| A week before Hurricane Harvey hit, I traveled from my home in Florida to The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for treatment for a life‑threatening cancer. |
| As this monumental storm wrought devastation across dozens of Texas counties, I witnessed MD Anderson doctors, nurses, technicians, security officers, food service personnel, facilities workers and other staff quickly enact emergency action plans. |
| Those who were there before the storm hit became MD Anderson's "ride‑out" team, still on duty five days later having worked multiple 12‑hour shifts. Now, all MD Anderson locations across Houston are fully operational and accepting appointments. |
| MD Anderson's amazing teams put the needs of more than 500 patients and their loved ones above their own, providing exceptional care under the most trying of circumstances. All the while, many of these employees' homes were flooded or their family members had been evacuated. |
| People have asked me, "What can I do for you?". |
| Instead of helping me, I ask that you pay forward the wonderful care that I and so many other patients received at MD Anderson throughout the Hurricane Harvey emergency. |
| While MD Anderson and the City of Houston are open and back to normal operations, thousands of MD Anderson employees have been personally affected by the storm; many face significant home damage that will displace them for months. They are the ones who need your help now. |
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| Please consider coming to their aid. Contribute to the MD Anderson Caring Fund, which directly benefits employees uprooted by the storm. |
| Thank you for giving back to these caring people who provide so much to patients like me. |
| Sincerely, |
| Steven Throne |
| Grateful MD Anderson Patient |
