Letter from Ben’s Mom:
Ben came into this world fighting; he was only 3 pounds and 10 ozs. He had a blood transfusion at 12 hours old because Ben made too many red blood cells and not enough white. He spent 21 days there. Ben had a normal life until June 2001. Ben was 3‐1/2 when he was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia M2. He underwent intense chemo for months. Ben went into remission and was doing well. He started kindergarten at the age of 6 and we noticed some signs, and our worst nightmare came true. It was back and was moving into his spine. He started chemo right away. We knew he had to have a transplant. We had to go to Minneapolis to Fairview University Hospital. There we met Dr. Wagner who works with the International Donor Program. Without him we would not have Ben. There were no donors or Stem Cells in the U.S. for him. Ben’s Stem Cells came from a little girl in Belgium. We received a letter from the girl’s family on the day of Ben’s transplant. We were told we are one in a million to ever hear from a donor’s family. On May 28th of this year, we celebrated the anniversary of Ben’s 6th year post transplant . We had a big party for him to let him know how proud we are of him because he never gave up. I have sat back and watched my son be sick and almost lose his life, and he just keeps smiling and fighting. I always tell him he is my hero.

Age:  10
Hometown: Perry
Diagnosis: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Currently: In Remission
Favorite Movie: “Princess Protection Program”
Favorite TV Show: “Wizards of Waverly Place”
For Fun: Plays with friends

Letter from Kailey’s Mom:
Kailey was a healthy little girl until July, 2004. At 4 1/2 years old, Kailey started feeling ill, her stomach was swollen, she was sleeping all day and bruising. She turned a jaundice color, so we took her to the doctor. After her blood work was done, we were told to take Kailey to Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital immediately. We had no idea of what was
going on. The next day we were told that Kailey had Leukemia. It was the worst thing that I could ever imagine. She was in the hospital for one month, then sent home. We, as a family, were scared to be home and have to deal with this illness. Kailey was, and is, such a trooper. She had to take awful tasting medications and wear masks when going out into the public. We had to make weekly trips to the hospital for chemo and blood tests. We always carried an overnight bag in case we weren’t able to come home. It all depended on Kailey’s counts. She lost her hair several times over the 2 1/2 years, surprisingly it never really upset her. Today Kailey is a healthy 10‐1/2 year old and going into the 5th grade. She is active in sports now, and enjoys playing and having fun. We thank everyone who has helped raise money for research because without those funds we may not have the treatments that we do today and that means the loss of our loved ones.

Age:  8
Hometown: Lakewood
Diagnosis: Late 2004 at age two and a half with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Currently: Moved to “long term follow‐up” in July, 2010
Favorite Movie: Tinker Bell
Favorite TV Show: Hannah Montana
For Fun: Ride our Jet Ski with my Dad, ride my bicycle, read, swim, play
games, and dance

I started participating in pageants at the age of 3. I was bald from my chemotherapy. Even though it was during the winter and I used to love to wear hats, I walked around without my wig or a hat. I was proud to show off my bald bean. I participated in and won my first pageant showing off my bald bean. Today I continue to participate in and enjoy pageants. Now that I have completed treatment and have all my hair.