In our house silliness prevails,
particularly when it comes to the use of language. After Xander was born
my wife started substituting "Platypus and Salamander" into those parts
of the conversation normally occupied by "Atticus and Alexander".
At this point each child has his own alter ego and logo to go with.
Our Story — the picture at left
is of my two sons, Alexander and Atticus. My youngest son Alexander
was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in June of 2006. I
am happy to report that Xander—my favorite nickname for him—has been
clear of leukemia for almost four years now!
With that said, I have put together a
new blog to update
you on my 2010 Boston Marathon Campaign, nicknamed "Meche Marathon".
On this new blog
you can read about how Xander is doing, follow my training runs, and
help spread the word. Be sure to check out
Meche Marathon 2010
Blog.
Keep reading for a
background and history of our family and the reasons why I continue
to run the Boston Marathon.
Three
years ago Alexander was asked to be the patient partner of Robin Kievit, a caregiver affiliated with MassGeneral who was also a
volunteer and fundraiser on the Marathon team. The night before the
race, at the traditional spaghetti dinner I made a decision to try
and become Alexander’s next partner if I could manage to get a place
on the team. I bought some new shoes and hit the road. This is my
third year on the team with Xander, my patient partner. I am in
training and our whole family is conspiring to get me across that
finish line in April.
It
probably comes
as no surprise that my motivation for running this marathon is
gratitude.
While Xander’s
treatment protocol comes with no guarantees, I do believe that the
folks at MassGeneral
saved his life. Diagnosis day was like a kick in the
gut—at first it was a struggle to even say the word leukemia—but it
doesn’t take long for the parenting instinct to kick in. The
transition to patient parent is quick but full of uncertainty
and tears. Xander’s primary care physician tried in vain to reassure
us but it wasn’t until we arrived at MassGeneral that we began to
understand what we were facing. Immediately after arriving at the
Pediatric Hematology / Oncology clinic and meeting Dr. Alison
Friedman we began to gather some optimism. It is hard to describe in
a few sentences but Dr. Friedman projected a sense of concern and
care coupled with confidence and professionalism. Most notably she
used the word cure easily and often. Over
the next few hours we met more caregivers, members of Xander’s team,
with a similarly determined and optimistic attitude. There is no
mistaking the fact that these folks are in the business of curing cancer.
As I understand it,
the funds we raise will go directly to support the
Cancer Care for Kidsby
supporting research into the causes of childhood cancer and to
develop new treatments for these cancers. I would be most
grateful if you would consider sending a gift. If you give through
this website, the money will go directly to them. You can also mail
me a check (made out to Massachusetts General Hospital) and I will
pass it along.
Thank you for
visiting my Personal Fundraising Page. Donating through this site is
simple, fast and totally secure. It is also the most efficient way
to make a contribution to my fundraising efforts. Many thanks for
your support -- and don't forget to forward this to anyone who you
think might want to donate too!
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2008 platypusandsalamander.com. All Rights Reserved.