My daughter, Ansley celebrated her 18th birthday in October of 2005. She was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia in September of 1988 at 10 months of age. She was treated primarily at Egleston Children's Hospital, now Children's Healthcare of Atlanta. Following a 2nd relapse in March of 1991, Ansley and our family relocated to Seattle, Washington for a bone marrow transplant at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, one of the few institutions performing the procedure at that time. Ansley's younger brother Joseph was her perfect match donor. Joseph was 4 months old at the time of the transplant.

July 3rd is celebrated as Ansley's "second" birthday in her home. Ansley is the "star" and Joseph is the "hero." We have now celebrated 14 "second" birthdays and each one is more special than the last.

We are so thankful for Ansley's good health today and believe wholeheartedly in continued funding for cancer research. We applaud the work of the WES Foundation and are humbled by the Smith family's commitment to find a cure for this dreaded disease.

VR – 3/2006