Meet our Warrior - Khalil 

"We had our first meeting with the stem cell transfer docs… It seemed like every other line about the procedure was, 'And that could kill him.' 

So you choose between that which is life-threatening -- yet has the potential to be life-saving (harsh chemo and stem cell transfer) -- and that which is life-threatening, period (cancer).

Don't get me wrong, we wanted the cold, hard facts. They just should have provided the margaritas first."

-- Tina Cruz-Hubbard

On his 449th day, Khalil Cruz-Hubbard, last born of premature triplets, was diagnosed with a cancer so rare and severe that only 300 cases are diagnosed in the U.S. annually. The diagnosis ended his family's four-year assignment with USAID, Senegal, and began a journey of courage, perseverance, and love.

Khalil, who learned to walk pushing an IV stand, is midway through a grueling 15-month treatment regimen that includes eight rounds of chemo-therapy, two stem-cell transplants, several surgeries, and radiation followed by six months of anti-body therapy. 

Medical conditions afflicting the other two triplets have added to his family's personal and financial challenges, but these challenges have only drawn the close-knit family of six even closer. Team Khalil volunteers are working towards a target goal of $250,000 in support of Khalil's fight against his disease.

"When I think back to all that has transpired I am reminded of all of the blessings this awful diagnosis has brought us and how far we've all come," Tina writes in her blog. "We have been moved to tears by your kindness and generosity and overwhelmed by the acts of kindness we've received from people we've never met but have only heard our story."