I’d like take this opportunity to thank the entire FIRST community for your outpouring of well wishes and positive energy during my recent bout with cancer. Your support really helped speed my recovery and has lifted my and my family’s spirits along the way.

I’m happy to say that I actually returned to work at FIRST this past week, on a limited schedule, just two weeks after my operation. Part of the reason I am able to recover so quickly is that my surgery was performed laparoscopically through small incisions by a camera-guided robot driven by an amazingly skilled surgeon. For me, this was “life comes full circle,” as so much of this life-saving capability relies on the same technology and skills that FIRST teams develop. How cool is that!

In addition to hundreds of emails, as I returned to work this week, I was greeted by many beautiful and creative cards cheering me on and telling me how FIRST has impacted your lives. These stories always warm my heart. I was also excited to see how many teams embraced our STEAMWORKS theme in your card designs. The photograph below shows me with just a sampling of those cards in various forms. Thank you all for your wonderful thoughts and support, and I look forward to seeing you during the upcoming season or at the FIRST Championships. Go teams!