Friends and Family,

As many of you know, I spent two years working with the Peace Corps in Georgia (yes, the country!) During that time I was lucky enough to live with a loving host family that accepted me not as a guest, but truly as a family member. My 12 year old host sister Keti has been diagnosed with glioblastoma. This aggressive form of brain cancer is a recent (and shocking) diagnosis for my sweet natured Georgian sister, and the family is currently pursuing treatment options in France.

I am gathering financial support for a family without the resources or treatment options that my own family has been blessed with here in Seattle in bouts with cancer. The Goguadze's and Kvachantiradze's showed me more love and compassion than I could have ever imagined during my two years in Georgia. I'm starting with a goal of $10,000 to help pay for the medical bills she will start to incur in France. The plan right now is for Keti and her mother to fly to France on May 17. I want to fundraise as much as I can in these two weeks. 

Keti was a source of joy on a daily basis during my time in Georgia. She was technically my neighbor but in practice she was my 9 year old sister. A favorite part of my daily routine was teasing her when I got home from work. Her sense of humor and kind nature made her the perfect partner for shenanigans like making snow angels, snowball fights, and playing with the iPhoto features on my laptop. We worked on our respective second languages together, completed some coloring books, and she was always aghast at how large my biography of Alexander Hamilton was. 

Any donation, large or small will help us towards our goal of helping this family. I am indebted to many Georgians who made my experience so special, and now is a time for me to give back