Everyone who knows me knows that I am a passionate "Childhood Cancer Advocate" who is dedicated to giving children happiness, love and time. I have had this beautiful passion since I was a child and had the painful experience of watching my identical twin, Mari Tairi, fight this beast called cancer and not win her earthly battle. The word "CANCER" has been in my vocabulary my whole life. For as long as I can remember, I thought that cancer was common in every family. I was introduced to the word CANCER when Mari and I were 2 1/2 years old. Cancer is not just a zodiac sign; it is also the # 1 cause of death in children. My identical twin's name was Mari Tairi De Leon Hernandez and she was 15 minutes older than me. When we were just 2 1/5 years old, Mari was diagnosed with a brain tumor called an Ependymoma, located in the part of the brain called the cerebellum. On November 14, 1988, Mari had her first surgery at the back of the head which nearly cost her her life. After surgery, Mari received chemotherapy for a full year and 28 rounds of radiation to fight her tumor. It was a very hard time for my family, Mari and me. I can still remember the frustrations and pains of my twin. With just one look on her face, I could understand her suffering. Her pain was my pain, her frustrations were mine. Whenever she received each of the treatments, I sympathized with having my own allergic reaction throughout my body and I would feel the intense pain that she felt. Amazingly, Mari always looked on the bright side of any negative. After a full year of riding the roller coaster of ups and downs, Mari achieved remission. My sister was really in "maintenance" for 5 1/2 years because even when she finished her treatment, Mari had to go to different medical appointments during all those years. She continued to face the same ongoing and relentless side effects of chemotherapy treatments. When Mari and I were 8 1/2 years of age, unfortunately the doctors found that my twin's tumor was growing, only this time, aggressively. This meant that Mari had to undergo a second surgery on February 14, 1994. That date I will never ever forget, as hard as I try! I remember the day that Mari came back home with half of her head shaved and a hundred foot incision covering half of her head and held together with staples. Our empathetic connection increased that day- my heart wanted to explode and the pain was unstoppable! With just a look, I could feel her fear, sadness, frustration and anxiety. I worried intensely about what the future would hold. That day is when reality hit and I began to understand the full impact of what that relentless cancer was doing to my soulmate. Witnessing the toll of this disease filled me with rage! After surgery, Mari began a new round of chemotherapy and radiation. Unfortunately, she could not be given the same doses that were given in the past because it would not work. The treatments Mari received were adult doses of CHEMOTHERAPY AND RADIATION. That's right- meant for adults, not children! The toxins that her little body was receiving was triple what her body could tolerate. I remember one of the rounds of radiation that caused a severe burn on one of her little hands. I watched how they cleaned her wound and I could feel her pain. But Mari continued to be filled with joy, making us laugh at her great jokes and entertaining us with her unique adventures. It brings me comfort even today to know that even while cancer was consuming her body, Mari always had the words to reassure us that she would be fine. Mari received chemotherapy and radiation for 8 more long months. Her fight was against all odds and unfortunately, Mari lost her battle. This was 21 years ago, but still feels like yesterday. I will never forget SUNDAY, OCTOBER 9, 1994 when God called home His best angel. Mari was ready. In hind sight, I can gratefully see that Mari was gradually preparing us for her departure. But even 21 years later, it still hurts like the first time! I will never forget seeing my twin sister in her casket. Though I have never expressed what I experienced when my twin died, I can tell you that her departure took half of my life too. The hole that is left is vast with no chance of anyone to fill that void. There are a ton of reasons why I wanted to share this incredible recount of my loss. Mari was the main reason why I do what I do with young cancer patients, survivors and angels. She is my biggest inspiration for fighting for each of these childhood cancer warriors. I will fight and advocate without stopping for them until our collective voices are heard. Today I want to tell you that I have made one of the best decisions that I have made in my life! It may not seem significant to some, but to me, it is incredible!!! You see, children with cancer lose their hair because the chemotherapy drugs attack fast growing cells (ie. hair) as well as cancer cells. Then after cancer treatment is over, there is still the stigma of having no hair. This reminds me once more of the suffering and shame that my sister felt when she lost her beautiful hair. Mari loved her hair. Today I want to announce my decision to shave my head and donate 10-12 inches of my hair in the beginning of 2016. This is a sacrifice I willingly make as a tribute to the little children who have suffered the loss of their hair, through no fault of their own. Shaving my head is NOT enough! I am asking for donations! With your help, WE CAN BE THE VOICE FOR CHILDREN WITH CANCER! I ask you to share this message and to be generous with a donation. My biggest goal is to make the whole world aware of the cruel and harsh reality of childhood cancer and what the 46 children that are diagnosed each day in America endure! Cancer is the leading cause of death in children. 7 children die every day. The government only designates 4% of funds to childhood cancer research! (96% is spent on adults!) Today I ask you to please love your children. Tell them that you love them; do not wait until morning to tell them. I give thanks to God for blessing me with a wonderful twin sister- so wonderful that God called for her to be my guardian angel. MARI, I will fight against all odds to find a cure for cancer. Thank you for taking your time to read this message. God bless you all.