To this day, Darren Greenwood doesn’t know who was responsible for the care package, but it couldn’t have come at a better time.
It was 2011 and Darren’s son, Joe, was about to be diagnosed with leukemia.
Joe, 17 at the time, had begun feeling ill during a family vacation and had gone to see his doctor upon their return. After looking at the results of his blood tests, the doctor told Joe and his parents they needed to go directly from their home in Ripon, outside of Modesto, to the Kaiser Permanente Santa Clara Medical Center.
They arrived late. They were tired. They were hungry.
That’s when they got the care package.
“Somebody at some time had made some kind of donation to the hospital,” Darren says, “so that new leukemia patients and their families would get one.” Darren says, in retrospect, it wasn’t important what was in the package, just that it was there.
“It was just the coolest thing,” Darren says, holding back tears, “that somebody somewhere was thinking about you.”
Category Archives: News
Nearly $400,000 raised for pediatric cancer research
Over 1,000 Devon Still jerseys were sold in the first two days, with all proceeds going to Cincinnati Children’s hospital and in less than a week, nearly $400,000 were raised.
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Devon Still jersey sales break records in support of pediatric cancer research
Practice squad spot means health insurance for Bengals lineman to care for daughter battling cancer
MLS recognizes Childhood Cancer Awareness Month across the league
Each team created a version of this video, are doing various activities during games in September to raise awareness and funding for childhood cancer.
Will Ferrell hates cancer — and he’ll play video games on Twitch to prove it
Actor Will Ferrell, who starred in films like Anchorman and Elf, is asking the gaming community to help him raise at least $375,000 as part of an IndieGogo crowdfunding campaign to benefit non-profit organizations Cancer for College and DonateGames. If the project reaches its goal, Ferrell promises to spend Oct. 26 playing video games on Twitch. The event will feature special items for people who donate, like a tube of “Will Ferrell’s SuperMegaUVBlastMax: Gamer’s Sunscreen.” And everyone who contributes is entered into a sweepstakes to travel to San Francisco and take on Ferrell in a battle of gaming skill. You can get all of the details at WillFerrellHatesCancer.org.
Man takes 101 photos of cancer courage
Photographer Peter Doyle is the parent of a healthy 3-year-old boy. Sitting in the cancer wing of a pediatric hospital for business, he had an epiphany as he watched the families make their way past him.
“(They) were just like my own little family. At least they had been like mine until they were suddenly engulfed with the stress and fear that comes with hearing your child’s cancer diagnosis. My wife and I have a bright-eyed, curious, three-year-old son. Feeling that momentary panic of what would we do if our world was ever thrown topsy-turvy by similar tidings, I asked myself where we would find support and encouragement? The answer came swiftly: Who better to extend a helpful word of hope than these very families surrounding me? The journey of photographing 101 childhood cancer warriors and survivors leading me across America began that very night.”
Doyle began a journey around America, photographing children with cancer and having them write about their own stories. Childhood Cancer Portraits is a collection of 101 portraits and handwritten notes of hope, wisdom and encouragement from children with cancer. Twenty-two of the children featured in Doyle’s just released book are from Atlanta.
Up to 50% of the profits from the book will go to childhood cancer non profits and the families of the children featured in the book, to help pay for medical expenses.
Kansas boy with cancer asks for superhero birthday, world answers
Michigan children’s hospital to get $250,000 grant
“The generous support from Hyundai’s Hope on Wheels is going to allow us to pursue an exciting new area of investigation that we are optimistic will lead to better therapy for Ewing sarcoma patients,” Lawlor said. “This research is particularly innovative since it involves new partnerships with other investigators from diverse disciplines across the University of Michigan. We are confident that by working together we are going to make more important discoveries and make them faster.”
Devon Still and Bengals Take Stance Against Pediatric Cancer
An ESPN report by Coley Harvey really brought to light how close to home Pediatric Cancer has hit the Bengals organization and Devon Still. In June, Still found out his four year old daughter has stage-4 Neuroblastoma cancer and a 50-50 shot at survival. As a father, I know it would be hard to find out news like that, but Still has battled on while earning a spot on the Bengals practice squad.
The Cincinnati Bengals (and Devon Still) decided to take it one step further, not only to ensure that Still had a paycheck and health insurance for his daughter, but to contribute to the effort directly
Help sack cancer with a @Dev_Still71 jersey. Proceeds go to benefit @CincyChildrens. More: http://t.co/kOuwYDKmCN pic.twitter.com/PmhP5F5o7g
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) September 9, 2014
On top of the Bengals donating the proceeds from Still’s jersey sales, Devon Still has also set up a fundraiser at pldgit.com. You can sign up to donate money per sack. Proceeds from Still’s Fundraiser will benefit the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which happen to be leaders in research for pediatric cancer.
Virginia boy raising money for kids’ cancer research
And while “Mini” Timmy Tyrrell turns 10 on Monday, he’s been raising money for kids with cancer since he was six years old. He vows to never stop; in 2010, his friend Ella Day was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
“He saw the need and he wanted to help,” Ella Day’s mother, Karen Day, says of “Mini.” “He wanted to do anything he could do to help, [for] a six-year-old, that to me is astonishing.”
On the eve of his birthday, “Mini” has raised more than $200,000 for cancer research. Sunday, at the E.G. Smith Baseball Complex in Manassas, 400 players attended the third-annual kickball tournament to raise money for children with cancer.
Practice squad spot means health insurance for Bengals lineman to care for daughter battling cancer
For most NFL players, making the practice squad instead of the 53-man roster is a huge letdown. But for Cincinnati Bengals defensive tackle Devon Still, it was a sign of loyalty.
Smith’s four-year-old daughter is battling pediatric cancer and by being on the Bengals’ practice squad, Still still has health insurance.
This disease literally turned my world upside down in a matter of a day and continues to affect every… http://t.co/2h9l4nmtxm
— Devon Still (@Dev_Still71) September 1, 2014