[Venessia]

John Harrah, the founder and president of Harrah Family Servies, has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. He is not expected to survive the weekend. This terrible news is made more painful by the fact that he is leaving behind a wife and three young (adopted) daughters. He has been a powerful advocate for the children of China, and theirs will be a great loss.

[Venessia]

Here's an email I received a few moments ago. Thought I should share.........

Date: Mon, 19 Jul 2004 14:55:44 -0600
From: "Stefani" <stefani@xxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: You leave a legacy John Harrah

I am utterly bereaved by John's passing. We still had so many
things yet
that we needed John to do. He truly was a pioneer and a leader
in the China
adoption community. He was one of those men who would take a
project head
on and do whatever he could to make it work because he felt such
passion for
the waiting children of China.

There were times when he was working against "the flow" but he
had the
conviction that what he was doing was necessary...and it was.
Every one of
us adopting from and working in China has reaped the benefits of
his work as
he tirelessly worked to have policies clarified and often
outright changed
when they just didn't seem to be advancing the work of placing
the children.

He was a champion to children who had even a more urgent need to
come home.
He was a champion, period.

I first "met" John when the internet groups just started back in
1996 and in
has been my blessing to know him. It was always a treat to have
him pull
out his wallet when I was able to meet with him at different
functions and
have him talk about his 3 daughters and see how they had grown.
There was
no denying he was one proud Papa and rightly so.

We are tremendously saddened at his sudden passing but grateful
for the
gifts he shared with us. We give our love to his family who
must be
experiencing the devastation of their world turned upside down.

It was a honor to rub shoulders with you John. Even with your
leaving,
countless children will continue to be blessed by your life and
the hard won
legacy you leave. Job well done my friend, very well done.

[Edited To Remove Agency Contact Information]

[snyder52601]

Even though I don't know who he is or the agency, that is so sad. His family will be in my prayers.