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| This is my inspiration for hiking, my sister, Erin Reich and her AMAZING boyfriend Dan. |
Quick Update(5/20/07): First of all, Today is Erin's birthday. She turns 29!!! Second of all, she got engaged to her boyfriend, Dan, after finishing her third round of chemo! It's wonderful! Second of all, she is consulting with various doctors to decide whether or not she should have a bone marrow transplant or continue with the chemo....
Welcome and thank-you so much for visiting my fundraising page! First of all, I must say that I am truly humbled by the amount of support and donations that I have received thus far. Some of you who donated I don't even know that well, and you chose to donate your money towards this cause..........that really brings a smile to my face. So, thank-you.
As most of you know, my older sister Erin was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia on January 10, 2007. Ironically, she was training for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training Marathon when she began to have trouble breathing while running. A series of unexplainable bruises appeared all over her body and her gums began to bleed. What was intended to be a quick visit to the doctor for some bloodwork ended up with her lying in Emory University Hospital with an extreme deficiency in white blood cells. The next day she was given the diagnoses and a few days later the chemotherapy began. It all happened so incredibly fast.
She finished up her first round of chemotherapy and was soon sent home to recover; doctor's believed that her blood was down to 5% cancerous. Well, they were wrong. She hadn't reacted to the first round of chemotherapy and her bone marrow was still at 97% cancerous. On her weekend home she developed a crazy rash all up and down her legs and began to feel bad again. She was readmitted to the hospital to try a different kind of chemotherapy. This time they're pumping arsenic into her. Sounds pleasant, huh?
In any event, I must say that Erin is responding much better to this round of chemotherapy. They sent her home again and she actually has been feeling better! She has about 3 weeks left to complete chemo as an outpatient, so we are crossing our fingers that it stays good and puts her into remission!
My sister has been tremendously courageous and strong throughout this whole process. She has been fortunate enough to receive so much support and love from her friends and family. She's keep her spirits high and has never given up hope.
I chose to hike for my sister and the battle she has had to fight this past month. It would make me extremely happy to honor her in this way and hopefully fly her out to Yosemite National Park to participate in this event.
If you are able to, any donation would be greatly appreciated! Please check back with this site to check on my progress! If you are a myspace member, please visit Erin's webpage(search for Erin Reich aka E-Girl) to read her incredible journal entries documenting her struggle in the past month. They are truly humbling.
Thanks so much to each and every one of you for your support!
