A year ago this past October, our eldest son (13 years old) was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer called Ewings Sarcoma. He has been in the care and treatment of the medical professionals at Children’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. His journey has brought him through chemotherapy and surgery to rid his body of this evil disease.

In the spirit of this Thanksgiving holiday, our family wants to acknowledge the extended family that our community has become. Our lives have been touched by many people; some we know and many we do not. We want to thank all of you for what you and your kind hearts have meant to us. Your various kinds of support were a vital lifeline to us.( a cooked meal, prayers and prayer lists, a watched sibling, a ride provided, PTA pizza nights, support from school administration, teachers and staff, Christmas caroling and lights, the list is endless) We recognize the depth of your generosity and we know that this huge debt can never be repaid nor appropriately expressed to each of you individually.

We offer a special thanks to Ms. Rita. She brought sanity and organization to our family and home when our other children needed her stability and care while mom was out of the house so much. Her nurturing, kindness, and commitment will never be forgotten. Also, many thanks to Melli for her original and creative website dedicated to our son. The website provided daily updates and kept us connected to friends and family near and far. It has also provided a meaningful journal of love and compassion for our son. Walton H. Stone Builders and Sneade’s Hardware graciously donated the labor and wood to build Scott a handicapped accessible ramp. This ramp provided freedom to a child who begged to go outside with his brothers “on his own”.

Please continue to pray for this disease to remain totally eradicated from our son’s body and for his mental strength to overcome the difficulties he is bound to encounter.

Please know that in this day and age we know we have much to be thankful about. We feel so blessed to know that our son and family live in a county where there is still time and desire to help each other as we each make our journey. We give thanks to our friends, neighbors, and community and wish all a Happy 2002 Thanksgiving.

Rob, Judi, Scott, Ty, Drew and Grandma
Huntingtown