In November of 2009, Gabriel DuBois was an ordinary 8-year-old boy whose influence was limited to the kids in his second grade class. He did well in school, played with friends and loved to watch Sponge Bob. Yet, that changed in December when he was diagnosed with a rare lung cancer that only a handful of children had faced within the last fifty years. As word spread, the Christmas cards and well wishes began to arrive from around the world, some days filling boxes and boxes with envelopes carefully marked and ready to open. It wasn't, however, so much the cancer or the cards that increased his circle of influence, but the way he handled his situation. Despite the reality of his prognosis, Gabriel always kept his sense of humor, made sure his loved ones knew that he cared about them and even more amazingly, he changed the lives of thousands of people around the world as they shared in his journey. So the questions we will all have to answer some day: "Did it matter that I was here?" and "Did I make a difference?" - for Gabriel, although he passed away in April of 2010, we say a resounding "YES.” If you want to know more about Gabriel and the influence he had on the world, we encourage you to read his story and follow his journey on our CaringBridge page: www.caringbridge.org/visit/gabrield

Written by David Justus, Gabriel's Stepfather
09/10