Way to Go, Ben!

For today’s Testimonial Tuesday, we wanted to share with you our Walking for Ben letter.   Every year we send this letter out in honor of Ben, a brave little boy who lost his fight with blood cancer, but is still helping

Ben McGovern

others win this battle.  Thanks to Ben, and the passion and dedication of Ben’s grandfather, LLS boardmember Jim McGovern, we have been able to raise a lot of money and awareness and are getting closer to a cure everyday.  So read on for Ben’s letter, and remember, it’s the support of people like you that will eventually lead to a cure for childhood leukemia.

November 23, 2010

Dear Friend,

When Jim McGovern, our honorary speaker for the night, finished sharing Ben’s story with the hundreds of people gathered at the Palo Alto Light The Night walk this year, complete silence reigned. Then Jim cleared his throat, took a deep breath, and yelled, “Way to Go, Ben!” There was a roar of approval from the crowd, who continued cheering “Way to Go, Ben!” as they began their two mile walk through downtown Palo Alto.

As many of you know, Jim’s 2 ½ year-old grandson, Ben McGovern, was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia in November of 1998. Despite the fact that the community came together to support the McGoverns, and nearly 2,500 people were typed for their bone marrow to try to find a donor for Ben, he was too weak to undergo a transplant and passed away in January 1999. This tragic loss launched Jim’s personal quest to eradicate childhood leukemia, and he started fundraising in Ben’s memory. Since then, every time his office received a donation for LLS, Jim’s now familiar cheer of “Way to Go, Ben!” could be heard.

It has been a true honor for me to know Jim and Clare McGovern. They are a remarkable family, and Jim’s inspiration, passion, and deep caring for LLS and for Ben have touched more people than I can imagine, and have helped bring us all closer to a cure. Thanks in large part to LLS and dedicated individuals like Jim, the survival rate for children under the age of fourteen has increased 80 percent since 1969!

At this time of the year, Jim has agreed for us to share Ben’s story with all of you, and to provide the opportunity for your support. He knows you have always been there for him and understands how important it is for us to continue to close the gap in curing childhood leukemia so that it moves from 93% to 100%. Leukemia still causes more deaths than any other cancer among children; this holiday season, let’s put a stop to that.

During this giving season, I hope you’ll support the mission of LLS to help blood cancer patients live longer, better lives.

You can make your tax-deductible gift by check using the enclosed envelope or online:

http://pages.lightthenight.org/sj/PaloAlto10/WalkingforBen

We are grateful for your continued support. And in the words of Jim McGovern, “Way to Go, Ben!”

Sincerely,

Michele Thompson
Executive Director
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society