My Friend’s Story – Leukemia: Remembering Her at Passover

SANDRA CRESPY KLINE - 12/6/52-9/10/27 — Sandra Crespy Kline 12/6/52 – 9/27/10

There are moments in life when you miss someone so much that you just want to pick them from your dreams and hug them for real….

– Mitch Kline

I wrote about Sandee, who died three-and-a-half years ago of leukemia, on what would have been her 61st birthday (see the 12/6/13 post).

This post comes from her husband, Mitch, who is actively engaged in fund-raising efforts to cure blood cancers. Shortly after Sandee’s death in 2010, he lost his mother-in-law, Miriam, to lymphoma and his own mom, Dorothy, to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

Dear Family and Friends:

It has now been over 3 years since I lost my guiding star. It was never a secret that my Sandee was the love of my life, my soul mate, my best friend. And, there is not a day that goes by that I don’t ask myself the same 2 questions: – What could I have done to have changed the ending to our love story? – What could I have done to have kept my promise to my girl—that I would always take care of her?

As I try to search for the answers to these questions, I will also continue to try to help others who are stricken with blood cancers so that they will continue to celebrate their birthdays and wedding anniversaries; “bust” with pride and enjoyment at seeing their children succeed and achieve; and watch in amazement the birth and growth of their grandchildren.

To help raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), I have joined up with Team in Training (TNT), and I will once again be participating in the Philly TriRock Triathlon on June 22, 2014. It is my third “try at the Tri,” and through your incredible support and generosity in the past 2 years I have been able to raise $17,000.

My goal for this year is to raise $8,000, which will give us a 3-year total of $25,000. Ironically, this also happens to be the 25th year that TNT has partnered with LLS, so it is only fitting.

As I continue to try to make my beautiful Sandee proud of me, please help me to honor my Special Girl (leukemia), my Mom Dottie (non Hodgkin’s lymphoma), and my Mother-in-Law Miriam (lymphoma) by contributing to “our cause” and helping me to reach my goal.

Let’s work together in this fight so that others may never know the pain and heartbreak of blood cancers.

Thank you so much for your generosity.

Best wishes,

Mitch Kline & Family