Kelly Delaney- Age 10

In December 2001, 3 year old Kelly Delaney was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.  Prior to her diagnosis, Kelly was a healthy, happy, well rounded child that was full of life and energy.

At first, her parents, Linda and Mike Delaney, thought Kelly had a typical cold...she had nasal congestion and post nasal drip.  Eventually, she became very tired and was developing bruises all over her body.  Her parents just assumed that she was a "typical" 3 year old that fell down and needed naps.  Her appetite began to decrease and she seemed very lethargic.  Linda had taken Kelly to the pediatrician 3 times, but the doctor kept saying that she probably had a virus.  Kelly was given medication to dry up her nose and told to rest.  One evening it became apparent that Kelly was having difficulty breathing.  Linda called the pediatrician on call who said, "Bring her to the office in the morning."  When Kelly was examined the next day, the doctor heard nothing in her right lung.  Later, Kelly's parents learned that her right lung had collapsed due to a large tumor in her chest that was pressing against her lung and larynx.
Kelly was rushed to the emergency room at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena.  It was there that doctors too a chest x-ray and blood work.  Following this, Kelly was rushed via ambulance to the Intensive Care Unit at City of Hope.  There, Linda and Mike learned that Kelly had a "high risk" form of leukemia.
Over the next three years, Kelly underwent rigorous chemotherapy.  She had many side effects including a seizure, necrosis (loss of blood supply to her bones) which caused her to be temporarily crippled, tremors, and allergic reactions to the platelets, along with a host of other problems associated with cancer patients.
Throughout her ordeal, she remained happy, upbeat, and positive adjusting to her environment.  Despite her initial prognosis, thanks to the team effort and treatment rendered by her doctors, nurses, and staff, Kelly came to feel like the hospital was her second home.
To this day Kelly looks forward to her visits every three months for her check-up.  Thank to the generosity of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society many strides have been made for cancer research and treatment enabling children like Kelly to return to a normal happy childhood.  We are eternally grateful for the chance given to Kelly to have her life back

Tyler Cordova-Age 6

Our 6 year old son, Tyler, has always been full of boundless energy.  His joy of life is contagious, and it's hard to spend any time with him without smiling.  Unfortunately, in March 2007 his spirit was tested when he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma.  We had taken him to the doctor for flu-like symptoms, but despite the doctor's assurances that he just had a bad cold, he wasn't getting better.  Then one night Tyler turned to us with alarm in his eyes, and we realized he was having trouble breathing.  We rushed him to the emergency room, where x-rays showed a mass in his chest.  Over the next few days we learned that Tyler had a tumor wrapped around his heart and pressing on his airway.  Our sweet little boy was fighting for his life.

The next few weeks brought a lot of tears and heartache, as Tyler was in the hospital, hooked up to countless IVs.  He was unable to talk because he needed a breathing tube to protect his airway.  But he quickly learned how to communicate with us by squeezing our hands - once for  "Yes" and twice for "No."  One of my strongest memories from that time was when Tyler came back from his lymphectomy. He was just out of surgery, couldn't move, and had an uncomfortable tube down his throat.  But when I asked him if he was in pain, he squeezed my hand twice -  no.  Even at that moment, he refused to feel sorry for himself.

Tyler has a huge source of support from his dad, Derek, who had the same form of cancer when he was a child.  Derek has been able to share his experiences with Tyler each step of the way.  However, thanks to amazing advances in treatment over the last 20 years (particularly with anti-nausea medicine and more targetted medicine dosages) Tyler does not feel nearly as sick as Derek did when he went through treatment.  For that, we are forever grateful to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, for funding vital research in cancer treatment.

Tyler has responded amazingly well to his chemo, and although he has 2 years of treatment, his tumor is gone.  Now, although there are days when his medicine makes him feel pretty crummy, he is back to being the happy boy we know - running around so fast that we can't keep up with him.  And although he has had to learn more than any child should (how many 5 year olds can discuss the differences between prednisone and dexamethasone), he has taught us to be thankful for all of the good things, and have perspective on the negative.  When Tyler was first diagnosed, one of the things that upset him the most was that he couldn't eat his favorite food, sushi, during the first 6 months of his treatment.  Since then he's been counting the days until his immune system is restored and he can eat it again.  But the other day he said, "I'd rather not be able to eat sushi for a little while than have cancer for the rest of my life."  With that attitude, we know Tyler has the strength to kick this disease and continue to bring smiles to everyone around him.

***The Man & Woman of the Year candidates raise funds in honor of the Boy & Girl of the Year.***