Thank you for supporting my step daughter Anna and the more than 300,000 kids worldwide who will be diagnosed with cancer this year. By sharing the gifts of your time, talent and money with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, you're supporting research to give all kids with cancer a better chance for a cure. In the days leading up to her ninth birthday on 11/5/13, Halloween was cancelled for Anna. While other kids were getting ready for a night of trick-or-treating, she was undergoing medical tests. We, her parents, John Schiaroli (Step dad) and Heather Iafrate (mom), received an urgent call the night before from her pediatrician with an uncertain observation: "I don't like what I see in Anna's blood work". The following day she was put under general anesthesia for a bone marrow test. She had little fear and no real understanding of why she was going to "take a nap". She was brave as we her parents waited, waited, and waited for an eternity. The diagnosis was and still is the most heart wrenching thing any parent (or stepparent) could ever imagine: "Anna has leukemia." Anna was diagnosed with ALL-Leukemia. If there is any solace in such hard news, this type of leukemia is the most curable as the doctors quickly pointed out. Anna will require 821 days (almost 2 years and 3 months) of treatment in hopes to cure her of this cancer through a cocktail of drugs, chemotherapy, steroids and a laundry list of other medications. The road will be a long one. She will endure tough days. Tougher than anyone should have to endure. The journey will be physically and emotionally painful. We should all strive for Anna's level of determination. Enduring a head shave is nothing compared to her courage! We have created the "821 for Anna" blog (www.821foranna.org) to help raise awareness for leukemia and inspire Anna on the long road ahead. John will cycle 821 miles per month until she completes her treatment with the goal of completing 22,167 miles over that time. You can participate too -- every time you do something for this cause, post to social media sites and be sure to add #821ForAnna in your post. Join Anna's Rally! At www.Rally.org/821ForAnna