Mon. Apr. 22nd
Thank You!
It’s always hard to follow Ali’s beautifully-written updates.
First, on a personal level, thank you all very much for the kind sentiments expressed in response to Chris’ recent diagnosis. Chris had her first round of chemo last Wed. and she’s doing well. As many of you have said, it seems like we’ve had more than our share of cancer. And, yes, the three of us were very shocked to be thrown back into a cancer battle again. But, as I’ve said before, ‘it is what it is’. And, we will fight. What choice do we have? And, we will win!
Thank you so much for your continued prayers!
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Alliance for Childhood Cancer Action Days
Now back to the world of childhood cancer (which, by the way, is where Chris wants the focus to be), I was in Northern VA this past Tuesday for the semi-annual meeting of the Alliance for Childhood Cancer. The Alliance is a group of 24 organizations, half “professional” (i.e. American Academy of Pediatrics) and half “charity” organizations (i.e. B+ Fdn, American Cancer Society, St. Baldrick’s). The organization’s focus is largely on policy issues and influencing legislation in Washington. Registration is now open for Action Days on June 17-18. June 17th is a training day and we will hit Capitol Hill on June 18th to let our voices be heard. If you’re interested in joining us, please register here. Also, please email me at [email protected] to let me know that you’ll be joining us. Thanks.
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B+ Sibling Hero & Friends 3rd Annual Kids Fighting Cancer Bake Sale
Thank you to B+ Sibling Hero, Casey Callahan, and her friends for organizing their 3rd Annual Kids Fighting Cancer B+ Bake Sale fundraiser in Aston, PA. The girls, with a little help from the parents :), raised $460!!!
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7th Annual B+ Fighting Childhood Cancer 5k Run/Walk
Who’s ready to run? or walk?
Create a team or sign up as an individual participant today! Help us reach the $100,000 mark again this year.
It’s so easy to do. Just forward the donation email that we provide to all your friends, co-workers, family, etc. Even if they don’t donate, you’ve helped us spread awareness for childhood cancer. Take a page from Casey’s book above. Organize a bake sale, a Jeans Day at work, get creative!!! There will be prizes for the Largest Team and the Top Fundraising Team…and, of course, a TON of free food! And, as always, we will honor our B+ Heroes and their families!!!
Start collecting your spare change at work, school, and the office because we will have TD Bank’s Mobile Penny Arcade this year to collect donations to add to our totals.
Thurs. June 20th 6:45pm
Salesianum School in Wilmington
Sign up today by clicking here.
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Featured Family of the Week
Allow me to introduce you to 4 year old, Trenton. This little guy lives in Alabama and was diagnosed with leukemia (ALL) last year, just 3 days after Christmas. At diagnosis, Trenton was living with Mom and Dad and, while not rich, they were keeping their heads above water and paying all their bills. A month into treatment, “his mother said she was not able to care for Trenton and left town”. Your first thought is probably ‘how can this mother abandon her son at a time when he needs her?’. How can any parent – mother or father- walk away from their child at a time like this? I have no idea. This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen this on an application, though. Let me share with you the practical implications of the Mom’s actions. Their income was initially cut virtually in half. Next, Trenton’s Dad, now the sole caregiver, was taking Trenton to all of his appointments and, you guessed it, was “laid off” from his job. So now, Trenton and his Dad are receiving temporary government assistance and Dad is trying his best to prevent eviction from their apartment while caring for Trenton and looking for new work.
Thanks to your support, your B+ Foundation was able to step in and help Trenton’s Dad with some financial assistance.
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Thank for your continued support of The B+ Foundation and our family!
Live Like Andrew….and CHRIS! 🙂
B+
Proud to be,
Ali & Andrew’s Dad and Chris’ husband