Dear Friends of Valerie,

As many of you know, Valerie is currently undergoing treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). As friends of Valerie ourselves, we are helping by communicating with all of Valerie’s contacts via this letter.

The prayed-for engraftment following Valerie’s May 6 bone-marrow transplant has occurred! She has entered the 100-day period during which she will be carefully watched at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance facility. Valerie chose Seattle because bone marrow transplant was pioneered there and because of the level of patient support at SCCA.

Valerie’s husband Joe Ervin’s insurance is covering the majority of medical costs. Contributions you might make are for expenses not covered (travel, required caregiving for 100 days, lodging, some medications, and co-pays). As you will see from the information below, Valerie is working with the National Foundation for Transplants (NFT). Financial contributions made on her behalf are tax deductible.

In the information below, you will find two links. One goes to Valerie’s page at NFT so you can contribute if you wish. The second link is to Valerie’s blog. She is capably telling her story in her own words.

If you know of others who care about Valerie, please forward this message. Also feel free to contact either of us. Many thanks.

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Valerie Fons is fighting for her life. This avid kayaker was participating in the Washington Island Canoe and Kayak race last summer when her friend noticed she was not paddling as fast as usual. Most people would have been exhausted near the end of a race, but because Valerie routinely launched her kayak before sunrise to paddle every morning, her friend wondered if something was wrong. In October, Valerie visited a local clinic, with symptoms of fatigue. The nurse practitioner said "It's probably viral, gut it out." By November, she experienced shortness of breath, visited a hospital clinic and heard the same advice with an added suggestion; “You’ve been lying around too long, take a walk.” The next day, Valerie’s husband Joe took her to an emergency room. An oncologist/hematologist reviewed her blood work and discovered an E. coli and other blood infections. Two days later, Valerie was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and began rigorous chemotherapy treatments. Had the infection and disease gone undiagnosed, Valerie would have died in two days. Doctors told Valerie a bone marrow transplant was critical to her survival. Thankfully, her sister, Lynette Fons, is a perfect match and donated her bone marrow to save her sister’s life.

Valerie has never given up. Valerie and Joe have six adopted children ranging in age from 7 to 15. Her unwavering faith and the support of her friends, family and community keep her going day after day. When she began to lose her hair because of treatment, Valerie’s children came to the hospital to cut her hair while they all cheered, “Love is stronger than cancer.” Valerie once paddled 21,000 miles from the Arctic Ocean to Cape Horn and has set a Guinness record for paddling the 2,348-mile length of the Mississippi River. She took a kayak paddle with her to the hospital to remind her of the outdoors that she loves.

Valerie is an ordained elder and pastor in the United Methodist Church. She took a family leave of absence when she and Joe adopted six children. She founded an extension ministry in a specialized site on Washington Island and a nonprofit called Lake Adventures Uniting Nature and Children with Hospitality, (L.A.U.N.C.H.), Inc. which provides hot breakfasts to school children and kayak tours for inner city youth. For the bone marrow transplant, Valerie and her three daughters relocated more than 2,000 miles from their home in Wisconsin to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and committed to a required 100 days post-transplant treatment. Joe remained on Washington Island with the three boys until he was evacuated from the Island and hospitalized in June. Five of the children are now in Seattle in a two bedroom apartment at the Pete Gross House with Valerie and her care provider, Kathy LeClair. Fifteen-year-old Steven is living on Washington Island with friends until the family can be reunited.

Valerie needs your help. Valerie’s hope for a new life comes at a very high price. Her bone marrow transplant will cost more than $300,000. And that’s only the beginning. Even with health insurance, Valerie faces significant medical expenses. She will need vital medications and follow-up visits to ensure her body accepts the new bone marrow and grows a healthy immune system.

What if your life depended on the compassion and generosity of others? The National Foundation for Transplants (NFT) is working with volunteers and supporters to help relieve the growing burden of expenses for Valerie and her family. NFT has been assisting transplant patients with advocacy and fundraising support for 27 years.

You can help by visiting www.transplants.org/donate/valeriefons to make a donation to NFT in Valerie’s honor. To learn more about Valerie’s journey, visit her blog at www.valeriefons.blogspot.com.