Dear Friends,

As most of you know, I lost my dear friend, Suzanne (Herman) Bartholomew, to breast cancer in 2011. Suzanne almost beat Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, mostly because of an experimental drug she had access to through a clinical study. She was only 38. Her two daughters, Ellie and Marli, were ages 7 and 9 at the time. Now Ellie is 15 and Marli is 13. This photo is of Marli and us (Suzanne’s friends) celebrating her bat mitzvah this past December. It’s incredible to see how well both of her girls are doing but also very sad watching them experience lifecycle events without their beautiful, incredible, and brilliant mom. We are all so grateful that she was able to take part in the clinical trial that gave her almost a year longer to spend with her family and friends.

This year, on June 3-4, 2017, Suz Cruise Chicago will again participate in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, where they present actual checks at closing ceremonies. Those checks go to research studies and clinic trials -- not just huge hospitals and foundations, but also small programs that serve low income, elderly and minority individuals.

Before Suzanne died, I promised her that I would walk and raise money for research every year until there was a cure for breast cancer. This is Year #8. (I was lucky enough to walk WITH her in 2010.) For most of you, I have been asking for your support for many years. Please know how much I appreciate your support.

Last year I raised $9,600 and Suz Cruise Chicago raised $34,000. Over the past seven years, our team has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight breast cancer.  Your dollars allow me to keep my promise to Suzanne and help us get closer to finding a cure. 

Thank you so much for your support! With love and gratitude, Rachel