Thursday was a day of hope for “Friends of Katie,” as Katie Slike left her Lincoln home to travel to a Boston hospital and begin the process that will prepare her for a bone marrow transplant. On Dec. 4, 1995, she was diagnosed with an acute form of leukemia and given three weeks to live.

“Katie struggled with the decision to undergo treatment,” said her friend, Sheila Woodman of Lincoln, “but it was up to all of us to keep her convinced it is going to be worth the agony. We feel she is on the uphill side.”

Slike, in her mid-30s, is a well-known community volunteer, especially when it comes to activities involving her fifth-grade daughter, Codi, and her son, Levi, in the second grade. Her husband, Dick, who is with her in Boston, works for Treeline Services in Lincoln, where Katie sometimes helps out.

“They’re handling it very well,” Woodman said of the family’s attitude toward Katie’s illness. “They’ve been very upfront with the children and getting everything right out there.”

Woodman is a member of the Friends of Katie committee with Lincoln residents Julie Zagorianakos, Sherryl Albert and chairman Frank Nicastro.

The Friends are encouraged about the process Katie Slike is undergoing. She will have chemotherapy and radiation in preparation for the transplant, which “could come as early as next Saturday,” Woodman said.

“Katie has a lot going in her favor. Her donor is a perfect 6-of-6 match. She’s young and really healthy. She has walked and stayed active, and she has tons of support from the community. She really wants letters and cards from her friends.”

Friends of Katie have raised nearly $7,000 to date. In mid-March, the group sponsored a co-ed volleyball tournament with 23 teams. The event was a great success, bringing the community together for a day of fun to help a friend. Charald Comeau of Lincoln won the 50-50 raffle and donated it back to the Katie Fund.

Melany Thurlow of Lincoln attended the first Friends of Katie meeting, then donated a quilt which traveled about town for everyone to see. The folks at Haskell Lumber of Lincoln sold tickets that eventually raised $2,800.

The initial goal of the group “was to make enough money to cover Dick’s lost wages and living expenses, depending on how long Katie is undergoing treatment,” Woodman said. Although the group feels it has met that goal, it is still active.

“The family does have insurance, but everything is so gray they don’t know what is covered and what isn’t,” Woodman said. “They don’t have the figures so whatever we do will help.”.

Next on the schedule of events is a Friends of Katie dance from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday, April 27, at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Lincoln. Jewelry store owner Kathy Vose of Lincoln has donated a $450 lady’s diamond ring for a raffle. The winning ticket will be drawn at the dance.

Activities are also planned for May, but the Friends want folks to start saving cans and bottles now so they can collect them during the Friends of Katie bottle drive on Saturday, June 1.

If you would like to help Katie Slike, call Zagorianakos, 794-6160; Albert, 794-6400; Nicastro, 794-6337; Woodman at 794-2721; or write: Friends of Katie, 28 School St., Lincoln, 04457.

We will keep you updated on Katie Slike’s progress and other activities planned by her friends. You can write Mrs. Cathy “Katie” Slike, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, 45 Francis St., Boston, Mass. 02115. Her room number is 4216.

What a difference a seat belt makes! If you doubt that statement, just read the words Janet and Keith Reynolds of Bradford wrote about their son, Rob, 16, and to those who were there when he needed them.

“On the evening of March 25, our son was involved in a single car accident,” they wrote. “When he tried to avoid an animal in the road, the car rolled over.”

The parents do not know who helped their son that night, but they offer heartfelt thanks to all the good Samaritans who stayed with Rob until emergency personnel arrived; to the ambulance crew from East Corinth; the responding officer from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Department; and the dispatcher who was “quite patient with all the telephone messages and our many questions.”

But the Reynolds also have something to say to Rob; a message other sons and daughters should take to heart.

“Finally, we thank our son, Rob, for faithfully wearing his seat belt,” the couple wrote.

“He walked away from this accident with no injuries because of this and made everybody’s job that night much easier. We hope others, too, will see what a difference seat belts can make.”

This is a special weekend of celebration and reflection as family and friends gather for Passover and Easter. The hint of springtime officially launches us on our way to start cleaning out the cobwebs, not only from our homes, but also from our hearts and minds.

The Standpipe, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402; 990-8288.