Just this past week, many UD students were making the pilgrimage home for fall break, ready for much-needed relaxation after rounds of stressful midterms. However, for one UD student at this time last year, this was not the case.

Jamie Baker, currently a fifth-year engineering student at UD, was set to have blood tests administered after feeling run-down and sick leading up to her fall break last year. On the morning of Oct. 9, 2006, Jamie's doctor called and requested that she come to the emergency room as soon as possible. After hours of anxious waiting, the doctors were able to tell Baker that they were dealing with acute myelogenous leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

While the news was unfortunate and not something she had planned on encountering at such a young age, Baker remained optimistic from the start of her chemotherapy treatments.

She found herself with ample spare time at home as she was not to go out often due to her weakened immune system. Baker soon tried something new, beginning to cook for her family and experiment with different recipes. It was here Baker had the idea to create a cookbook featuring favorite recipes from her friends and relatives and donate the proceeds to the American Cancer Society.

The cookbook's recipes range from drinks to entr??es all the way up to sweets to enjoy after the main course. One of Baker's personal favorites is the Chinese chicken slaw perfected by her mother.

The books are priced at $17.50 (including shipping) and the net profits go to the American Cancer Society.

It was this past Thursday, Oct. 11, that Baker was able to see all her hard work pay off. She visited the American Cancer Society location in Cincinnati and met with the executive director of the Northern Kentucky branch of ACS, Rusty Sheehan to present her check of $5,000 as a result of her popular 'The Taste of Hope' cookbooks. In attendance for the proud moment alongside Jamie were her parents and boyfriend, Jonathan Rausch, an aerospace engineering grad student at UD.

It was through her boyfriend that Baker met UD senior Amy Tiedge, Rausch's sister. Only days after Baker's diagnosis, Tiedge got to work producing wristbands with the simple phrase of 'I Will' on them. Tiedge explained that, in this fight, 'everyone has a different relationship to Jamie.' For example, Tiedge's promise may be 'I will support my friend,' whereas Baker's may be 'I will be a survivor.'

By leaving the statement at 'I will,' every person can decide his or her own role in the fight against cancer. Proceeds from these wristbands benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and sell for $5.

UD students have a special opportunity to purchase Baker's cookbooks for $15 or a wristband for $3 on Oct. 25 in KU from 12 to 2 p.m. If you are unable to make it during that time, the items mentioned can be found at Baker's Web site, www.atasteofhope.com, or you can send an e-mail to atasteofhope[at]gmail.com.

Despite the hard times, there is a bright side to Baker's story.

She was pronounced in remission Nov. 13, 2006, and has many promising ventures ahead of her, as she just landed a job with GE Aviation in Cincinnati. She also will soon be in a Hoxworth Blood commercial, speaking for the organization that held a blood drive in her name.

Baker is seen a role model to UD students, reminding them to stop and count their blessings in life, and that faith, love and friendship can conquer all in the face of adversity.