Fighting Against Cancer

Loved ones,

It's been a long summer! The girls and I had a great trip to DC to attend the 2nd Annual Ray Fitzgerald Charity Classic Softball Tournament. It was a great great day with old and new friends, playing softball and raising money to fight cancer! We were so thrilled to attend and so glad for the support of so many for such a tremendous cause.

This past few weeks since we came home, I've continued my work with the National Cancer Institute to study gastric cancer through the Cancer Genome Atlas. This is hard work! I am so grateful for the Congressional support for this effort as it takes dedication and vigilence to overcome the many challenges to this research! The problems are many! And I am so grateful for the bright minds and strong hearts we have to get it done!

This is a multifront battle. Last weekend I attended Ray's 25th grade school reunion. There Ray's classmates also raised money to fight cancer on Ray's behalf.

I have been struck this week by the difficult nature of cancer research, the many many obstacles. The fight takes such perseverance. It is a difficult fight for me to fight, an anxious fight, but one I know I must undertake for the many people who will face this deadly and destructive disease.

Therefore, I am all the more glad for all of you, my allies in this work. You mean so much to me. You mean so much to my girls who pray every night that scientists will study their dad's cancer and find a cure.

not alone and not afraid --

kristin

"For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds." 2 Corinthians 10:3-4