It takes more than good looks to win a crown from Rocky Mountain chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Members of the royal court earn their titles by raising huge amounts of money in an eight-week campaign that culminates with the Grand Finale Gala.
Ralph Guglielmi of Castle Rock, whose doctors gave him a 15 percent chance of survival after being diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia in April 2004, was named man of the year for having raised $29,000. Katrina Heim of Denver, whose passion for finding a cure peaked after her best friend’s mother succumbed to leukemia, became woman of the year for her contribution of $26,000.
Seven area residents sought the titles this year – Guglielmi and Heim, plus Greg Krom of Highlands Ranch and Denverites Rick Janson, Tina Lombard, Kendall Williams and Neil Fontenot. With their help, the 2007 campaign total came to $95,000.
Special guests at the Grand Finale Gala included the boy and girl of the year, blood cancer survivors Ryan Hanna of Aurora and Claire Hamilton of Broomfield; Chris Smith, representing Gov. Bill Ritter; and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s executive director, Rebecca Russell.
She saluted all who sought the titles. “With their passion and support we are able to move closer to fulfilling our mission, which is to cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and to improve the quality of life for patients and their families.”
Also of note
Society editor Joanne Davidson can be reached at 303-809-1314 or jdavidson@denverpost.com. She also contributes at
