This is my second time participating in this worthwhile event. But this year I'm shaving in honor of Lois, a beautiful young girl with Myelodysplastic Syndrome. Be sure to scroll down and view her pictures in the Photo Gallery. Think of Lois when you donate, and donate generously. Here's her story. **************************** Lois was born 7 weeks premature on October 16, 2007, and spent 6 weeks in the NICU in Roanoke, VA to gain some weight and learn how to eat. She was born with a condition called Transient Myeloproliferative Disorder, a sort of temporary Leukemia that increased her risk of developing acute Leukemia later in life. She had her blood tested every month for the first year of her life and then every 3 months thereafter, looking for the tell-tale Leukemia markers. Unfortunately, on January 22, 2009, those markers were in evidence. She has been diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a pre-leukemia that nearly always develops into acute megakaryoblastic leukemia. For a normally developing child or the elderly, this diagnosis has a very low survivability. However, Lois has Down Syndrome, which improves her odds dramatically (90% or so) for some reason. Who would have thought that her Down Syndrome would provide a health BENEFIT! She has endured 1 out of the 6 chemotherapy infusions prescribed by the treatment protocol. While there have been a few small and one major bump along the way, her parents are confident that Lois will beat this dreadful disease.