On December 26, 2007, the day after Christmas, my wife Kristine got a gift she wasn't expecting, stage IV metastasized cancer of the liver, spine and skin. This was after we had thought she beat the stage III inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) that was diagnosed (on her birthday) on January 10, 2007. During 2007, she had gone through the entire regimen of chemo, surgery and radiation, which was completed in August of 2007.
She's Irish and needless to say, she's a fighter and we are going to beat this again. We've now fortunately received help in fighting IBC from the leading cancer hospital in the world, MD Anderson in Houston, TX. As the first step in the aggressive treatment of this illness, she underwent her first round of chemo in late January. Within about two weeks of that, she lost all of her hair again.
As a show of support to her, I have once again decided that I'm going to shave my head. In addition to supporting Kristine, we are also going to try to do some good via the St Baldrick's Foundation, who helps children with cancer to fight cancer. Some of the money that is raised for this event will go directly to help young patients at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital in Cleveland.
Our children Caroline (now 3) and Benjamin (now 6), I and a whole host of others are doing everything that we can to support Kristine. We've been very fortunate to have as many people who know as well as don't know us, help in many ways. From meals, to play dates, transportation and prayers; we have been blessed, very blessed. We cannot thank everyone enough for all that they have done.
Please help me to raise money for children that we don't know who are also fighting cancer. They need our support to fight and to beat cancer!