Thursday, September 22, 2005

Leanne Schmall

About a year ago Leanne Schmall had a mole removed from her back. Doctor's gave her a clean bill of health. Then in July she was diagnosed with late stage melanoma. Leanne died last Wednesday. She was 16.

Excerpts from the Milford Daily News:


Like the candles neighbors lit in support of 16-year-old Leanne Schmall's fight against cancer, wristbands bearing words the teen took to heart are spreading across town.
"Hope, courage, faith," read the purple bands, which are being sold by Franklin Youth Hockey parents to benefit the Leanne Schmall Foundation.
Schmall and her three brothers all have played in the league, which sold more than 500 wristbands in about a week, said Christine Cannon, one parent running the effort.
Wristbands for Leanne coincides with several other fund-raisers planned before Schmall died last Wednesday and continuing in her memory. These include a country and western fund-raiser at the Franklin Elk's Lodge Saturday, and raffle tickets on sale for a $10,000 kitchen from Custom Kitchens on Grove Street.
All proceeds donated to the foundation benefit the teen's family.
Briana Schmall, Leanne's mother, said the family appreciates these gestures during a difficult time. "It absolutely helps in many, many ways," she said Tuesday. "Hopefully, we can get a scholarship started for when Leanne's class graduates."

...

The wristbands also help kids express feelings about the loss, said Cannon. "It was a way for us to give the kids a way to show their support for the family," she said. "They were feeling very lost."
Judy DiRosario, another parent helping with the fund-raiser, said she felt strongly for the Schmall family. "I wish there was more we could do for them," she said.
Anyone interested in buying wristbands for $3 can contact Christine Cannon at 508-541-8824, Wayne Green at 508-528-7132, or Judy DiRosario at 508-528-5668.
Payments can also be made out and sent to Christine Cannon with "Wristbands for Leanne" written in the memo, to 9 Kingswood Drive, Franklin, MA 02038. Include your address.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I wanted to say thank you for having a blog dedicated to bringing melanoma to people's attention. I stumbled upon this post by accident - Leanne was my cousin's daughter. It was horrific, filled wtih terror at the unknown, and ultimately heartbreaking when Leanne died. She was 16 1/2...she had the mole from her back removed and the margins widened and was told that they got it all - and not to worry. She was hospitalized in agony about a year later and died within two months. It is quickly coming upon the one year anniversary of her death - but she will never be forgotten. You can read her mother's journal about her at http://www.caringbridge.com/visit/leanne

Thanks again for your work - I am sorry for your loss and the losses of those mentioned on your site.