Dear Family and Friends,

On Sunday, April 18th, I will run the London Marathon as a member of The
Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's "Team In Training." To help in the
Society's fight against blood-related cancers, I have set a fundraising goal
of $5240. I need your support to reach this goal and to run the 26.2 miles
in honor of Jessi Gay, an Edgewater High School senior with acute
lymphoblastic leukemia. Please read the e-mail message below from Jessi's
sister to understand her battle with cancer.

As a volunteer swim coach for Team In Training triathletes during the past
year, I have witnessed the good work done by the Society on behalf cancer
patients and their families. Specific information about the Society's
mission and Team In Training can be found at
www.leukemia-lymphoma.org and
www.teamintraining.org .

On Saturday mornings during February, I would join my training group for our
weekly long run, and Jessi would awake in her room at Florida Hospital.
Team In Training members across the USA are up early each Saturday to ride,
run, swim, or walk to help patients like Jessi.

Please consider a tax deductible donation to help us in the fight.

_____ $400 (2 miles) could provide patient aid for up to a year.
_____ $200 (1 mile) could provide a patient with transportation costs to a
cancer center.
_____ $100 (1/2 mile) could provide bone marrow typing for a family member
of a leukemia patient.
_____ $50 (1/4 mile) could register one person to be a bone marrow donor.
_____ $20 (1/10 mile) could pay for a patient's chemotherapy drug
prescription co-payment.

Thank you for choosing to make a difference if you are able at this time and
helping me reach my fund raising goal by April 4th. Check with the HR
Dept. at your place of work to see if they have a matching plan for
charitable donations.

Please make your check payable to: THE LEUKEMIA & LYMPHOMA SOCIETY and mail it to:
KEVIN MEISEL
1329 ALFRED DRIVE
ORLANDO, FL 32810

Your moral support is equally valuable and it keeps me going...

Thank you again for your generous support of my efforts to help the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Take Care & God Bless,

Kevin



Hi everyone!
Sorry it's been a while since the last update. Things have been hectic so it
has been hard to find a time to send out another update. Jessi went into the
hospital on Friday February 6, 2004 for a weekend of chemo... and she's
still there. She handled the chemo well, but her blood cell and platelet
counts have not been high enough for the doctor to be able to send her home.
She has also developed a fever and a bit of a staph infection, so she won't
be able to go home until ALL of the above clears up. She's not too happy
about being stuck there again, but she's trying to keep up with her
schoolwork and just make the best of it all. Visits from as many of you as
she can get (as long as your healthy) would be a wonderful thing. I know she
gets very bored being there day in and day out with few visitors. So please,
stop by or give her a call! She would love to see or hear from you! (I don't
know her current room extension, but she has her cell phone with her so you
can call her there.)

Not ALL the news I have to tell is bad, however. We have received notice
that Jessi is one of the top students in the country. Her PSAT scores were
high enough that she is a NATIONAL MERIT SCHOLARSHIP FINALIST!!!! Only the top small portion of the top percent of the nation's students receive this
title, and therefore with it comes a LOT of scholarship money. :) I don't
know how much money, exactly, but UF has offered her a good sum and she will
be attending school there, if all goes as planned, beginning next spring
(January '05). We are all very excited for her, and she is very excited for
herself. (We always knew she was a genius! :) :) :) ).

My mom and I are hanging in there. She's busy helping Jessi and working, and
I'm busy with school and working as well. It's been a little tougher this
time with Jessi in the hospital, because I've been sick the entire past
three weeks, so I haven't been able to help out much at all, or even SEE
Jess for that matter. But I'm going to the doctor again tomorrow to see if
this thing can be cleared up once and for all.

Anyways, I hope things are going well with all of you and I hope you were
all able to spend a happy Valentine's Day with your loved ones. Please
continue to keep Jessi and our family in your prayers, as all of you will be
in ours. We thank you so much for your warmth, prayers, and support. You'll
never know how wonderful and helpful you all are.

Sincerely,

Kelly Gay


The message below was sent to me on Thursday, March 4th. Jessi Gay is my
honorary coach and why I am running the London Marathon in April. Please
read the message in my earlier e-mail from Jessi's sister to understand why
getting home from the hospital is such great news. Jessi went in for a
three day Chemo treatment and remained there for a month.
Thank you for your time.
Take Care,
Kevin

Hey gang!

Hope you are all having a great Thursday afternoon! I have some news that will perk your spirits! Jessi Gay (our honorary coach who was recently in the hospital with a relapse) has gone back home today and is doing great!
We spoke today for a while and she was in the process of getting fast food and soda and all the other great things 17 year olds do when they are well! She is headed home and is anxious to get started on her school work!

Thanks again for all that you do - as you can see, you ARE making a difference!

KIM
Kimberly Vann
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Campaign Coordinator
Team In Training
3319 Maguire Blvd. Ste. 101
Orlando, Fl 32803
Phone 407.898.0733
Fax 407.896.8645
Email: Vannk@lls.org