Dec 31 09

Well, I’m finally coming up for air.  I have spent the last 4 days in a gymnasium watching some amazing girls high school basketball at the Diamond State Classic (www.diamondstateclassic.org).  The days run kind of long (first game 9am, last game ends around 10 or 11pm), but it’s a lot of fun.  We met some great people from all around the country.  As you may know, we pair 8 B+ Heroes, children fighting cancer, with 8 teams in the highest bracket.  The teams come from as close as Wilmington, DE to as far away as Brush Prairie, WA.  It was so nice see the smiles on our “Heroes” as they sat on the bench with their teams, were announced before the game, and received gifts from their new friends.  To all of the girls and families, thank you VERY much for treating our kids like the heroes that they are. Thank you, B+ Heroes, for making it to the games.  I’m glad you had fun.  And, last but not least, thank you to John Gretchen, Walt Connor, and all of the folks at IAABO #11, the organizers of the tournament.

Here’s a link to a nice article that Buddy Hurlock wrote about the “B+ Heroes” in the Wilmington (DE) News-Journal.

http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009912300336

Last night, I had the privilege of presenting The Andrew McDonough B+ Award.  Unlike many MVP awards, this award recognizes the young lady who represents the “Live Like Andrew” ideals both on AND off the court.  Each Head Coach in the championship game selected a player from their team.  The winner of “Andrew’s Award” was Deanna Harmon from St. Frances Academy (Baltimore, MD).  The runner-up was Lauren Dunn from Central Dauphin High School (Harrisburg, PA).  Congratulations, ladies, on being great role models.

Please be careful if you’re heading out on the roads this evening.

Praying for a happy and healthy 2010 for all and praying that 2010 will be the year that we discover remarkable breakthroughs in the battle against childhood cancers.

God bless you.

B+

Andrew’s & Ali’s Dad

www.BePositive.org