Jack's Fundraising Page

Help me Light the Night in honor of my Dad, Richard Aponte.

In late 2006 my father was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a condition in which one's bone marrow fails to produce enough healthy blood cells. Early this year his condition progressed to acute myeloid leukemia.

Since his initial diagnosis, my Dad has undergone many forms of treatment and clinical trials, aided and guided by an amazing team of doctors, nurses, and health professionals. The road has been a rough one, but throughout my father has demonstrated an amazing and inspirational strength of mind, body, and spirit. He's always been kind, warm, outgoing, a talker and a joker, and those characteristics haven't been diminished at all by the trials and tribulations he's endured. He's even kept on working throughout these past three years. And he's never stopped being an amazing father to me, for which I am so grateful.

My family, my partner Margarita, and I are walking on October 3, 2009, to honor my Dad, to show him our support and our love and our gratitude for his spirit, his fight, his humor, and his heart. We are walking with the hope that he might still find a treatment that will help him feel better, get healthier, and have more time to spend here with us. My dad makes friends wherever he is and in whatever state he's in, and he's made many friends at his cancer center. We're walking for them and their families too. Margarita and I are also walking for her friend and coworker, Yajaira Mercedes, a young mom of three who is also battling leukemia. We're walking for all of the other MDS, leukemia, lymphoma and cancer patients and survivors out there; for their families and friends with whom we empathize. We're walking in the hopes that with more research, there will be more survivors who will live better, longer, happier lives.

I'm asking all of you - my friends, colleagues, acquaintences - to donate whatever amount you can spare so that we can truly honor my Dad and his fellow cancer patients and survivors. I'd also encourage folks to sign up for the national bone marrow donor registry and to donate blood if you're able to; both are very important and potentially life-saving things to people living with MDS, leukemia, and other blood cancers.

Below is more official information from Light the Night walk. Thank you for reading, and thank you so much for donating.

With love and gratitude,

Jack

Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's evening walk and fundraising event. It is the nation's night to pay tribute and bring hope to thousands of people battling blood cancers and to commemorate loved ones lost.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) funds lifesaving research that has contributed to major advances in the treatment of blood cancers and treatments for other types of cancer, such as chemotherapy and stem cell transplants. These treatments have helped patients live better, longer lives. New targeted therapies that kill cancer cells without harming normal tissue are providing drugs and procedures that are improving quality of life.

• A donation of $25 provides patients and their loved ones with FREE booklets that contain up-to-date information on their disease and help them make informed decisions about their treatment options.

• A donation of $50 makes possible a Family Support group with a trained facilitator where comfort can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members.

• A donation of $100 helps supply laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their search for cures.

• A donation of $1,000 makes possible one- on-one conversations with health care specialists who provide patients with information about their disease, treatment options, and helps prepare them with questions for their health care team.

Please make a donation to support my participation in the Light The Night Walk and help save lives. Be sure to check my Web site frequently to see my progress, and thanks for your support!