Katie's 30^th Birthday

Today is Katie's 39^th birthday, so I am kicking off my 2017 fundraising campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). Katie would be pushing 40 if she were still with us! Katie died of acute myelogenous leukemia when she was only 31. She has missed 8 birthdays and all of the special events of those years: the marriages, the births, the holidays (how she loved our traditions!), the beach vacations, the world travel. And, of course, we have missed sharing all these things with her.

Tony with Jen, Avery, and Chris

This year, with great sadness, I am also running in memory of my friend, Tony Madrick. Tony was just 2 weeks older than I, and died December 28. Tony was a family man, married for nearly 45 years to my friend Mary Lou, proud father of Chris and Jen, and adoring grandfather of his darling little granddaughters, Avery and Olivia. Tony had been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2006. He responded well to treatment, and was healthy for a good 7 years. Thanks to the successful treatment, Tony got to experience some wonderful milestones, including his 40^th anniversary, Jen's happy marriage, and the birth of her beautiful children. Leukemia reared its ugly head again in 2013, and Tony fought it with everything he and medical science had at their disposal. He participated in clinical trials, and never ever gave up his determination to live, to see his children and grandchildren grow, to enjoy his retirement years with Mary Lou.

If only the will to live and a positive attitude combined with current treatments were enough! If they were, both Katie and Tony would still be alive. I wouldn't be asking for your help. Tony's good years after diagnosis were the result of research funded by LLS. We need to continue funding life-saving research so that everyone can celebrate all of life's milestones with the people they cherish.

I will run the New Jersey Half Marathon April 30 with Team in Training. I'll return to the race where I began my LLS fundraising in 2009, when Katie was in the hospital preparing for transplant. My race and fundraising were my fight for Katie's life. This year I have spent months recovering from injuries and have lost sleep with the anxiety that I might not be able to fulfill my personal commitment to my yearly fundraising. I have been driven to recovery by my need to raise as much as I possibly can so that something positive comes out of Katie's death, so that other families are spared the devastation we have felt. As always, I will make a donation to cover all expenses related to my event; you can be sure that every cent you donate goes to the cause. I have set my highest goal ever, $15,000. I raised more than that last year, and with your help, we will do it again!

I thank each of you for digging deep through the years to support my fundraising for LLS. With your help I have raised over $100,000! I ask you to please make a generous donation in memory of Katie and Tony today. I know that we are making a difference in the world, and hope that we will make it possible for all of the Katies and Tonys to share special times with their loved ones and to experience all that life has to offer.

Here are a few donation amounts which are meaningful and fun:

$39 - Katie's age – Happy Birthday, sweet Katie!, also $3 per mile

$67 - Tony's age

$78 - $2 per year for Katie, or $6 per mile!

$106 - Katie's age plus Tony's age

$134 - $2 per year for Tony

$173 - Katie's age plus Tony's age plus my age!

$390 - $10 per year for Katie

$670 - $10 per year for Tony. Why not?

If you would like me to honor a loved one who has been touched by cancer, please let me know and I will wear a ribbon in their honor.

Please join me in offering hope to cancer patients and their families. All donations are fully tax-deductible.  Every donation, no matter the size, makes a difference.

Check to see if your employer matches gifts at http:matchinggifts.com/lls.

Thank you helping to make something positive result from Katie's and Tony's deaths. Your support means the world to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Judy