May 18

Rock On, @Debutaunt! You Will Be Loved Forever

Not sure if you followed, but my sister, Debby Greer-Costello experienced a leukemia relapse and she suffered for six long months in a hospital bed.

Today, her spirit finally passed. I cannot tell you what a relief this is to know that such a beautiful person is no longer undergoing the pain and frustration that is cancer. Deb was such a fun and uplifting person. When you see such a fun person undergo such a taxing disease, it makes you question the justice in the universe. Seriously.

Although I am sad that I will never see my sister again, all is not lost. In my sister’s blog, she used to give people a mission to people everyday. If I know my sister at all, here are the missions she would give you now that she is gone:
1.) Take care of yourself. Whether you realize it or not, people really love you.
2.) Realize that every day is a gift and that every time you see someone, it could be the last. You will see that every person has worth.
3.) Look out for those who need your help the most. The hope you will give others is immeasurable.

I love you, Debster.
RIP Deborah Marie Greer-Costello
July 22, 1967-May 18, 2009
Steph and Deb Looking All Poor
Deb Feeding Little Me
Deb in Highschool
Deb with the Zo-ster

Oct 20

Using Your Talent for Good, Linearb Style

Lynn Bender at GeekAustin (aka @linearb to many other circles) is a phenomenal piano player. He heard about my sister Debby’s financial strife while trying to overcome graft-vs-host disease, and decided he’d like to play to help her raise some money to cover her expenses. Right now her health insurance is over $700 a month and she cannot work because she is too sick. She only collects disability right now. It is so difficult for her to overcome this disease which has killed many of her friends, so finances is the last thing she should really have to worry about.

If you appreciate Lynn’s awesome playing of the organ, please consider donating to my sister’s PayPal account. The link is at the bottom:

Take a look at my sister’s blog if you’d like to get to know the person you’d be helping. Please pass this around as well. On behalf of my sister and my family, thank you and God Bless!



debzokiss

Oct 01

I’m Presenting On Making Social Media Matter at Refresh Bryan/College Station

I am a writer, so it’s not surprising that I don’t really enjoy presenting. My perfectionist tendencies tend to get the best of me. But when Cody Marx Bailey from Downtown Cartel asked for a speaker for Refresh Bryan/College Station, I decided to step up.

My talk is called “Making Social Media Matter: How Social Media Turns Everyday Citizens into Superheroes”. I’m going to be presenting the Blood Drive Tweetup for the first time in public. While creating my slides, it was amazing to remember how many people stepped up in such a short period of time. I feel truly blessed to have been a part of it and hope that my presentation inspires others to create similar drives and movements in their communities.

This presentation is dedicated to my sister, Debby Greer-Costello, who is still struggling with graft-vs-host disease, and to Johnny Romano, who recently passed away of leukemia at the age of 10. Johnny fought a hard fight against ALL and AML for three years. I ask that you extend your thoughts and prayers to his family at this time.

Feb 20

Send a Little Love to a Blog Queen

My sister just reported that she has a 102 fever. That’s very discouraging. She has been battling not fun symptoms for quite some time after undergoing a stem cell transplant to battle leukemia. As much as my parents paid to send me to college to make me articulate, I cannot express how hard it is to see your sister undergo such harsh treatments, and how much we need to find a cure for this disease.

Please show a blogger support by dropping a supportive comment her way at www.debutaunt.com. She is a real sweatheart, and I really want to see her well this weekend.