Hands Off My Hope!

Making Progress

     OK, if you are super observant, you'll probably notice that the blog has some additions: a few photos of my mom with a couple of her favorite people, as well as a way to order the book. So now you can get your hands on a copy of Hands Off My Hope! if you don't happen to live in the area and/or don't want to step foot in the Mall of America...and if that's the case, I don't blame you.

     I actually have nothing against the Mall but I seem to find myself out there way too much. And it's not to shop...rather, it's a good destination to take the kids. After all, with a three-year-old and a 14-month-old, getting out of the house is the name of the game and the MOA (that's Mall of America) can have it's perks, especially when the weather is not good. And when I can get some coffee on an outing with the kids, it's an added bonus. But perhaps that's for another entry or another blog altogether.

     Our distribution and warehouse are open and ready for business (that's Stacey and Evan's place) and the shipping and receiving people are ready to go. So don't be shy; click on the "Buy Now" button and see what happens. The cost is $20 per book, and that includes shipping. We ship via Priority Mail.

     On another note, we are gearing up for the Twin Cities Race for the Cure which is happening on Sunday, May 11. Jan's Hope Chest is the name of our team, and we are looking forward to having our friends and family join us on the walk this year. If you haven't yet registered, you can do so by going here.

     To say it will be weird without my mom there is an incredible understatement; my mom loved this time of year and her involvement in the Race. Even if she wasn't feeling well, she was there. I remember one rainy Race day several years ago...she was in the Media trailer throwing up in a paper bag. She felt like crap, but she was determined to stay and help out. The cause meant so much to her. And of course she loved it when we - her family - showed up at the Shop or wherever she was on Race Day to wish her a Happy Mother's Day. She would thank us, give us all a hug and kiss, and then go back to helping out. It was an environment in which she thrived.

So you want to buy the book

What are we thinking? We are blogging about our marketing efforts of a self-published book, making no mention about how to actually purchase it?

It's a good, valid question and one that a few of you have approached me with. For us it was a little like that old question of what comes first, the chicken or the egg? We figured the blog would be a great way to launch our marketing efforts, and it would be so captivating that you would come back often and really wouldn't notice that there was no mention about how to purchase the book. And then one day you would see a link to our Order Now page, and you would think "oh, I'd like to order a book or three". Well, that link will come within the next week due to a self-imposed deadline to meet.

But we now have a more immediate way to purchase the book, if you happen to be in the Twin Cities. The Shop for the Cure is just that...a shop that stocks jewelry, novelties and other race merchandise...and now Hands Off My Hope. Proceeds from the sale of shop merchandise support the fight against breast cancer.

The Shop occupies a kiosk in the Rotunda at the Mall of America and yesterday my dad dropped off copies of Hands Off My Hope that came straight from the press. So if you are so inclined, please stop by the Shop and pick up a book. As I mentioned in a previous post, we have added an Afterword so that the reader knows how the story ends, as well as a copy of the story our local paper, The Minneapolis Star Tribune, ran on my mom in their Obituary section.

The Shop for the Cure opens every year about a month before and stays open up until the Twin Cities Race for the Cure, which always falls on Mother's Day. My mom managed the Shop for many years, I think since 1997,and she poured herself into it every year. She absolutely loved it. So imagine our surprise, delight, appreciation when we saw the signage for the Shop, which includes the tag-line "Inspired by Jan Zimmerman."  What a fantastic and touching tribute!

I never volunteered at the Shop when my mom was alive; not sure why, just didn't. But this year, I have volunteered for two shifts, one of which was this past Sunday. I cannot describe how I was feeling as I sat at the kiosk with Judy Driver, but I can tell you that the emotions came out later that evening at home. The Shop represents part of who my mom became after her illness, and the fact that the Race committee sees and understands that is a really nice gift for us, her family.   So on behalf of us, we would like to say "Thank You!"

OK, I am wiping the tears from my eyes and will give one more plug to go out to the Mall and see the book!

And so we blog...

I can't believe it's been three months since my mom died. In a way, it feels like it just happened, but in another way it feels like it's been a lot longer than three months. With the weather starting to finally warm up, I kind of feel as if I am coming out of hibernation from the winter. It was long and cold...figuratively and literally.

Last week was particularly reflective for me. It marked two milestones to get through: the first Passover without my mom, and my parents' wedding anniversary. We were all together at our house on Saturday night - the first night of Passover and my parents' anniversary date. We didn't have a Seder, although we did have brisket; it was "nice", but needless to say, there was a huge absence. Regardless, we got through it so it's on to the next milestone, I guess.

I remember four years ago when Stacey, Evan, Andy and I threw my parents a 40th wedding anniversary party. I was 11 weeks pregnant at the time and no one knew except for immediate family. My mom asked me if it would be all right if she announced the news at the party; at first I wasn't sure how I felt about that, but then I realized what a tremendous gift Andy and I would be giving her by letting her share her joy in being a grandma-to-be. And so she did announce at that party to her friends and family that we were going to have a baby and that she and my dad were going to be grandparents. She was so joyful and so proud. And that's what my mom was all about...sharing with friends and family.

She often said she had the best family and friends, and that without us, she would not have made it as far as she  did with her breast cancer. And so she vowed to herself to lend her support to others who weren't as fortunate as her or who needed to talk to someone who had been in their shoes. And that's really how her book "Hands Off My Hope" started. She wanted to provide as much support as she could to as many people as she could. It was a project from her heart.   

When the book was first published in November, 2007, it was done so in a "rush" because of my mom's deteriorating health conditions. We wanted to make sure she saw it - and she did. She was very pleased with it and proud of it, but unfortunately she was not healthy enough to do anything with it. About a month after her funeral, the family - along with Marilyn Rothschild, Tom Carter and Monica Faulkner - started to go through the book to edit it. We have cleaned up the book, added an afterword, and we are building a website for online orders.

And that's what this blog is primarily about: my mom's legacy and what we are doing to carry on that legacy. We are reprinting the book, we are selling it at the Shop for the Cure in conjunction with the Race for the Cure, and we are going to market it to get it into the hands of as many people as we can. A large part of the marketing campaign will be an online, viral campaign, so please if you are interested in following us on this journey, we'd love to have you along for the ride. Please check back often for updates, or simply enter your email address over to the right where it says "subscribe to this weblog." You will then be updated via email when we have posted a new post.

This blog will keep you updated on what we are doing and where are with the book...as well as discuss other related topics. Also, please forward this onto anyone you know who might be interested in what we are doing, or would benefit from my mom's message.