Editor's Letter

Beyond The Door

I

t was a wish for the ages.
It came in a public service announcement. Kids with
cancer asked other kids to smile at them, not stare.
The request still resonates today, nine years later.
Such is the power of the plea conceived as a Make-A-Wish
Foundation of Michigan dream by Alexandra Graham in
her courageous, painful, final days of
life in 1999:She and nine other kids
afflicted with cancer playfully share
the message in a 60-second TV spot.
For a few moments, smiles and hugs
replaced pokes and transfusions.
With Bette Midler singing Wind
Beneath My Wings in the background,
Alex says: "It's not our fault we got
sick. So please don't stare at us
because we might look a little differ-
ent. We're just
kids like you.
`.Aie
We've had enough hurt in our lives
already. So next time you see a kid with
cancer, or even someone who looks a
little different, try a smile.
"We could use it!"
Alex was wearing a wool cap after
losing her hair to chemotherapy. But her
voice was strong. You felt her yearning
to live.

A Fighter
Alex — vibrant, smart, athletic and
caring — was just 17 when she died
of bone cancer. But her youth belied
her grip on what really matters. She
1 , 11rpliny
t
knew pain and discomfort, but never
loneliness.
In her journal entry on Dec. 22, 1997, 13 months before her
death, she wrote: "Today was one of the hardest days of my
life. I found out I have a cancerous tumor. I'm really scared,
but my family and friends are comforting me?'
Alex's saga will be told in the book When One Door Closes:
A Teen's Inspiring Journey and Living Legacy. It will be pub-
lished on Aug. 1 by Three Dot LLC, a Northville communica-
tions company. Her parents, Susie and Bill Graham of West
Bloomfield, will co-author the book with Oakland County
writer H. Thomas Saylor.
The 240-page hardcover book, three years in the making, is
meant to uplift people experiencing a life-threatening illness
or other trauma. "And to show that even in the light of a great
tragedy, there is much an individual can do to elevate their
life Susie told me last week.
In their own words, family, friends, medical experts,
caregivers, clergy, community leaders and a rock star (Ed
Robertson of the Barenaked Ladies) will tell how Alex opened
doors and made a difference in their lives — even if they had
never met her. Her wheelchair, for example, improved the lot
of an African boy.
Rabbi Harold Kushner, who wrote the bestseller When Bad
Things Happen To Good People, will provide a back cover tes-
timonial.

-

Pedal Power
The Grahams' portion of the proceeds will go to the Make-
A-Wish Foundation of Michigan. Over the last nine years,
cyclists on Oakland County-based Team Alex have raised
$600,000 in Make-A-Wish's Wish-A-Mile three-day, 300-
mile benefit ride. The July ride travels from Traverse City to
Chelsea. Team Alex's fundraising prowess has resulted in 82
wishes, today averaging $8,000 each.
The wishes granted to very sick kids, like this summer's
Team Alex hero, Nate K, live on in the advances made against
cancer by organizations like the American Cancer Society's
Relay for Life.
Each wish is a gift of hope, something to anticipate and a
chance for families with emotional, financial or physical stress
to rally around. Many "wish" kids do survive; these kids and
their families embrace the wish as significant in their treat-
ment.
Alex's grit drives her namesake team.
Riders see her illness as a mere obstacle in her
3r: M :ain
quest to help others overcome hardship. Who
couldn't be moved by a teen strong enough
to bear amputation and a partial lung loss?
Just past midnight on April 24, 1998, the day a
cancerous leg was to be removed, Alex wrote in
her journal: "Today will soon be the beginning
of something new Even though I will be losing
something, I will also be gaining strength and
a hell of a lot of power. Losing my leg will be
extremely hard for me, but I know that my life
will still carry on!'
How heartrending is that?

Wishing Well
Alex died on Jan. 25, 1999, 41/2 months shy
of high school graduation. Her dream was to
study photography at the Center for Creative
Studies in Detroit.
This year, Team Alex has grown to 66 riders who will raise
at least $750 each. The 2008 team goal is $160,000. That
would allow the team to reach the lofty wish total of 100 in 10
years. The loyalty and generosity of all Wish-A-Mile sponsors
reflect the integrity of the cause and the courage of the kids.
Last year, Ann Arbor-based WAM raised $1.34 million and
granted 167 wishes.
Beth Brandvain of Farmington Hills is the determined
captain of Team Alex. "As Team Alex riders;' she said, "we are
proud to be links in Alex's chain. Her parents, Susie and Bill,
have an amazing capacity to inspire and motivate us. When
the door closed on Alex's life, they somehow found a way to
open another one. They continue to hold it open for anyone
going through a personal crisis?'
It's great that Team Alex has made a difference in the lives
of so many deserving kids. But consider what When One Door
Closes is all about and it's clear that Alex is still making the
real difference — as are her parents, who toil below the radar,
but stand tall in actually making the world a better place. ❑

Make-A-Wish Foundation of Michigan: www.wishmich.org.

When One Door Closes ( $ 24.95): www.alexswish.com .

rag & bone

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