-----Original Message-----
From: Celestedeo@aol.com
Sent: Tuesday, April 11, 2000 1:21 PM
Subject: Special Prayer Request


Hi,

I am coming to you with a very special prayer request.  We have some good
friends here in Nashville, Mark and Melanie Burress and their one year old
baby Gracie, who have recently received some devastating news.  Mark was
diagnosed in December with leukemia.  His is normally a very slow spreading
form of the disease but unfortunately his is spreading extremely fast.  He
also has a rare DNA type and only about 12 people on the bone marrow donor
list (out of 4.5 million) were possible matches and all have since been
elimnated.  We held a bone marrow drive in his behalf at church this past
weekend and over 1200 people came to donate.  This amazed the people running
the drive because they said they normally get a few hundred at the most.

If a donor is not found by June his chances are very, very slim to live to
July.  He has chosen to have his bone marrow transplant in Houston at the
Anderson hospital so I am asking if there is anyone in Houston who knows of
a
strong, supportive congregation near the hospital that they may attend (when
possible) while they are there, that would be greatly appreciated.  If a
donor is located, they say the transplant procedure is very difficult and he
won't be able to have any contact with his baby for several months due to
his
immune system being weakened.  As you can imagine, this would put his wife
in
a severe state of limbo, having to be primary caregiver to someone who is
incapacitated and a baby without the two being able to be together.

It is difficult to watch someone with so much to give and so much to live
for
to be facing such a hard fight.  Please keep his family in your prayers and
I
know if there is a miracle with Marks' name on it, God will provide it.

If you could please pass this on to the Chi Sigs/Regina list, every little
prayer they get will be appreciated.

Thank you!

Celeste (Sasser) Ortega