Very nice guestbook friend. Congratulations :)

I would love to help out Dan!!!

Let me know...I think of Patsy and Mike often! This sounds remarkable...it did not surprise me at all to see that you have created something so wonderful!!

Lisa

I want to thank you for thinking to include me in your fundraising activities.

I examined the Two Degrees site and read Dan Cole's story as well as some on the blog. I was touched . I was also touched by your reference to Ruth C. I made a donation.

I hate cancer; cancer of any kind. I only wish I had a success story to offer up but unfortunately things didn't work out that way for Ruth and me and the family. Perhaps your efforts and those of your associates will help change that circumstance for some other person. We have to keep trying. It is an awful disease.

Our daughter graduated from nursing school last month and has taken her first job in the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at the Medical College of Virginia Hospital in Richmond. It is the only unit of its type in the entire Commonwealth. She was deeply affected by Ruth's death and is dedicated to helping others in similar condition. Ruth did not survive long enough to see her graduate but she loved her dearly and was extremely proud of her endeavors.

Again, thank you and good luck!

-rgh

We were one of those parents. On December 14,2006, we were told that our 6 year old son had Cancer. He has a very rare soft tissue cancer in his left hand. He has had several surgeries and 5 1/2 weeks of radiation. This past September, he had partial amputation of his left hand. We are now going every three months to John Hopkins to have MRI and make sure that is it all gone. We will continue to do this for the next 5 to 10 years. If the scans stay clear from cancer, we hope to hear the words that all parents of children with cancer want to hear,CURED!. Although our journey is not over, my heart goes out for those parents who will hear for the first tine that their precious child has cancer. As a mom who has been there, I want to say thank you for what you are doing! No mother should have to hear that terrible word.

My mom was diagnosed with Plasma Cell Leukemia, a very rare type of cancer, in early 2006. The original outlook was not good, but she responded extremely well to the high dosages of chemo and eventually had two stem cell transplants within three months. Her doctor has been extremely pleased with her progress and has designated her in complete remission. He advised that her hope should be to stay in remission long enough for a new treatment to be developed. We are keeping are fingers crossed and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society will find something soon enough to keep her around for a good long time!

I have the honor of being Kayla VanCleve's mother. Three years ago, to the day, she was one degree away from dying of Hodgkins Lymphoma, which had not responded to massive chemotherapy or radiation treatments for 2 and 1/2 years. A stem cell transplant on June 1, 2005 saved her life. We are grateful for the help of the LLS in their efforts to find a cure for all blood cancers.

Sincerely,
Susan VanCleve :-)

I had the honor of meeting Dan last week as he presented at our annual Sales Meeting. It was an inspiring day in more ways than one - especially for me. His professional accomplishments are amazing, but what he does in his "spare" time is extraordinary and deeply appreciated, not only by me, by for the thousands of us that have been affected by cancer. Such integrity needs to be commended and honored. On Feb. 14, 2003, I was officially diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. I remember that day so well - it was Valentine's Day. I received a lot of flowers that day! It was the beginning of a three year battle that ultimately required a Stem Cell Transplant. I am writing this now in great condition and will be celebrating my third "birthday" on Sunday. I fought my battle with the awesome support of my mom and my daughter, but also those faceless friends that support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I'm grateful that I was able to shake hands with one of those of those friends. Thank you, Dan! You've met another one of your greatest fans!

Kayla VanCleve

Dan and I worked together from 1995 to 1999. He is a mentor, friend, confidant, etc. Never have I seen anyone as dedicated as Dan. He has taken the bull by the horn with raising money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. As a cancer survivor, I am joining the Two Degrees team to help the cause. The more money that is raised, the better our world will be. We need more research, more cures, etc. Go Team Two Degrees!

Exactly why we are doing this. One cant read this story and not be inspired to do something.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08125/878966-85.stm

My 12 year old son Raistlin was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia on march 21 2008. A few days later we learned he was Philadelphia chromosome positive.We are now going through the 2nd round of chemo and when this is done he will move to Riley childrens hospital for transplant. I hope that some day soon a cure is found so that no child or adult has to go through this experience.

My 5 year old daugher, Megan, is battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Thankfully she is doing well in treatment, but it's a long road. We are more than half way through her 2 1/2 year treatment. Too many people call ALL the "good" cancer. No cancer is ever good; we need to find a cure, so that no one has to deal with this awful beast again.
Good luck with such a worthwile cause.
Take care, God Bless - Christina

In 2004 I lost a beautiful sister (mother of three) to lymphoma. I would very much like to support your program.

My Dad is currently going through chemo for Mantle Cell Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Not a nice one, quite rare and hard to treat. He was lucky to get into a clinical trial at the National Institute of Health, so he's in the best possible and ground breaking treatment. Not much research has been done on this particular cancer until just a few years ago so he has a much better chance! He had Hodgkin's 8 years ago, so it is even more rare that he would come up with this now. I'd love to donate!

Our family friend, Lily, lost her battle with Leukemia at age 8 months.

She received her first chemotherapy treatment on Halloween at Innova Fairfax Hospital.

She was diagnosed at only 4 months. She fought a courageous battle.

Since Lily's passing, my family has really felt a new urgency to support the work of the LLS.

Please help so that one day we will no longer know what it is like to have friends and family with cancer.

Dan and I went to Chantilly High School together. I’m grateful that he has taken the lead on a very worthy cause. Dan asked me to post my story and while I feel fortunate it does illustrate how close 2 degrees can be. In 2003 I was diagnosed with Polycythemia Vera (PCV). For those who may not familiar with this blood disorder the bone marrow produces too many red blood cells. While it is rare for some PCV does develop into Leukemia. Fortunately for myself in 2006 my Hematologist advised me my PCV appears to be in remission. I wish I understood how I got PCV or how it went into remission. I’m hopeful with continued research we will have a better understanding and maybe even a cure. In the meantime I live life to the fullest. I love to run and I ran the Army Ten Miler last year and someday hope to run a marathon. I think of this fundraiser like building a brick wall. I wish I could donate more bricks but when combined with all the other donated bricks it is amazing how big a wall that can be built. So thank you in advance for your prayers, time, and donation of bricks as each one is significant in the fight against cancer. Dan thanks for helping to make a difference.

My former co-worker fought non-Hodgkins Lymphoma for 3 times in his life. His only hope was a stem cell transplant but he died from complications from it. My wife and I were determined to do something about it by helping out with platelet donations. Then my life long friend lost her sister from Leukemia. I decided to honor them both with by doing the Team in Training Triathlon. I just finished it on April 6th, 2008. We raised $9000 for leukemia research. I finally finished one and I can say it was the proudest accomplishment I have ever done. Thank you Dan for being a part of it.

My mother was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. Luckily, they seem to have caught it very early. She won’t let it slow her down and brushes it off as if it were a cold even though she has her treatment as a daily reminder.