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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Dear Friends,
Once again, Alexa’s Team trained and raised funds for the 2009 St. Jude Marathon, Half-Marathon and 5K. Last year Alexa’s Team raised over $31,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
I am asking for your support in the fight against childhood cancer. As you may know our daughter, Alexa Cooke, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2004. Alexa was treated at St. Jude and had 17 rounds of chemo and six surgeries. Alexa was only 14 years old when she died on May 14, 2005. Four hundred children a year are diagnosed with osteosarcoma in the United States. This is a small number of children, unless it affects someone you love.
This year, we are also ran in memory of our dear friend and trainer, Kara Hobart. Kara died in August after a brave battle with a very aggressive form of leukemia. Kara was a St. Jude Hero and participated and contributed to St. Jude every year until her illness. St. Jude leads the way in finding new treatments for leukemia patients. Their research benefits adults as well as children. St. Jude shares all of their research and discoveries with other cancer treatment centers.
This year’s race was on Saturday, Dec. 5, in Mempis. Our training was a lot easier when we thought of Alexa and Kara and all of the children at St. Jude.
Our family has been participating in this race for years, even before we ever were in the position to need St. Jude for our daughter. There are several children in our community that are currently being treated at St. Jude. Together, let’s make a difference in the lives of children battling cancer and honor Alexa and Kara. You can donate online at my personal Web page, www.stjudeheroes.org/users/alexa’steam, or you can mail your contribution. Checks should be made payable to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Remember to give thanks for the healthy kids in your life and to give to those kids at St. Jude who are fighting a battle for their lives.
When you donate to St. Jude, you become a hero to thousands of St. Jude kids and their families. Thanks for joining us.
Sincerely,
GINGER and STEVE COOKE
Clarksdale
(Former Grenadians)
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