I want to take a moment to thank everyone that has been so supportive of my family and St. Baldrick's over the last 4 years. It is hard to believe that in just 3 years our event in Plainfield has raised over $250,000 in the fight against childhood cancer. As we are preparing for the 2010 St. Baldrick's we are pushing for a stretch goal of $100,000 this year. As many of you know, we started the St. Baldrick's event in Plainfield 3 years ago in honor of my son, Conner, who was diagnosed with ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia). At the age of 3.5, Conner spent weeks at a time in the hospital undergoing heavy doses of chemotherapy or recovering from a fever due to his body's immune system being suppressed by the chemo. About 2 weeks after turning 4, Conner underwent a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) using the stem cells from an anonymous donated umbilical cord. While the BMT required Conner to spend about 65 days in isolation in a hospital room, this was truly the miracle and cure that was required to insure a long-term solution. Conner is now a healthy and vibrant 7 year old that is enjoying the challenges and friendships of 1st grade. March 10th will mark the 4th Anniversary of Conner being cancer free. In the world of cancer, you need to be cancer free for 5 years before you are considered cured. While it's been a long road to reach that goal, we are very confident that Conner will meet this milestone and many more. With the careful watch of his Oncologists at Hope Children's Hospital and strength & coordination help from his Physical Therapists Conner will continue to get stronger and healthier in the years to come. The St. Baldrick's event this year will be especially memorable, as Conner has decided to shave his head to join the fight against cancer. Even though Conner is still too young to understand the true meaning of shaving his head, he knows that this will help other kids have the same opportunities and life saving treatments that he underwent. Hopefully with continued research and clinical trials, the treatment for pediatric cancer can be more targeted, thereby improving the success rate and minimizing the side effects. With that said, I am once again asking for your continued support of St. Baldrick's to insure kids that are diagnosed with Cancer in the year's to come have the opportunity to enjoy a long and healthy life. Please consider a tax deductible donation. Thanks, Tom