The Power of One
I lost a friend to cancer when he and I were 10 years old. His name was Michael Flora. We skipped Grade 3 together. We suffered the embarrassment of getting "the strap" together from Mrs. Stanley in Grade 5, back when corporal punishment was part of the school day routine. I don't even remember what it was for. Michael lived only a few houses away from me. He was a great playmate. His funeral was very sad. Michael was denied the chance to enjoy a full and productive life. He was taken way too early.
Recently my friend Lori DelVecchio sent me this note
Hello all,
I am reaching out to all of you for a personal favor. My 8 year old daughter was diagnnosed with Osteosarcoma on Jan.24. She has a long road ahead with chemo and surgery followed by 7-9 more months of chemo. She will be turning 9 years on next week on Feb. 10th. We are trying to get 9,000 hits on her Caring Bridge Site. She lights up when she hears the number of hits, and enjoys hearing the messages. We have completed our first round of chemo and will have a 2 week break before we have 3 weeks of back to back therapy, then we start the cycle again. I can not begin to explain the heartbreak I feel, but we are optimistic she will beat this. She is a beautiful, brave and strong little girl. Please help us get her to 9,000 hits, if you don't mind share her link, I truly believe in the power of prayer and can not tell you how blessed I feel by the outpouring of love and support we already experience. Her link is:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/Emilydelvecchio/guestbook
Thank you,
Lori Del Vecchio
There are approximately 15,000 new cases of childhood cancer diagnosed every year. Childhood cancer is the number one cause of disease related death in children.
NetApp is a company who is passionate about the cause of raising the awareness of the devastating impact of childhood cancer. We sponsor events, and raise money. Awareness is the key.
Please take time to think about Michael and Emily and your own experiences with victims of this disease. My ask is not that you contribute money. My ask is that you pass on this message or your own message of awareness to everyone and anyone that you are connected with. Make a comment on the St. Baldrick's site. Ask those whom you connect with to make a comment. In this age of social networking we are more connected than we could have possibly imagined only a few short years ago. Each one of us can make a difference. That's the Power of One.