Upon being diagnosed in June, 2017 with a rare T-cell Lymphoma, Harris' first course of treatment was to undergo a very powerful chemotherapy regimen at Columbia University Medical Center. During the summer, he spent a total of 25 nights in the hospital - - 4 rounds of chemo, each consisting of a 5-night stay, plus another 5-night stay as a precautionary measure due to a fever and low counts. We are forever grateful for the wonderful care provided by his treating doctor, Dr. Maria Luisa Sulis, and her team.

Harris was a vibrant, intelligent, funny, loving and caring son, brother, grandson, nephew, cousin and friend. He faced his illness head-on and was involved in understanding all aspects of his treatment. He demonstrated strength and courage beyond anyone's expectations.

We will be having discussions with Dr. Sulis and her colleagues about how best to allocate your donated funds across the many important research and other projects going on at Columbia. We love Dr. Sulis and unconditionally trust her to guide us in dispersing these funds. We will post updates to the Harris website about what the funds will be used for. If you are not on that site you can request access at this link so you can get future updates - https://my.lotsahelpinghands.com/community/team-hh.

We are devastated and heartbroken, but are trying our best to cope and move forward. We desperately want to make a positive impact in Harris’s name in whatever ways we can. Please know that your support is very important to us and we are eternally grateful.

Jen, Dave & Matthew Halperin