Dear friends,

The Purple Monkeys are BACK again this year to raise money for CURE Childhood Cancer, a cause which became of great importance to our family when my brother, Brandon, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma at the age of 1 month old in 2001.  Neuroblastoma kills 60% of the children who are diagnosed.  Brandon was one of the lucky ones, and we are so grateful. But we cannot just accept our family's good fortune and turn our backs on the thousands of other children fighting cancer today.

This year, we are dedicating our efforts to one of those children, our good friend, Jack Williamson.  Jack was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, just like Brandon, when he was just 3. He went through high dose chemotherapy treatments, multiple surgeries, radiation and 2 bone marrow transplants before achieving remission. He stayed in remission for nearly 5 and a half years before his cancer returned in November 2009.  Recently, Jack's family learned that treatment was no longer working and options for Jack have been exhausted.  The doctors have given him only a few months to live.

Jack is our friend, and our hearts are broken for what he and his family are enduring...and for what is to come for them and for all of us who love him.  We have to STOP the devastation of cancer in children.  We have to push research forward so that families will NOT hear there are no more options like Jack's family has heard.

Please join our team, please help us EXCEED our fundraising goal, and please spread the word so others - people you know but we don't - will help us "stop the madness" of childhood cancer.

Sincerely,
Ryan Connor (and family)