This year Pink Christmas 2007 is in honor of Claire, my niece.
today is the day of her transplant and I am posting a letter from her Uncle.

Dear Friends & Family -

As many of you are aware, today is the big day for Claire. After months of waiting and having tests done, and more tests done, she will finally be receiving her Bone Marrow Transplant today. She was admitted to the hospital last week and since that time has undergone many, many rounds of chemotherapy in preparation for this difficult procedure. It has been a very difficult and heartbreaking week to hear and read about the pain and suffering that she has had to go through, and will continue to go through in order to heal. Today, Sam (Claire's Older Brother) will be an angel to Claire by donating his bone marrow to her. It is both exciting and nerve-wracking. They have been so blessed to have Sam be a perfect bone marrow match; He is very excited to be able to help his little sister. The risks involved in this procedure are great, but it is a necessary step in order for her to be well. It has been a very long and arduous journey, full of uncertainty, but we are all incredibly grateful that we have arrived at this current stage.

We wanted, as a family, to express our thanks and gratitude for all of the help that Debbie & Mike have received thus far. The generous donations have helped immensely. The meals have been a huge blessing. And the visits have been a soothing influence for both Debbie & Mike. This is only the beginning of the process for them, they still have months of procedures and tests, and outpatient care in front of them. Your continued support and prayers will definitely be appreciated.

At this time, we would like to invite everyone to keep the Calhoun family in your prayers Today, in the coming days, and in the coming months ahead. Specifically today, we would ask that we all pray for the following:

·That the doctors will be guided in their procedures

·That Sam will have the strength and courage to go through the bone marrow harvest

·That the doctors, nurses, and assistants will be protected as they transport the bone marrow from Children’s Hospital to Fred Hutchinson and back to Children’s

·That Claire's body will be prepared for the marrow and will receive it

·That Braeden will be comforted

·And that Debbie & Mike will have the strength to be attentive and alert to Claire's needs, as well as those of Sam & Braeden

I would also like everyone to know that we are still in the process of fundraising. We have received many generous donations to date and those funds have been put to good use paying for all of the many procedures that Claire has needed. If anyone still feels inclined to help, they may do so in the same manner as before:

· By going into any Wells Fargo Branch and asking to make a deposit to the "Claire Calhoun Medical Fund"

· By mailing a check/cash/money order (if check or money order to “Claire Calhoun Medical Fund”) to the following address:

David Cutler
2626 Hanover Street
Palo Alto, CA 94304

· By using PayPal with the donation sent to clairecalhoun@comcast.net

If anyone has any questions, please feel free to email me a dcutler@marcusmillichap.com

Again, we want to express our thanks and gratitude for all the help we've received so far and for your continued prayers.

Thank You,

David (Claire's Uncle)