Katie

Katie a beautiful and full of life 3 year old was diagnosed May 6, 2008 with Stage IV Neuroblastoma. She has received 25 days of high dose chemotherapy, 28 doses of radiation, 6 surgeries, 3 days of stem cell harvesting, 9 bone marrow aspirations, 55 days of painful antibody therapy, and numerous scans, transfusions, and tests. Katie will continue with antibody therapy one week every other month until December 2010 in NYC to help keep her cancer free. Katie loves all things girly: hair pretties, Tinkerbell, all the Princesses, make-up, “popular” clothes, ballet, etc. During our many months inpatient Katie learned to read, write, simple math, shapes, and colors at what she calls “Mommy School”. She lives with her mom Terry and two wonderful brothers, Eli 12, and Aidin 9. We are a loving and devoted family. All the children love to jump on the trampoline, go for bike rides, and have family reading time. With an at times very sick child in the home movies, cooking, and board games are also favorite past times. Katie is very sweet, shy, and very silly (she loves to do funny dances). She keeps us laughing a lot of the time.

Note from Katie’s Mom:  Katie has worked very hard with an amazing spirit and with the heartfelt support of our family, friends, community, generous organizations like the Harrison Nichols Foundation, and the blessings of God she has beat this beast. Please help her and other innocent children like our Katie Bug continue their courageous fight. Thanks for sharing her story and continuing the fight against Neuroblastoma for all these amazing and deserving kids. God Bless.
 

Dean

Dean, was born on April 4, 2004. In 2007, at the age of 3 he was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. Dean has received chemotherapy, radiation, and a stem cell transplant at Duke University in Durham, NC. In October of 2009, Dean demonstrated signs of brain metastases. Today in 2010, he continues to fight bravely against this deadly disease. When Dean is not receiving chemotherapy and radiation you can find him playing his favorite video games, reading and writing or watching TV- usually the cartoon network.

A note from Dean’s Mom: I want to start out by saying with all our hearts “thank you.” The financial aid check that was given to us made us believe again that someone cares. Your organization is a blessing for families that can’t see past the sickness. When I received the call from our social worker that we were approved I just laid the phone down and cried. Thank you for being here for families like ours. May God continue to bless this organization and you.
 

Shamar

Shamar is a radiant 10 year-old boy from Jamaica. In 2004, Shamar was diagnosed with stage 4 Neuroblastoma. After receiving initial treatment in Jamaica, Shamar relapsed in 2006 and he and his mother secured green cards and came to New York City to further his fight against this deadly disease. Shamar and his mother live in the New York area with relatives, as Shamar continues his treatment at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center while his father remains in Jamaica. He has handled his aggressive, intensive multimodal treatments with courage and dignity, and with a smile that can light up a room. He is a serious student who loves school and attends as frequently as his treatment schedule allows. When he must be at the hospital he can usually be found working with the hospital- based teacher. He is an extraordinary child who thoroughly enjoys video games, and is currently engaged in a fight for his life.