Until the last few months of September 2007, Dawn Appel was just another one of those Moms — the kind who somehow balance a demanding job with keeping the home fires burning, and still find time to stand on the sidelines of sporting fields and cheer for their children.

But then Dawn was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), which is a malignant disease of the bone marrow.

Though, in the past, the prognosis for those diagnosed with ALL was not good, in recent years there have been significant medical breakthroughs which have seen more and more determined people like Dawn beating the illness.

Following a number of rounds of chemotherapy, doctors began to see that a bone marrow transplant was her only hope. In January of this year, Dawn received that life-saving transplant.

But, like many people battling disease or injury, Dawn also faces huge financial obstacles. Her bone marrow transplant cost about $450,000, and even with health insurance, Dawn faces significant medical expenses. Her ability to pay for short term treatments to aid her recovery will go a long way to deciding whether she is able to overcome the leukimia.

Enter the communities of Issaquah and Sammamish. Dawn’s son Alex plays for the Issaquah Soccer Club. That club has rallied around the Appel family, raising money to help Dawn, the National Foundation for Transplants, and the Washington Bone Marrow Fund.

Alex’s team, I.S.C. Arsenal Blue ‘97, hopes to raise $75,000 on Dawn’s behalf.

On Friday of last week they launched the latest in a series of fundraisers to help them reach their goal – a rummage sale at Mary Queen of Peace Church in Sammamish.

“We had a great turn out on both Friday and Saturday,” said Michelle Giovanola, one of the many volunteers who donated their time, and goods, for the event. “We made $4,267, with $3,400 to be utilized from matching funds.”

That makes a grand total of $6,800, which will be donated on Dawn’s behalf.

“We are thankful for the contributions made by the greater Issaquah Soccer Club family, for the families who donated to the rummage sale, the ISC Arsenal Blue 97 soccer team, the ISC Arsenal White 97 team, the Bulldogs, a basketball team on which Alex has also played, and other friends and community members,” Michelle said. “We want to emphasize that each individual can still make a difference by donating online to the National Foundation for Transplants on Dawn’s behalf. We are determined to keep working towards our goal of $75,000.”

The soccer club is planning a couple of fundraising carwashes at the end on April and beginning of May.

Check out The Reporter in coming weeks for details.