Join us tonight at 6 for a fun-filled evening at La Sala, 73 High Street, Derby, CT 06418.  Let's make this a night to remember and to help cancer warriors in their fight.

Kelly and Charlie Willis contacted ir2l in October, 2016 after hearing about us at Sloane. Due to our grief over losing Rakhi, we did not see their email until this year.  Kelly is fighting a valiant battle against the cancer that is ravaging her body and remains hopeful for the future. Here are Kelly's own words about the impact that ir2l's help has had on her and Charlie's life. Please spread the word so that we can do more. 

 IR2L.org has been a godsend for me and my family during this struggle of fighting melanoma. If it were not for IR2L.org we would be in severe financial distress. Living on disability has proved to be an Incredibly difficult thing, and the grant that we receive each month really does go a long way in helping us maintain our status quo. Living in New Jersey and traveling back and forth into Manhattan to Sloan-Kettering for treatment and procedures can really add up when it comes to tolls and parking. I was hospitalized for an extended time and that sapped  every penny that we had managed to save. We found out about IR2L.org while I was in the hospital at Sloan. Nandita has been incredible in her communication and her willingness to go out of the way to help us. Without the help and support of IR2L.Org we would probably be homeless.
Keep up the fight,
Kelly Willis

Stay tuned for details about our next fundraiser!

I am sad to report that Rakhi lost her valiant battle against cancer on October 1, 2016. She was present in mind and spirit to the end. She had some of her favorite food and drink before leaving us behind. While we mourn her passing, we are more committed than ever to ensuring that her memory and legacy live on. We will announce a series of fund raisers shortly and we look forward to growing the IR2L community exponentially. We love you Rakhi, and we will never forget your amazing spirit,  generosity and amazing grace in the face of incredible odds!

These are some of the awesome people who were able to make it out to Greyson Guns. The guns on the table were donated by Charter Arms and were raffled off. My favorite was, of course, the revolver with leopard print! Hopefully we will repeat this amazing event in the Fall. 

On November 7, 2015, I was given the opportunity to speak to some students at Columbia University regarding my experience with cancer and why I think they should get more involved with Relay For Life. The Senior Director of Relay For Life, Eddie Mouradian, also spoke and he was incredible inspiring. He is a great speaker and a hard act to follow. Therefore, I am grateful that I was allowed to speak first!  The student leads at Columbia, Tom Borgers, Jillian Cardona, Erin Holahan were welcoming and gracious.  They are all committed to seeing that Columbia raises more funds now than the year prior and simply raises more funds than NYU overall!                 😊
 
I hope to get more involved with Relay For Life in the future as I have found the participants to be caring and dedicated to the cause of helping cancer patients and their families.
 
Above please find photos, a video of my speech.

​I was asked to give the “survivors speech” to the Metro College Leadership Summit on 10/04/15. There were college students getting involved with Relay For Life and my speech came at the end of a conference that Sunday. These young people were getting involved with Relay For Life to raise money, in part, for the Hope Lodge in Manhattan. It was scary to share my story to so many strangers but it was also exciting. I explained to them that although I have great insurance, it does not cover staying in NYC or transportation to and from treatment. I explained that when they participate in Relay they help people like me get treatment, they help save lives.
 
I hope I will get to speak to others going through the orientation for Relay for Life in the future. It was a blast. Below are a couple of photos from the event.