Keith's Brain Trust team photo: L-R front row: Alta, Clyde, Alva, Jena, Keli, Co-Captain Donna, Honorary Captain Keith, Co-Captain Keri, Scott; L-R back row: Marge, Caitlin, Bonnie, Dude Kevin M., Kent; Missing from photo: Kevin C., Diane, Erin, Ben, Mary Jane 

Relay for Life 2003 was wonderful in so many ways. The weather was fabulous with no rain, lots of sunshine and very few mosquitoes. The luminary ceremony was beautiful. The bagpipes sounded lovely in the darkness. I had forgotten about them from last year! The butterfly release was inspiring. It was a very nice theme outside of the whole Mardi Gras thing. The Dude Looks Like a Lady contest provided a lot of laughs. Our Dude in his/her Little Bo Peep Meets Hooker dress was a hoot. Too bad Bear ate one of the red roses off the shoe the night before the competition. That is probably what lost her the crown! And it was just so nice being there with all our loved ones and friends walking around that track in the heat and in the cold when we were tired and sore. Thank you all for making it possible and making it easy. We had a great team! Especially that third generation with all their energy walking late into the night! Let's hear it for them!

There were a few technical glitches, but heck, I'm sure there will be a few of those every year.

There were some special people in our hearts as we walked the track this year.

Delores Schlief was recently taken off her chemo treatments because of poor developments with her own cancer. Dee joined the angels the morning after the Relay and she will be missed. 

Greg is a Brain Tumor Warrior who, like Keith, had a low-grade glioma. Unfortunately, he had a recurrence which came back nasty. He and Keith are buddies from a BT support group and share a love of david bailey's music (Greg introduced us to it, in fact). When david came to town last year, we pulled a photo of Greg off the web and brought it to the concert and had david autograph it for him. When we mailed it to Greg he was so delighted. He had it framed and hung it on his wall letting Keith know that it was one of the most special things anyone had ever done for him. He said he looked at it daily. Well, Greg's recurrence has him living back home with his mom. His siblings are now writing e-mails to the support group giving updates for him. They wrote this week that it was his birthday and that they had to explain to him what a birthday was because he no longer understood that concept. Doesn't sound like he'll be with us much longer.

Post Script: Greg died Saturday, June 21. He was 42 years old and had fought the BT battle for four years. He was a fierce warrior. We loved your fierce spirit, Warrior Greg! Be at peace, Dude! Hope you are having fun sliding down rainbows and having coffee with the angels. We will miss you!

We lost Grandma Lilah, who was a cancer survivor, earlier this year.

We lost Uncle Roy to cancer earlier this year.

We also lost Uncle Pat (although not to cancer) earlier this year. 

Keli has three classmates with family members battling cancer, one of whom is a fellow BT warrior in River Falls who is now fighting a recurrence. He and Keith were going through their first battle at about the same time.  

Click here for a special message from Keri and Keith to the members of the Brain Trust!

If you were a member of Keith's Brain Trust and you haven't left a message with your favorite Relay Memory, or a your Suggestions for Relay 2004 on the Christensen message board yet, please do so! Just click on the links! Thanks! (You must be a registered member of the message board to view or post - sorry guests!).