Be Strong. Fight On! In Memory of Zach Guillot.

On Friday, February 7, 2014 at the age of 9, Zach was granted his angel wings to "fly and love" with another honored hero Aidan "80" who battled the same type of blood cancer.  Even though I did not personally know Zach and his family I have been following their journey for quite some time.  Zach's family is originally from the Dallas area but he has spent the last year in Seattle at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center touching the lives of every person he met!

Zach battled AML for FOUR years and endured THREE bone marrow transplants!  AML is Acute myelogenous leukemia and one of the most aggressive forms of leukemia especially in children.  AML usually is given a 50/50 survival rate.  

His mother Julie said the doctors described him as a "medical marvel" and he "contributed much to the knowledge of how AML can be managed and treated."  He was also regarded by his medical team as one of the "toughest kids they had ever met."

Julie has asked that those who followed Zach's journey share the following "far and wide" and I'm honored to help spread Zach's journey to our friends and family because if this can help one family not lose their child to AML that is enough!  Childhood cancer isn't easy and it isn't friendly...it is BRUTAL and from the mothers I personally know and ones like Julie who I've followed...the stories of what their precious children endured and what they had to witness is beyond comprehension.  My heart breaks for them.

If you'd like to make a difference...here are the items that Zach's mom listed:

1) Donate blood or platelets in Zach's honor.  Zach required bags and bags of blood and platelets to fight an internal bleeding transplant complication.  Visit the Red Cross website or Carter BloodCare for locations near you.

2) Enter the Bone Marrow Registry.  I've posted about this multiple times and the previous post lists a Bone Marrow drive on Friday, February 14 at Children's Medical Center in Dallas.  For other information please visit Be the Match or Delete Blood Cancer.  Both feed into the same database, so if you are registered with one you are technically on both.  If you are interested in hosting a drive at your place of business or church just let me know and I can put you in contact with individuals who can assist you!

3) Donate your baby's cord blood. If you are pregnant you can save a life by simply donating your baby's cord blood (from the umbilical cord). Cord blood donation through Be the Match is SAFE & FREE! Zach's last transplant was a double umbilical cord blood transplant....two unrelated anonymous mothers gave Zach a 3rd chance at life and Julie stated "on the day of his death, his new baby blood cells were proliferating wildly and he had new blood, free of leukemia!"

4) Help the Guillot family directly fund AML immunotherapy at the Fred Hutchinson Research Center. Immunotherapy involves engineering specific white blood cells to RECOGNIZE cancer cells as foreign and DESTORY them, without the toxic side effects of chemotherapy. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, the birthplace of the bone marrow transplant and world experts in the immune system, has developed killer T-cells that can recognize and kill AML…these cells are working right now in a small group of patients who remain in remission. 

Last I want to share a video that was made by someone who doesn't know Zach nor do I know this person but it was shared on Zach's facebook page which I strongly encourage you to visit.  This is a beautiful and inspiring video.  Listen past the young man talking at first...the song has always been one of my favorites and has remained on my race day playlist for the past 3 years...when I need that extra push this song does it...and now every time I hear it I will think of Zach. 

In closing, many still ask how or why we continue our involvement with LLS?!  

This is WHY...because no child should endure 4 years fighting cancer!  And HOW we do it...is by being a part of Team in Training and raising funds for life-saving research.  LLS is funding the immunotherapy that was mentioned before...that is why I've posted the Fire for Fire video so many times to help bring attention to where your donations are going!

So I also ask that in addition to one of the above please consider making a donation to my current Nike DC half marathon event and help us continue to fight for a cure!

NO SURRENDER!
(the way Zach's mom signed every facebook post)



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One Love for 80

"On planet Earth, we only have one real purpose: To learn how to love. And then one day when our spirit is ready, our future selves are in heaven, and all we do is fly and love. God told me that."
-- Aidan Vance Peterson
(these words were spoken by Aidan to his mother & she shared them with us at his service)

Today I attended the memorial service for Aidan Vance Peterson also known as 80.  A valiant cancer warrior who was granted his angel wings last week on August 11.  Aidan was 6 years old...just 10 days shy of his 7th birthday.  I did not personally know Aidan but he is a local Team in Training honored hero and we have a mutual friend, Andy, who became close with the family.  I've followed Aidan's journey for the past 9 months.  He has a FB page which is called One Love for 80.

A very brief history...Aidan's journey with cancer started at 18 months old when he was diagnosed with ALL (acute lymphocytic leukemia). He endured 3 years of treatment and was declared in remission; however, in January of this year he developed AML (acute myeloid leukemia). AML is a much more aggressive leukemia and requires a bone marrow transplant.  Aidan with the help of his family became a huge supporter of bone marrow donation while they were trying to find a match for him.  I've posted several times before about the importance of becoming a donor and if you haven't please consider becoming a donor. You can visit Be the Match or Delete Blood Cancer.  Both organizations feed into the same donor database but Delete Blood Cancer was a big supporter of Aidan during his search.

After numerous drives...Aidan's donor was found and he received his transplant on June 13.  The transplant was a success and the engraftment was 100%; however, he developed a bad lung infection.  I must note that because of Aidan, 6 other matches were made, and two of them have gone to collection (actual transplants). That is Aidan helping save other lives while he was fighting for his own...amazing!

I took away so much today from the memorial service.  Aidan's mother spoke about Aidan and shared some heartwarming stories.  One that touched me was that Aidan never considered himself sick - "he was well" - it was his cells that were sick...and in the end it wasn't Aidan that was sick - it was very sick lungs.

I don't know how to put into words why following Aidan's journey has touched my life so much.  I've been a part of Team in Training since 2000 and more heavily involved since 2009 and especially this past year.  I serve as Chair of the Mission Task Force for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society so I work directly with trying to connect our honored heroes to our mission and raising awareness anyway we can.  I say that because I hear stories of triumph and defeat by all forms of blood cancer regularly...but Aidan's journey personally touched me. Maybe because he is the exact age of my daughter and I have son just a year younger as well.

Aidan and his mom on Mother's Day 2013

But mostly I think it was because his mother choose to share her only son with us...she shared the good and the bad.  She shared what it was like to be the mother of a child fighting for his life and she did it with faith and grace like no one I've known.  She has put so much into perspective for me in the past couple months and has made me want to be the best mom I can be.  On Mother's Day she posted and at the end she addressed moms of angel children, moms of sick kids and moms of healthy kids...I'm blessed to fall into the last category and I take to heart what advice she gave, "try not to sweat the small stuff. And don't kick yourself too hard when you do. We're all human. We're all moms. Today is a day to celebrate with gratitude the blessings that are our children."   I want to do my best to live that advice EVERY DAY.  Thank you Candice from the bottom of my heart for sharing Aidan and teaching me more about love and faith.


To all my friends that prayed for Aidan and his family and shared his story or released a virtual orange balloon today...it meant so much to his family especially to see complete strangers painting their FB wall with an orange balloon or even going out to purchase one and release themselves.  I also wanted to share the link to CBS News - they were at the service.  And also a story by WFAA.

Balloon Release at 80's memorial service

If for any reason you'd like to make some small donation in Aidan's memory, I'd like to share Andy's Team in Training fundraising page.  He has ran several events in Aidan's memory and will be running the Rock & Roll New Orleans Marathon in his memory this coming February.

Andy & Aidan in February 2013

Last, I pray that God comforts Aidan's family in the days, weeks and months to come.  I pray that his mom receives the signs every so often that she told Aidan to send her from heaven. And I pray that we FIND A CURE so no child or family endures the heartache that cancer brings.



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