In the summer of 2013, a very dear friend - one of my best friend's - lost his battle to cancer. Allan Goodman was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in October of 2012. He underwent 6 rounds of chemotherapy and received hopeful news by January of 2013 - the tumor on the left side of his rib cage has shrunk significantly. After a short while and another scan, the news was disappointing once again. Despite being faced with additional rounds of chemo, Al was in amazing spirits. Unfortunately, at this point, he needed more than good thoughts. By the end of June, Al had taken a few road trips to see specialists at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He was in the thick of the fight but was not giving up. Returning from his fourth trip, Al was physically weak, but never let on that his body was disappointing his heart and his mind. The cancer had spread so much that it hurt to breathe, hurt to talk, hurt to sit, to lay and even keep his eyes open. Meanwhile, he welcomed more than 100 friends into his hospital room - laughing as much as he could - to share stories and memories from years of friendship. The nurses could not believe the number of visitors - sometimes 15 at a time - that checked in to see this amazing friend. A week and half after returning from Mayo, surrounded by two close friends, his sister and brother-in-law, Al closed his eyes. He left us while he slept - in peace. I was fortunate enough to have not only known Al, but to have had a great friendship with him. He was one of my best friends, a mentor, travel partner, and a teacher. In his honor, I am raising money for the St. Bladrick's Foundation and also donating my ponytail. Please consider making a donation in Al's honor or in memory/honor of someone in your life affected by cancer. Thank you so much for reading Al's story and make a contribution to this amazing cause. Megan