Kennedy Update and CureSearch

It’s been 6 months since Kennedy has been officially “cured” from cancer, 3 years since her last round of chemo and 5 ½  years since she was diagnosed.  Those are big numbers.  With each day, we step further and further from what could have been to what is, and we are eternally grateful.

We still visit Loyola four times per year for clinic checks but as we move away from our experience with childhood cancer, we can’t forget there are kids less fortunate than Kennedy that are currently losing their battle or just couldn’t win and are no longer with us.

For the past several years, we have fundraised for CureSearch (the organization that backed Kennedy’s chemo protocol) and volunteered on the pediatric floor of Loyola.  This year I was named publicity chair of the CureSearch Chicago Walk and hoping to achieve coverage of the event and cause while also raising the money needed to help the organization do what they do best.  The article https://curesearch.org/Chicago-Mom-of-Young-Cancer-Survivor-Joins-CureSearch-Event-as-Publicity-Chair announcing the appointment ran in the Daily Herald and Chicago Tribune.  As a result, Kennedy received a note from a Palatine State Representative.

 

I love CureSearch because the protocol they backed saved her from potential heart damage and delivered less-severe side effects.  Most people don’t understand that even though treatment is over and Kennedy is “cured”, the chemotherapy can still wreak havoc and cause long-term organ and cognitive damage into adulthood.  It’s hard to escape the effects of chemicals being pumped into one’s body during key developmental periods.

Kennedy has personally raised $85 for this year’s walk by making and selling slime with her friends.  In May, Kennedy and her friend Angela went door to door and sold slime for $.50 - $3 a jar.  We were astonished by her idea and accomplishment.  While many of her friends were selling slime for personal gain, Kennedy was raising money for a cause that is embedded in her soul.  As a 10-year old, she has more empathy and understanding than most adults I know.

So with that end – this is where I ask you to walk with us on September 24 or just donate to a wonderful cause.   Our goal is $7,500 and we are almost there!  The link to our CureSearch fundraising website is: http://www.curesearchevents.org/site/TR/CureSearchSuperheroesUnite/CureSearchSuperheroesUnite?team_id=2752&pg=team&fr_id=1461

 

Thank you all who donated already, this cause means the world to our entire family!

With Love,

Edan Gelt & Gene Khalimsky