April 1st… and this was no Joke!! 2 years ago on April 1st during the Friday afternoon aqua fit class at the YMCA that Noel and I were doing. Noel was taken ill… the EMT guy who came with the Ambulance told me Noel’s condition was potentially fatal from sudden death!! And in the ER at the Hospital the Dr. said the same thing to me… thankfully they stabilized him and then during his stay in Cardiac ICU they could not find a heart problem. He was however, diagnosed with a rare form of bone marrow cancer… the diagnosis was again described as almost certainly fatal within a very few years… the only hope of long term survival would be a Bone Marrow / Stem Cell transplant… itself not with out risks… it is now 2 years later and 9 months post transplant and things are looking so much brighter for the future and for this we thank God and many, many who have prayed and supported us.

One of the blessings we have received during the past 2 years is many nights ‘free’ accommodation in Boston at the American Cancer Society’s facility called Hope Lodge, saving us thousands of dollars in hotel bills, this facility is only made possible by donations… please help us ‘pay it forward’ so others can have this same blessing when they have to be far from home for medical appointments. Please support Noel in this year’s Relay for Life… and the American Cancer Society who through other Hope Lodges in many major cities like Boston provide this ‘free’ accommodation… if you feel able to do so please make a donation using either of the links below… We are both taking part in the Relay, as is Charlotte, the 3 of us will walk the Survivors lap together. Thank you and God Bless you!

Noel’s Relay page: http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR?fr_id=49271&pg=personal&px=31513675

Meryl’s Relay page: http://main.acsevents.org/goto/MerylDawes