Recently I learned that an old friend from High school was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia or AML. Having family members who have gone through similar struggles, I know how much of a toll it can take emotionally, physically and financially. In an attempt to help Chris and his family, I am posting an auction for the international poster for “Rio”, Blue Sky Studios’ next feature film, which has been signed by the Animation staff & Director Carlos Saldanha.

Link to Auction HERE: http://tinyurl.com/6g3dptg

Bidding is open to: North America, South & Central America, Europe & Oceania.  I will cover the insurance & shipping costs.

Here is a little more on Chris:

Chris O’Connell is a husband, father, son, brother and friend, and always has been one of the most sincere and kind people you could ever hope to know.

In late August 2010, Chris went to the doctor to have a sore throat checked out, and what followed was the shock of a lifetime. As he put it “One day, you go to the doctor’s office with a sore throat and think you just need some medicine to fix it, and the next thing you know they’re admitting you to the hospital for the foreseeable future.  Life’s crazy, but we fight through it.”

Chris was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia or AML, and began intensive chemotherapy immediately after diagnosis to kill off the leukemia cells. Following chemotherapy, Chris’ medical team began the search for a bone marrow donor. It was determined that there were no matches within his family.

Thankfully, due to the National Bone Marrow registry (www.bonemarrow.org) Chris found a match within the 17 million registrants, and successfully received his bone marrow transplant in early December.

Following the transplant Chris was quarantined in his hospital room for a period of 3 and half weeks… a difficult task, not only for him but his wife and two young daughters, as well. Nothing like having to Skype into your living room to be a part of Christmas morning!

As of January 2011, Chris is recovering at home with his family while his body tries to adjust its new cells and he deals with side effects of the transplants. Chris is still within the 100 day window post-transplant, so his major challenge is to avoid catching any illnesses from his kids and extended family, while trying to gain strength.

As you can imagine, cancer takes a toll on a person’s whole life, including their financial life. The O’Connell’s have set up a special account in order to receive donations that will be used to pay for medical expenses and day-to-day expenses that have impacted their household due to Chris’ treatment (ie. transportation to and from hospital, parking, childcare, etc). Let’s help Chris with his fight against leukemia and support his family by contributing to their fund.

More information can be found at http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/chrisoconnell

If you have any questions, you can email me at auctionforchris@gmail.com .
Lastly, if you don’t want to bid on the auction but are willing to make a donation, go through the web address above, or contact me via email provided.

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