Hey all-- this is Jason Sissel (founder of Endure to Cure) and Vasilis Toxavidis (a Team E2C member and former beneficiary of E2C programs). A couple weeks ago, we were presented the rare opportunity to run the 2021 New York City Marathon, which is TODAY! While neither of us has trained for this race, we are running for a purpose greater than either ourselves or this race: to honor the memory of Vasilis's daughter, Lilly, and provide financial assistance to kids like her and their families.
Our goal is to raise $5,000 in one day to help Endure to Cure fund as many requests for Travel for Treatment Assistance as possible -- just like Lilly's family received from Endure to Cure. Can you please help us crush this goal so we can make somebody's tough times a little easier? Every bit helps big or small!
Here is Lilly's story along with the stories of 3 of the nearly 30 kids in cancer treatment whose families are currently in line for financial assistance from our programs:
In November 2017, Vasilis' 12-year-old daughter, Lilly, developed what her family thought simply was the yearly winter cold. But after many lab tests and imaging studies, Lilly and her family received the heartbreaking news that she was now facing a battle with Lymphoblastic Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
Lilly endured many chemo treatments at Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence, RI and Boston Children's Hospital. Endure to Cure provided her family with Travel for Treatment Assistance to help defray the immediate and uninsurable expenses of getting to and from her treatments.
In late October 2019, Lilly got her angel wings.
Below are a few of the families we are looking to help. If you would be willing to make a contribution large or small, and come team up with us to provide some hope, inspiration, and assistance to as many beneficiaries as possible, we would be incredibly grateful!
We have about 25 more families currently in the queue for assistance from Endure to Cure. Our commitment to you is that we will send you a story of the child and the family who you helped. Can we count you in!?
Thank you,
Jay & V-Tox
Kimber | 2 years old | Brainstem Glioma/Tumor | Houston, Texas
Kimber's chemo treatments are about 2.5hrs from her home. Kimber is making progress but the cost of traveling to and from her therapies are adding up quickly. In addition, Kimber's mother was fired from her job in June since she could no longer work 40hrs due to having to provide care for Kimber. Going from a two income household to a single income household has added significant financial and emotional strain on the family unit.
Family Request: help paying for travel to and from therapies and chemo treatments. Kimber's parents spend roughly $100 a week just on the gas alone that it takes to get Kimber to her treatments.
Kimber's mother states: "this assistance would take the cost of fuel away from our budget and allow us to focus on paying our mortgage and car payments. We are trying so hard to be able to get our cars paid off so we can have fewer bills and not have to worry so much that we are now a one income household."
Yency | 18 years old | Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma | Chicago, IL
A month prior to her 18th birthday, Yency had a bump on the cheek on the right side of her face. She went to her primary care clinic where they took blood and told her she was fine. A week later she was experiencing acute tooth pain so she went to her dentist who immediately sent her to an oral surgeon. After a biopsy was performed she met with an oncologist where she was diagnosed with Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma.
Instead of starting college as planned, Yency is going to begin radiation treatment at the Northwestern Proton Center for 6 weeks, Monday-Friday. This is 114-mile round trip from their home. She comes from a single-parent household and also has a younger sister. Their mom works in a factory and often takes extra shifts on weekends to help make ends meet. Her mother is incredibly concerned that the transportation to and from the Proton Center is going to put them in financial ruin and is asking us to help.
Daniel | 10 years old | Acute Lymphoid Leukemia (ALL) | Fargo, ND
Daniel is the youngest of 6 children and had hardly ever been sick a day in his life up until last school year. He had missed a lot of school his parents just chalked it up to a recurring virus. As the recurring illness evolved into exhaustion from normal physical activities to not being able to move much at all, to finally not even having the energy to eat, Daniel's family knew something wasn't right.
Daniel was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoid Leukemia (ALL) and now has to make a 450-mile round-trip to Fargo once a month for 4 days for chemotherapy, physical therapy, and occupational therapy.
Family Request: "We are asking if you could please help us with our traveling expenses to Fargo for lodging gas or mileage and meals. We will be staying there for four nights each month for the next 14 months. This would be a big burden lifted off of us especially this month not having the money to travel and stay in Fargo for Daniel's therapy."
