This adorable little boy recently turned 7 years old. He is quite the performer. Zahir loves to sing and tell jokes because it makes others happy. Everywhere he goes, he loves to meet people and give women hugs and men handshakes. Zahir has a large family. He is one of seven siblings so he always has people to interact with. He is their happy and carefree social butterfly.

Zahir was diagnosed in June of 2015 when he was just 6 years old. He was having bad headaches and vomiting. So, his family brought him to St. Christopher’s where he had an MRI and cat scan. This is when they noticed the tumor. Zahir was diagnosed with AT/RT which is a rare brain tumor. He is currently being treated with chemotherapy treatments and will follow up with radiation.

“God’s Angel” is what his family calls him. Zahir has so much joy and love to share. They can’t wait for the day that he is cancer free and can live a normal childhood.

Information provided by his grandmother, Marlene Berry.

This lovable 11 year old boy is not a fan of eating spinach but he does like all super heroes and action figures. Sounds about right! Dante likes to spend time playing games with his brother, particularly games having to do with strategy. He is a smart little boy. His favorite games are Minecraft, Call of Duty, Just Cause 3. These are the things Dante likes to do when he is not spending time at the hospital.

Dante was diagnosed in May of 2014 when he was just 9 years old. He had developed lumps on his head and behind his ear which were cause for concern. Dante is being treated for Lymphoma at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children where he receives chemotherapy every other week. Once he is finished with treatment, his dream is to visit sunny Hawaii or Trinidad. Dante continues to fight and will strategize to beat his cancer.

Information provided by his father, Isidor Sime.

You may remember seeing Ms. Kylie during our Star Search competition. Kylie has a beautiful voice and loves to sing, dance and act. So it is no surprise that big sister, Kylie, is the family drama queen. She has a very strong willed personality for a seven year old. This personality has come in handy the past year.

Last year, Kylie was complaining of leg pain. For months, she randomly started to snack on ice, her skin became really pale…even family was noticing. About a month before she was diagnosed, Kylie started with very low grade fevers, chose the ice over food and didn’t get off the couch. It was time to get blood work done. On August 11, 2015, a week before Kylie’s 7^th birthday, she was diagnosed with B-ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia). Kylie is being treated at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia where she has had two bone marrow transplants, spinal taps with chemotherapy, leg injections and oral medication on a regular basis. Her mother says that her prayers are answered every day when Kylie wakes up and walks down stairs for a good morning hug. Hopefully, one day soon, Kylie won’t have to be poked and medicated.

“Fight Song” by Rachel Platten has been a big inspiration for Kylie. We can’t wait to hear you perform your own songs one day, Kylie!

Information provided by her mother, Gina Johnson.

Every now and then we receive a generous donation from someone we don’t know so I reach out and ask how they heard of Michael’s Way. This donation came with a letter and he mentioned the kind people who get credit for this contribution. Mr. Kirlin gave me permission to share his letter which you can read below.

Dear Ashley Thompson,

I am sending you this $200 donation to your amazing charity. I am a manager at the Pepsi facility in Philadelphia and recently received an award from my company. Along with the award I was given a $200 donation to the charity of my choice. Your foundation was highly recommended by my cousin, Jeanine. Jeanine’s daughter, Kaylee (my cousin), recently battled a form of pediatric cancer and is alive and well. Jeanine told me Linda Giunta was extremely supportive to Kaylee and her whole family during their trying times. Jeanine spoke the world about your organization and after my own research I just wanted to say thank you for all you do. Your foundation is amazing and extremely inspiring. If there is ever a way that myself and the Pepsi family can help you, please let us know. We do a lot of charity work in the community and are always doing what we can to help out. Again, I want to say thank you and please accept this donation. 

Sincerely,

Chris Kirlin

Thank you to Chris and his family for the support. Thank you to Linda Giunta for being our biggest cheerleader!

P.S. Let’s give a round of applause to PEPSI for promoting this kind of philanthropy. 
 

We are teaming up again with the Flyers Wives to remodel the home of St. Christopher’s patient, Bisan Abu Ali. For those of you who did not read about Bisan in our January Spotlight, she is a sweet 9 year old girl who lives with her parents, twin sister and younger sister in Philadelphia. Bisan was diagnosed with progressive optic pathway glioma at the young age of 6 months and attends the Overbrook School for the Blind.

This is our 5th year partnering with the Flyers Wives and we could not be more excited to have selected a GIRL! The project has been underway since the beginning of January which means we have invaded and overwhelmed their space just long enough for them to still like us. In order to keep the finishing touches a surprise, the family will be leaving their home in a few weeks. The big reveal will be held on Sunday, February 21, 2016 at 1pm. We can not wait to see their faces when they walk into their new home! Check back to see the step by step pictures and video.
 

Logan was introduced to us years ago by one of our Board Members, Brandy. Logan happens to be her adorable nephew. He is a loving, adventurous, little boy who loves putting Lego sets together, playing Minecraft with his big brother and doing anything outdoors. Luckily, he is able to do what a 7 year old boy wants to be doing which for Logan means swimming and playing T-ball.

When Logan was 15 months old, he became very sick. He was tired a lot and had no appetite. One morning, he woke up with a bruise under his eye that just kept getting worse. Logan had bloodwork done that showed cancer. They discovered a tumor in his abdomen and one behind his eye. Logan was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma and was treated at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He battled through many surgeries, chemotherapies, radiation and immunotherapies. His mother is now proud to say that Logan has defied all medical odds by overcoming not only a devastating diagnosis but two relapses! He gets scans every 6 months to make sure the cancer does not come back. Hopefully, Logan continues to grow and develop without any long term side effects from all of the harsh treatments. He has a lot of living to do and right now can just enjoy being a kid.

To read more about Logan and his journey, you can purchase a copy of his book, Logan’s War Against Stage IV; A Warrior’s Battle to Victory. Please visit www.loganswar.com for more information.

Information provided by his mother, Ashleigh Snyder.

Bisan is a happy and kind 9 year old girl who makes friends very easily. This may be in part to being born with her best friend…her twin sister, Bushra. They love all things purple and pink and princess! Bisan and Bushra were also lucky enough to add another sister, Balsam, to their group when they were just a year old.

At the young age of 6 months old, Bisan’s left eye was shaking so her mother rushed her to the Emergency Room. After 10 long hours, an MRI found the tumor in her optical nerves. Her mother was told her newborn baby had cancer and was heartbroken. Based on its location, the tumor cannot be surgically resected. So, Bisan started radiation at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children. Bisan is diagnosed with progressive optic pathway glioma which affects her vision and she has developed right side weakness in her body for which she goes to physical therapy. Bisan currently receives chemotherapy and is seen at St. Christopher’s as well as CHOP. During the past 9 years, Bisan had a four year period without treatments because her tumor was stable. Her mother recalls those days with a smile and knows they will see them again. Her parents wish for Bisan to be cancer free and can’t wait for future days to see Bisan in a graduation gown and someday a wedding dress.

Bisan and her sisters are so loving and full of hope. They hug the staff at St. Christopher’s as soon as they walk in. It is impossible not to smile when you see how brave and strong they are together!

Information provided by her mother, Sana Abu Ali.