everything went as planned, and, thanks in LARGE part to some amazing volunteers, the evening was a rousing success. The event was held on Saturday, February 27 at St. Michael’s, Jamie’s high school. Upon entering the building, you’d have no idea that you were stepping into a cafeteria. The place looked magnificent. The good folks at Great Events, a party planning company whose time was donated by one of Jamie’s supporters, flew in from Chicago and they put on a great show! Anyway, people from all over the state came to Austin to celebrate Jamie’s inspiring recovery and her new mission. I’m still flabbergasted about the amount of live and silent auction items that were donated for the event. There were over 80 items, including a 1.00 carat diamond, a football signed by the 2009 Texas Football team, autographed Adrian Peterson, Devin Hester and Matt Forte jerseys, lots of artwork, a villa in Acapulco for 10 people (with staff), $1000’s of gift cards to restaurants and other stores… I could go on and on. The food, prepared by renowned local chef, Alma Alcocer-Thomas (who donated much of the expense of the food), was fantastic. Everyone left talking about the meal that she prepared. The night was hosted by Ron Oliveira, one of mom’s high school buddies who just so happens to be the main anchorman for KEYE-TV (Austin’s CBS Affiliate). He did a fantastic job, and along with our auctioneer, Steve Glink, kept the crowd entertained all night. The best part of the evening was, without a doubt, Jamie’s video and speech that she made to the crowd after dinner. As the blog readers have witnessed first-hand, Jamie has developed into a budding writer and public speaker, and she showed off those skills on Saturday. She was great up on stage.

Also, Letty Landa and Lindsay Stillman, who both volunteered their time and also arranged for other volunteers to attend, made sure that our event had the right amount of supporting staff for the set-up, the event, and the post-game. Amy and Wade from St. Michael’s were critical for us as well when it came to setting up for and cleaning up after the party. Then, there were the two bands that were perfect: The Brimmers and The Cory Cross Band. Even though they aren’t typically playing at formal galas, you’d never know it. They, like everyone else, were perfect. Needless to say, a LOT of people came together to make this work, and they did their job. It was amazing!!!

I think I can speak for the family when I say how grateful we are for the amazing and jaw-dropping amount of assistance we received from both obvious and random sources. We couldn’t have done this on our own. We don’t have the final tally on the amount of money that we raised, but I can definitely say that we exceeded my highest expectations. We’ll be doing this again next year in Dallas, so we hope to see you all there. Thank you all so much, and now, it’s back to real life for a bit! Hopefully, the next update will be about Jamie’s new pair of legs that she’s been wearing… Thanks for reading!