I received this letter today. I don’t give to enough good causes, so I’m adding one to the list. In reading this, it touched me when I started thinking of the days, months, and years of time that her mother and father stayed by her side in the hospital waiting room, giving their dying daughter all their support. It seems like a simple wish that the rest of the families that fight alongside their loved ones should grieve in a more forgiving atmosphere.

Here is that letter:

For some of you, this may seem like it’s coming out of the blue since I haven’t spoken to you in a while. Many others already know about the situation and probably don’t need to be asked. To keep a long story short, my ex-girlfriend from college passed away last weekend (1/11/03). She just turned 27 and recently lost her battle with leukemia after almost four years.

One of her last wishes was to fully renovate the family waiting room in the bone marrow transplant wing of the hospital where she received treatment, since it could really use it. Her family has set up a fund in her name to achieve this goal. The favor I wanted to ask of everyone would be to make a small donation to this fund. Now, I am not going to dictate how much everyone should give, nor do I need to know whether or not you make a contribution. Please take it upon yourself and make a contribution as you see fit. I am merely just trying to reach out to as many people as possible. I realize that many of you never had the good fortune to have met her, but I know that she and her family would greatly appreciate whatever gesture you would be able to make.

Should you choose to contribute, you may make the check out to THE JULIE FREZON MEMORIAL FUND and direct it to the following address:

RE: JULIE FREZON MEMORIAL FUND

TROY SAVINGS BANK

615 COLUMBIA TURNPIKE

EAST GREENBUSH, NY 12061

If you are interested, this is her obituary.

She had so many great qualities. During her battle, she never wanted sympathy, and she’d ignore you if you ever tried to give her any. She never wanted to be the center of attention – she was so selfless. Again, whatever you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Joe Pinheiro