My son, Andrew, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare and aggressive form of childhood cancer, in August of 2003, weeks before he was to begin pre-school. Despite his bravery and zest for life, Andrew lost his battle in December of 2005, surrounded by his family at the age of 6. We miss Andrew dearly and are reminded daily of what he taught us about life and living. Andrew is always in our hearts. We hope to help fund research to find a cure for neuroblastoma so other families do not have to experience the tragic loss of a child to cancer.

There is little funding available for researching less toxic treatments for neuroblastoma. This cancer strikes about 800 children annually, and approximately 50-60% survive. When Andrew was diagnosed, the survival rate was 25-35%. The Friends for Life Endowment Fund at Dana Farber Cancer Center, Boston, Massachusetts, was established in February 2003 by a family whose daughter's treatment for neuroblastoma was successful. Their hope in creating this fund was to move the research forward so there would be many more children surviving this diagnosis of neuroblastoma. Friends for Life Neuroblastoma Endowed Fellowship supports a permanent researcher at Dana Farber whose sole responsibility is to develop less toxic treatments for neuroblastoma. All money raised by the Friends For Life team goes to the endowment. The increase in survival rate will continue to increase as additional research continues. A major fund-raising event for Friends for Life Endowment Fund is the Pan Mass Challenge, a 192-mile bike ride from Wellesley, Massachusetts, to Provincetown, Massachusetts, on August 6th and 7th.

We have been riding on The Friends for Life Team since Andrew's diagnosis, and we appreciate all the support we have received over the years. We are asking again for your support and appreciate the economic climate may prohibit the generosity we have experienced in the past. We are asking you to support us with any donation. Every dollar does make a difference!

Thanks so much!