A couple of months ago a friend at work's daughter, Dipti, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Thank God it was caught early and the prognosis is good but in the meantime, treatments are hell. Especially as a busy mother of a 2 year old. About a month ago, her 2 year old son, Brody was diagnosed with ALL. Leukemia.
Mother and Son. Can you imagine?
Take a minute to read this letter by Eric, husband and father. And help if you can. If not, perhaps a prayer or candle lighting would be appreciated!

Brody, a little while before being diagnosed with leukemia. See an updated picture of him at the pledge page.

Last week I sent out an email to update everyone on Dipti and Brody's progress, I would never have imagined the number of phone calls and emails that one message could bring about. Dipti, Brody and I would like to thank you all for your support and encouragement, it means more than you know. Many of you responded by volunteering to help in any way possible...... well, I would like to take you up on your offer.

One of the most difficult parts of this experience has been coming to terms with the complete lack of control. As a husband and father it is debilitating to realize that I cannot play a more direct role in curing my wife and son. I am grateful for the team of doctors and nurses we are working with, they are incredibly talented professionals who truly care for Dipti and Brody. Still, it's hard to stand back and entrust their care and future health to others. Dipti confided in me that she feels the same way when she thinks about Brody and the road he has ahead of him. We decided we needed to do something to take back control. To empower ourselves, our families and our friends. To feel that we are doing something more significant to battle this disease.

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to meet many other little boys and girls fighting cancer during the time we spent with Brody at Children's Hospital. I can't put into words the range of emotions you experience walking the halls of that facility. Many of the kids you see are fighting every single day just to see the next. Regardless, there is no absence of laughter and happiness. These children are inspirational, they find the joy in every little moment. And while they don't know it - it's their ability to smile through the adversity that is helping their parents, friends and families to stay strong for them.

We would like to help these kids and their families in the fight against leukemia and other blood-related cancers. My friend Scott and I have made the commitment to build a team for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light The Night Walk, here in Seattle. Light The Night is a three mile walk around Green Lake to celebrate and commemorate the lives of those touched by cancer. The walk will raise money to fund research to find a cure, as well as to improve the quality of life of those patients and families who are currently fighting the disease.

It's a very worth-while cause, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society is the world's largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research, education and patient services. Right now there are more than 670,000 people in the US alone who are fighting blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma. And while leukemia is the leading cause of disease-related death in children under 15 years of age, blood cancers strike people of all ages. Every five minutes someone in this country is diagnosed with blood cancer, every nine minutes someone dies.

You can help. We've created Team Brody and set a very aggressive goal of raising $10,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. If we are going to meet this objective we will need the support of each and every one of you. There are two ways to contribute:

1. Make a donation online -
It's easy, it's fast, it's what all the cool kids are doing.
Paste the following into your web browser:
http://www.active.com/donate/ltnWA-AK/ltnCox14

P.S. - I've attached a photo of Brody, taken a little while before his diagnosis...to help put a name to a face for those who haven't met him yet.