"I love rock 'n' roll," she sang from the stage with a grin from ear-to-ear.

Yes, Lindsey Rose, we know you do.

Our team of 11 David Cook fans, led by cookedinflorida, from across the sunshine state and the Eastern seaboard gathered outside Tampa, FL for the Light the Night Walk to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, where Lindsey Rose served as their Hero of Hope.

The M.C. interviewed Lindsey Rose and her parents to start the evening. When asked if she wanted to be an actress when she grew up, she said, “Yes.” – and then added, “And a Hooters girl.” The adoring crowd erupted into gleeful laughter, while her Dad wiped his brow and shook his head in disbelief. Yeah, I guess no dad wants to hear that, as he did ask Lindsey Rose to clarify that she’d be working at Hooters while attending Harvard – “Right, Lindsey Rose?”

Her parents spoke so eloquently about their daughter's motto – “Do Whatcha Gotta Do” and how it has gotten their family and so many supporters through the journey. Lindsey Rose’s Dad noted that the Lindsey Rose “Do Whatcha Gotta Do” orange wristbands that American Idol winner David Cook had made famous were available for purchase. He even added an extra incentive to the solicitation, “If you wanna be cool like David Cook, get an orange wristband.”

Then, the countdown started, and Lindsey Rose led the way with her white survivor balloons blinking away, guiding the path for all of us. We walked all around the marina area, with our lights blinking against the dusk sky. We talked about “Light On,” the concerts we had attended, how David had inspired so many fans to become involved in the fight against cancer.

On our way back to the Start/Finish line, we realized that this past Tuesday, David gave us the perfect theme song for our journey - "Light On." So, we broke broke out a phone & played some ringtones. Started with "Light On," which led to "Innocent", "Don't Say a Word," "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Lookin' For," "The Truth," and “Hello.” Yeah, we actually finished the second half of the walk by singing along to our favorite David Cook tracks/ringtones. It made a special evening even more fun, even if it did elicit some questioning looks from passersby.

After we crossed the finish line, we made our way to the main stage area, where Lindsey Rose and other young supporters performed karaoke on stage as we awaited the final fundraising total. Lindsey Rose sang and danced to some energetic songs – and she demonstrated exactly why she and David are such good friends. Something tells us she learned a thing or two from him during their special day this summer. Yeah, she made her way to the front of the stage, ran along the edge, giving her gathering legion of fans (volunteers) high-fives. At one point, she stood in front of the karaoke screen to be sure she knew the words, and then confidently grasped the mic and strutted down the stage to stand before her adoring audience. She played to her crowd of supporters and encouraged them all to sing along.

Lindsey Rose’s family was glad for our support and even gave us a chance to all meet this special girl. She is a courageous, young girl, fighting a devastating disease and doing it with such a positive attitude, she is teaching us all a lesson about walking through life’s challenging moments.

Thank you to all of the fans who traveled to the event to support Lindsey Rose & this cause that is so special to David. And thank you to everyone who has made a donation; your generosity continues to inspire everyone to remain committed to the fight.

When the evening was over, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Suncoast Chapter had raised almost $50,000 in the fight against blood cancers. Including all offline donations, the Cook Fans Unite2Light team had raised more than $2,100 in 19 days. But we’re not stopping there! The fundraising continues until January 31, 2009, and we are determined to help Lindsey Rose’s home chapter meet their goal of $70,000!

For Lindsey Rose, who inspires us all. And in honor of David, who has helped us all to see that it is possible to make a difference in the fight against this devastating disease.

Stay tuned . . .