Gerald Wood was my stepdad. We lost him to pancreatic cancer two years ago. He met and married my mom thirty years ago and was like a father to me. Gerald had a daughter named Danna. She would have been my age today except for the fact that she was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was six years old and didn't make it to her seventh birthday. Fifty years ago, Danna's chances for survival were slim to none. Gerald told me that when she got so sick she couldn't get out of bed, she asked him if there wasn't some medicine that could make her better. It broke his heart to have her ask that because he was powerless to help her. Danna's photo sits on my shelf - a stepsister I never got to meet, but she lives in my heart and I have worn her photo on my jersey for all the TNT events in which I have participated. I am sad that we never met, but it makes me so happy to know that because of the fundraising I have done for Leukemis & Lymphoma Society over the years, I have given other children a better chance at beating the odds. We are working hard to raise money the for society and have a website for people that would like to help.
