Help and Hope Happen Here

When Kathleen Casey's son Barrett (Bear) was diagnosed with Wilms Tumor in the late 1980's, she was told that this kidney cancer was highly curable and the expectation at that time was that her son would recover and be able to lead a good life which many children diagnosed with this cancer are able to do.  Unfortunately, things turned south rather quickly and after a 5 1/2 year battle , Bear passed away in January of 1993.

That same year, Kathleen started the Bear Necessities Pediatric Cancer Foundation in honor and memory of her son. The 2 Missions of this Foundation are 1) Research and 2) helping Children with Pediatric Cancer rediscover their childhoods. Kathleen's Foundation has persevered for almost 30 years and has become part of the fabric of the city of Chicago. 

Marian Newell's son Jesse was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma when he was 11 years old in 2001. This diagnosis led to a relapse which turned out to be Leukemia. Marian and her daughter Samantha will talk about their beloved son and brother who did as much living as possible until his passing in July of 2004. 

With prior encouragement from Jesse, Marian started the Jesse's Wish Foundation which for over 15 years has helped many Pediatric Cancer Patients and their families. Samantha meanwhile is also heavily invested in this organization, as she is is the President of the Foundation.

After experiencing symptoms that seemed like she had a cold, Laura Rapa's daughter McCoy was diagnosed with High Risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when she was 4 years old. After a very difficult 1st year, McCoy was able to end her treatment on her 7th birthday which took place on March 19th of this year. Laura will talk about how McCoy is doing and how Laura has been able to return to her High School teaching career as her beloved daughter has been able to lead her life that has so much promised attached to it.

Anna Day will talk about her sister Isabella who was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma in 2012 when she was 9 months old.  Anna was 9 years old at the time and 3 years later she decided to hold a bake sale to raise money and honor Isabella. Her first bake sale raised $2000 and with help from her mother, aunt, and other family members, she turned this bake sale into an annual event, which raised $34,000 in the fall of 2021. In 2018 Anna started her Anna's Bake Sale Foundation and has given the proceeds to both Neuroblastoma and DIPG research .

Now a college student, Anna is pursuing her degree which she hopes will lead to a career as a Child Life Specialist and will continue to help do what she can for the cause of Pediatric Cancer. 

After experiencing blinding headaches in early August of 2021, Shawn Mahoney's 6 year old  daughter Layla was diagnosed with a High Grade Anaplastic Supertentorial Ependymoma, which is a form of Pediatric Brain Cancer. After her initial surgery on August 2nd of last year Layla had to undergo another surgery just 5 weeks later, followed by 33 rounds of proton therapy, followed by another surgery on March 11th of this year, which finally completely removed her tumor. On May 18th, DNA/RNA sequencing showed that there was an 81.82 chance that her cancer would NOT come back and Layla was able to complete her academic year in school. There have been new developments in her case since this podcast was recorded and they will be talked about on my Outtro. 

Jen Caruso is a young woman who is totally dedicated to the cause of Pediatric Cancer. Already having the desire to help others while she was a Girl Scout, Jen started her  SWIRLS AROUND THE WORLD FOUNDATION after her cousin Matthew passed away from Ewings Sarcoma at the age of 19 in 2013.
While a student at Northeastern University, Jen began the Children's Miracle Dance Marathon Chapter and was the Regional Manager for the Love Your Melon Campus Crew. 
Jen is now on the Board Of Directors for the Tommy's Place Vacation home for Pediatric Cancer patients and their families and still has time to hold a full time job as a Physician's Assistant at New York Presbyterian Hospital. 

Misty Hughes was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia just before her 9th birthday. As she recovered from this form of Pediatric Cancer, she decided to establish her main goal in life which was to help and serve others. Misty has accomplished this goal in several ways, whether it was to volunteer at both the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the American Heart Association,  being a fitness trainer , or now 40 years removed from her cancer battle, going to the University of Houston to get her degree in social work. Her goal with this degree at least to some extent is to help families that have to deal with Pediatric Cancer. 

Alexandra Neenan's interest in the cause of Pediatric Cancer began while she was a college student and joined the Lemon Club, which is associated with Alex's Lemonade Stand. This interest led to her receiving her Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology from Eastern Michigan University and currently she is pursuing her doctorate there. Alexandra hopes to use the knowledge from the many aspects of Pediatric Cancer that she has researched including activism, advocacy, grief, guilt, and other psychosocial subjects, to make a career out of helping children and their families  have an easier road as they try and get through this most difficult time.

Leia Hunt was diagnosed with Retinoblastoma when she was just 2  1/2 years old. This form of Pediatric Cancer cost her the use of her left eye and she went through many difficulties both physically and emotionally during her early years, adolescent years, and into her teenage years. 
Knowing instinctively that she had to help other kids who were suffering with different forms of Pediatric Cancer, Leia  started her LEIA'S KIDS Non-Profit when she was 18 years old.
Her mission is to directly help kids and their families who need financial support to cover expenses and Leia hosts a "Crowning" Party for those families who qualify for a $1000 check.
Her non-profit now has over 100 kids waiting to be crowned and there will be many more down the road as Leia intends to expand and help as many deserving kids as possible. 

Tyler Trent was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in 2014 after what was thought to be only a broken arm after throwing a frisbee. His parents Kelly and Tony  will talk about Tyler's incredible journey which eventually became known throughout the country due to his connection to the Purdue University Football team.
Attending Purdue while a freshman , Tyler and a friend decided to camp out the night before at the  football stadium before their game with Michigan. What was most unusual about this was that Tyler had just completed a chemotherapy treatment 6 hours before. When head football coach Jeff Brohm got word about what Tyler did, he visited him the next morning.
That began the amazing connection that Tyler developed with the entire Purdue team, especially with starting quarterback David Blough.
In 2018, as Tyler's condition worsened and he was unable to return to school, he still made his presence felt by predicting that his beloved Boilermakers would upset undefeated Ohio State in a Nationally Televised game. Purdue destroyed the Buckeyes 49-20 . Tyler attended the game despite being very sick the week leading up to kickoff, and he was really the star of the night.
Sadly, Tyler passed away less than 3 moths later. His legacy however, will continue for many years to come.