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2010 Honor Skippers

Participants in The Leukemia Cup Regatta sail in honor of a local family whose lives have been impacted by blood cancer.

The Honorees for the 2010 Washington/Alaska chapter Regatta are Kelly McPartland and her son Frankie.

 Kelly's Story

Frankie was born perfect: pink and happy. He never showed any symptoms,  we didn't have     any reason to believe he was sick. So you can imagine the shock when he was diagnosed with Leukemia at a routine 6 month check up. We didn't have the luxury of bracing ourselves or preparing for this battle we were thrown into because leukemia is a ruthless cancer that moves very quickly.  We were forced to begin chemotherapy immediately and it wasn't long before both the cancer & treatment took its toll on our baby boy.

Sadly little Frankie passed away quietly in my arms just days after his 1st birthday.

There simply are no words to describe the grief and heartbreak.

He was so brave and so strong. He was always quick to smile no matter how sick or weak he became. Because of this I try my best to forget the awful lessons Leukemia taught me and instead remember Frankie's courage.

Thanks to its research The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has become a formidable opponent in their crusade against blood cancers. They continue to work tirelessly not only to find a much needed cure, but also to improve the quality of life for local patients & families praying for that cure- like me.