Dear Ohio Valley Community,

Words cannot even begin to express our family’s appreciation for your love, support and generosity. We lived through the most heart-breaking and difficult time of our lives following Dominic’s cancer diagnosis. We would not have come through this battle in one piece if it weren’t for your calls, texts, visits, cards, gifts and especially all of the prayers. Your unwavering faith and contributions ensured that our family was taken care of spiritually and financially while Dominic battled Hodgkin’s lymphoma. We can never repay you for your kindness, but we will be sure to pay it forward!

Our family would like to sincerely thank the amazing staff and students of St. Clairsville-Richland City Schools and Ohio County Schools (especially Triadelphia Middle) for their endless support and outstanding fundraisers. We are grateful to Union Local, Bellaire, Shadyside, St. Mary’s and Morgantown schools, as well as the sports teams from all over the Ohio Valley, for sending care packages and cards to Dom. We would also like to extend our sincere appreciation to the staff of the Belmont County Department of Job and Family Services, AFSCME Local 3073, and all the Belmont County agencies for their goodwill.

We are so grateful to John Jenkins, his staff and all the volunteers that helped sort and deliver shirts. Our family would also like to thank all of the local businesses and groups for their incredible generosity. There are too many to mention them all, but we would like to especially acknowledge Dairy Queen, Quaker Steak ‘n’ Lube, McDonald’s in Wheeling, Icing Smiles and Jessica Woodward, Pulling for a Cure, Soothing Stitches, Ryan Smith and the contributors of the Go Fund Me account, the villages of Flushing and Shadyside, St. C Junior Sports, Creative Learning Daycare, Creative Canvas, Music With a Meaning, Kelley’s Suite II, Verizon, Welty Home, Ohio Valley Gas and Oil Association, the Judy Vincenzo Foundation, Pubal and Cain LLC, GEO-FLO LLC, TOPS, Belmont County Relay for Life, and the Ohio Valley Chapter of A Special Wish Foundation.

In addition, we would like to extend our thanks to all the local churches and their congregations for their prayers and benevolence. Special acknowledgments include Flushing United Methodist Church, First Presbyterian and Calvary Presbyterian churches, the Church of the Assumption, members of Brothers in Song, and especially our wonderful home church of Thoburn United Methodist. The firefighters and police officers across the valley and the nation treat Dom as one of their own. Our family cannot thank them enough, especially the Cumberland Trail, Belmont, Bethesda, Flushing, Bellaire and Martins Ferry fire departments. Additionally, we want to recognize the police departments of St. Clairsville and Wheeling, the Belmont County and Ohio County sheriff’s departments and the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

Without the special care and treatment of the doctors, nurses and staff from Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Wheeling Hospital, Ronald McDonald House and Interim Home Health, Dominic would not be in remission today.

We have the absolute best family, friends and neighbors. God truly blessed us with the most caring and compassionate people. You were there for us in the best and worst times, and we love you.

Our family is forever grateful that each and every one of you are in our lives. Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for loving our boy. Please continue to keep Dom in your prayers.

May God continuously bless you all!

Sincerely,

Corey, Erica and Dominic Alexander

St. Clairsville

Treatment too severe

Dear Editor,

I apologize, but I just had to come out of exile for this one.

So tell me, how does a law firm come out $185,000 short and not realize it? If I came up $185,000 short, I’d be living on the street. And why is this story headlined in The Times Leader, as if this woman and her family haven’t suffered enough embarrassment? I mean, come on. Little fat guy in Korea throwing missiles like confetti, Texas washed away, Chris Pratt and Anna Faris breaking up (who are they anyway?), and this embezzlement story makes it above the fold?

I’m getting kind of sick of the fake, selective, compassion-obsessed, politically correct, Marxist mentalities. We are all supposed to be accepting of every form or deviance in our society; we are supposed to treat thieving drug abusers as though they suffer a disease; and, we are told to hate long-dead Confederate soldiers while we purchase products from China, Vietnam, Japan, Germany and any other real former enemies. Well, permit me to ask, where is the compassion for a cancer survivor with a couple of kids that made a gigantic mistake? Where is the leniency for a first-time offender? Could it be — dare I say it — that she transgressed against the pseudo holy men in black robes? Aw — oh, I better watch my speedometer closely.

Her treatment is way, way out of whack.

Bob Dylan once sang, “To live outside the law you must be honest.” I’m not sure what Bob meant by that, but it sounds right. Lenny Bruce once said, “The only justice in the halls of justice is in the halls.” Lenny probably said that on the way to the slammer. Anyway, a word of advice. If you ever wrong anyone within the established legal machine in Belmont County, ask for a change of venue.

Brett Merryman

Bellaire