On Jan 7th I received an email from Geraldo Reyes and Nayda Rivera, parents to 10 year old Valeria. It was 2 years ago in New York at a St. Baldrick's event that I met Valeria and Nayda. At that time, Valeria was battling a form of brain cancer and I shaved my head in her honor. Geraldo and Nayda's email invited me to attend a memorial service for Valeria in New York the following week to celebrate her life. They requested that all attendees wear bright colors to the memorial service as part of the celebration. Valeria fought a brave fight and inspired many during her life while bringing smiles to the faces of everyone she met. Unfortunately, I couldn't attend the memorial service as I had a 3rd round of chemotherapy scheduled for the day of the service. About 4 months ago, I was diagnosed with a form of Sjogrens Syndrome, a rhuematological condition with neurological effects in my case. Essentially, my autoimmune system has attacked my nervous system. The treatment plan combines blood transfusions with chemotherapy. The chemo is to suppress my immune system while the blood transfusions are designed to kick start it. Thankfully, my care has been under the direction of the excellent doctors at John's Hopkins. In 2000, a few friends and I started St. Baldrick's, a charity where over 107,000 people to date have shaved their heads in solidarity with children like Valeria who lose their hair undergoing treatment for cancer. The purpose of St. Baldrick's is to raise money and awareness to conquer childhood cancer. Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death among kids in the first world. Since we started, the overall survival rate for childhood cancer has increased to approximately 80%. The nearly $70M in funds raised so far by the 100,000+ shavees and many more generous donors has been spent to fund research for a cure. So far, 35 research fellows and 21 research scholars have been funded by St. Baldrick's as well as numerous other clinical trials and research studies worldwide. Thanks to the generosity of people like you, St. Baldrick's is now the largest private source of funds for research into childhood cancer in the world. So far, I have not lost my hair as a result of the chemo, although it has gotten a bit grayer. With Nayda's permission, I will honor Valeria again this St. Baldrick's day by shaving my head either in Bermuda or New York. My goal is to raise $17,000 which was the total fundraising goal we set for the first St. Baldrick's event. At that time, our goal was to get 17 people to shave their heads to raise $17,000. To honor Nayda's request for bright colors to honor Valeria's life, I have decided that I will dye my hair bright green from the time the $17,000 is raised on my head until the date my head is shorn. The Bermuda event will take place on Friday March 19th at the Bermuda Athletic Association. All are welcome to attend. What I would like you to do is one (or more) of 4 things (in order of importance). These are: 1. Shave your head to raise money and awareness for Childhood cancer. To find the nearest event go to www.stbaldricks.org and search "Find an Event Near You" 2. Support my efforts by donating on my head. This can be done by credit card at the following secure link: www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/participantid/364739 3. Volunteer as a fundraiser for a shavee and/or help organize an event in your area. Contact your local organizer or the good folks at www.stbaldricks.org who will be delighted to help. 4. Help raise awareness by sharing this email and the St. Baldrick's story with co-workers, family and friends as well as encouraging others to become shavees. Thank you for your help and may Valeria's soul Rest In Peace.