Dear Friends and Family,

Happy news to report! In August, usually a sad month for our family as we acknowledge the passing of our sweet Quincy, a big bundle of happiness entered our lives. We got a black Labrador puppy! With Brody starting high school and Keenan in the 7th grade, the time for a dog was either now or never. Brody had been working us over for several years to get a dog and once his friend e-mailed pictures of his new yellow lab puppy, along with the rest of the litter; we knew it was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. We noticed a black lab in the photo that looked adorable. Roger grew up in Minnesota with a black lab and knew one would be a perfect fit with the boys. I quietly e-mailed the breeder to see if the puppy was available and the rest is history!

We picked up our “Jersey” girl on a farm in Vacaville, and after completing her shots, we started puppy school. It was clear from the first day that she was a stellar student. She will do anything for a small morsel of food! We joked that she belonged in the “AP” class – advanced puppy. Of course, labs are known for their incredible motivation for food, but at home, without the trainer or an endless supply of puppy treats, all chaos seems to break loose! We are hoping with routine and time, her excitable puppy manners will improve.

Now 7 months old and still crazy, she has been a great addition to our family. Who knew a puppy could cure teenage angst. With Jersey around it is impossible to be in a bad mood. Her overwhelming enthusiasm for life is contagious. She has turned our teenage boys into kinder and more considerate teenage boys. It probably has to do with the fact that they act like her litter mates, but nevertheless she has brought true joy into our lives. For some reason I even call her Quincy without realizing it. The boys usually point this out to me as they roll their eyes and correct me. I guess it is all that unconditional love she gives, just like Quincy.

OK, enough about dogs….Brody started high school this year and is doing well. He is on the freshman basketball team and really enjoys it. We finally got him moved into Quincy’s room after extensive remodeling. With the boys help, we scraped, sanded, washed, primed and painted the room. It took about 6 months to finish, but well worth the effort as he really likes having his own space. Now he is back to lobbying us on having the dog sleep in his room instead of her crate in the dining room. Keenan too, is enjoying his new found space in his previously shared bedroom. He is currently playing on a CYO basketball team coached by Roger. We all still play as much tennis as we can, but I find I need to balance it out with yoga or I have too many aches and pains and advils!

On the foundation front, the Quincy Lee Foundation had been blessed with two extremely generous friends, Abbey Ryan and Estelle Strykers. Abbey, our very talented artist friend who painted our family portrait during our last summer with Quincy, has been painting a picture a day for the past year. She then offers them for sale on ebay. On August 4th, the anniversary of Quincy’s death, she donated the proceeds from the sale of the painting to the Quincy Lee Foundation. Please check out her work at www.abbeyryan.com. She also kindly plans to offer one of her paintings every August 4th in memory of sweet Quincy. Our other friend, Estelle Strykers, the sister of a good friend of mine, lives in New York City and runs marathons when she can squeeze in training in her busy life. She was touched by Quincy’s story and decided to dedicate her next marathon to raising money for the Quincy Lee Foundation. On November 23, Stella completed the Philadelphia Marathon with the goal of raising $100 for every mile. She surpassed her goal and had her best time. See her photo on “The Foundation” website page. Way to go Stella!!!!

My next project for the Foundation is a brochure on the Quincy Lee Foundation that explains our newly focused mission statement and the goal we hope to reach. It was after numerous conversations with the doctors and staff at UCSF that we realized the most efficient use of our resources would be to fund a fellowship at UCSF, as this is the best possible way to achieve Quincy’s wish that “all kids with cancer could be all better”. Our strategy is to target large corporations that have community/ charity boards that we can contact for possible funding. I realize with the economy that this may be difficult, to say the least, but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

During the holiday season, we like to take time to pause and reflect on how time has passed. We are truly thankful for all that we have. We look at Quincy’s short life and are grateful for the 6 years we had with her each and every day. I like to think we got even more time with her because of all the nights she shared our bed. Because of her, we so appreciate and love our family and truly cherish our good health, good friends, and good dogs!

We wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season.

Love,

Lisa and Roger