Thank you and Charity

I just wanted to post a quick note thanking everyone for the outpouring of love and support we have received the past month. Catherine and Alex love the cornucopia of toys, books, videos and stuffed animals they have received from everyone while Theresa and I (ok really me) love all the meals that have been prepared for us . Each day the toys act as a pleasant diversion for Catherine enabling her to forget for a brief moment she is sick and put a smile on her face while the meals so far have been mighty tasty!

Since there is no easy way to write this, I will be direct. This experience has taught us that we have been very fortunate to have tremendous family and friends to lean on throughout this ordeal. The medical staff at Yale that has been part of Catherine's life for the past month has been amazingly compassionate, understanding and most importantly competent which leads me to my suggestion.

As many of you know, St. Jude Children's Hospital has been an important charitable organization in our lives from the moment Theresa and I were married. While difficult, Catherine's ordeal has crystallized in our minds how important of a role St. Jude fills. All patients accepted for treatment at St. Jude are treated without regard to the family's ability to pay. Not every child that is diagnosed with potentially life threatening maladies has access to leading medical care that a hospital like Yale or Sloan Kettering can provide. This is where St. Jude fills an important role in my opinion. This is the reason I make a socially awkward request that if possible donations be made to St. Jude or the children's charity of your choice in lieu of toys for Catherine and Alex. No matter the size of the donation, every dollar helps in providing care for those less fortunate than Catherine.

I apologize to anyone in advance that takes to offense to my suggestion and I understand if you want to buy Catherine or Alex a great new toy or even want to bring me ice cream! I included links in the blog to some cancer resources as well as St. Jude for more information.

Thanks you again for your thoughts and prayers.