Help Carry the Light of Hope

Welcome to my Light The Night Walk home page.

The Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's nationwide evening walk to raise awareness and funds to cure leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families.

I'm participating in the Walk in honor of my daughter Sasha and all individuals who are battling blood cancers.

Sasha was diagnosed with AML, the most agressive and difficult form of leukemia, in July 2003, when she was 6. After months of chemotherapy and a short remission, she lost the fight on April 11, 2004. You can read Sasha's story at www.caringbridge.org/tx/sashadvorak or about last year's ride and raffle at www.sashasfund.org

Sasha used to love to ride on my motorcycle with me. We got her a helmet, jacket and gloves. When she got too sick to ride, all our friends promised her that when she got out of the hospital they will have a 'Ride for Kid' - they will all get together and take her on a big ride, just for her. After Sasha passed away, we decided to honor her every year in one way motorcyclists know how - by doing Sasha's Ride. Last year's ride saw more than 50 motorcycles, so many that the line of them riding stretched for almost a mile down the freeway.

This year, Sasha's Ride will be held in conjunction with Light the Night, with all of our friends riding to Sam Houston Race Park together and doing the walk in Sasha's memory.

You can help in several ways:

• by contributing money,
• by tellinig all your friends, relatives and co-workers about this effort,
• by joining Sasha's Ride team and signing up as a fundraiser yourself at Light the Night's website at www.lightthenight.org, and
• by joining us on October 15 at the Light the Night walk.

You can get Sasha's Ride 2005 t-shirt here: http://www.zazzle.com/products/product/product.asp?product%5Fid=235280617015634326.

We need your support to help accelerate cures and hope for patients and their families. Although research is responsible for increasing survival rates for these diseases, the battle is far from over. Did you know that:

• Leukemia is the leading cause of disease-related death among children under age 15.
• Every five minutes, someone in this country is diagnosed with blood cancer. Every nine minutes, someone dies.
• Lymphomas are the most common blood cancers.
• The myeloma survival rate is only 30 percent.

Thanks for your support!

Yuliya, Sasha's Mom

Thank you for your donations:

• Stacey Barnes
• Kathy Baum
• Ann Bedford
• Janet Bienski
• David Blumental
• Brian Breaux
• David Brown
• Linda Chubb
• Dorene Cohen
• John B. Connally
• Birdie Cortinas
• Abe Covello
• Marcy Darsey
• Joe Dilg
• John Edmonds
• Ken Fenelon
• Oksana Fishel
• Jack Giesecke
• Bella Goubnitskaia
• Ellen Gray
• Levon Grigorian
• Charlotte Harris
• Susie Hart
• Marilyn Hazelrigs
• Rosa Herst
• Brian Howard
• Jeff Johnston
• Jay Kelley
• Tomoko King
• Renee Knight
• Rob Knight
• Craig Kornreich
• Rob, Betsy & Jenna LeBeau
• David and Melissa Levy
• Barbara Lipshultz
• Moira Lytle
• Bill Manley
• Henry Martinez
• Terry Mayes
• Natalie McFarland
• Dawn Mena
• Jacqueline Moy
• Charles Nevle
• Neil Patten
• Melanie Pearson
• James Penny
• Pete Richard
• Christopher Richardson
• Jason Rudnicki
• Mary Runyon
• Susan Seraphine-Kimel
• Nancy Smith
• Kathleen Spangler
• Tillery Stout
• Eric Sutton
• Deidra & Edward Teoh
• Rell Tipton
• Jerry and Leanna Vonderharr
• Larry Weinstein
• Philip Weller
• Frank Wong