13th Annual Fun Fest
Date: June 30, 2015
Location: Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia – Oncology Unit
Once a year, we like to throw a party for the Oncology patients at one of our partnered hospitals. This year, we celebrated with the patients at CHOP. They were able to come out of their rooms and get their face painted, take pictures in a photo booth, make crafts and eat! Thanks to our volunteers and CHOP staff for making this a great event! It was nice to see the patients having so much fun.
Building Hope for Kids Recipient: Zander
Age: 4
Age of Diagnosis: 3
Type of Cancer: Leukemia.
Michael’s Way and Flyers Wives have come together to create Building Hope for Kids. We are in our 4th year! Each year, we partner together to work with social workers at various children’s hospitals to help identify a chronically ill child with Cancer from a family in Philadelphia that needs to make renovations to their home. This year we have chosen four-year old Zander from North East Philadelphia, who has Leukemia. With lots of help, we renovate the child’s bedroom and even other rooms of the house as we see fit. Improving the home means improving the quality of life for the patient.
Jose’s Story
Age: 18
Age of Diagnosis: 16
Type of Cancer: Brain Cancer
While Jose was battling brain cancer, Michael’s Way and the Philadelphia Flyers Wives charity teamed up to renovate his family’s Northeast Philadelphia home.
The family’s unused basement was transformed into a master bedroom suite with access directly outside, making it easier for Jose’s mother to get him to appointments. Volunteers decorated the teenager’s room to make it more fun during his recuperation. Sadly, Jose lost his battle with this devastating disease. He passed away a few months ago, but we are honored to have made the last few months of his short life a little brighter for him and his family.
James’ Story
Age: 7
Age of Diagnosis: 4
Type of Cancer: T-cell acute lymphoid leukemia
T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a rare type of cancer that is more common in older children and teenagers, but James has been fighting it since he was in pre-school. It’s a blood cancer that is aggressive and progresses quickly, but it’s hard to tell by looking at this energetic youngster who loves the Flyers and playing with his two brothers.
Tyler ‘s Story
Age: 10
Age of Diagnosis: 6
Type of Cancer: Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)
Tyler completed his leukemia treatment exactly one year ago, but he had been bravely battling the disease for 3 years. His mother Kelly explains it’s been emotionally and financially draining for the entire family–including his brother and sister.
Tiffany’s Story
Age: 22
Age of Diagnosis: 21
Type of Cancer: Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma
Besides dealing with grueling cancer treatments, her family worried constantly about making ends meet. The threat of losing their home was very real — until Michael’s Way stepped in.
What an inspiring weekend in Philadelphia! We were excited to kick off the weekend by unveiling a new 85′ billboard welcoming Pope Francis. Thanks to our buddy, Zander, for smiling so big that he lights up 76! We hope everyone will enjoy seeing the new image and that it brings a smile to your face. Thank you to the many people who continue to support our efforts to help families and children with cancer.
We received a sweet note from Darlene Hammel, a social worker at the Specialty Care Center of CHOP: “I just had to send a card to you to thank you and Michael’s Way for all you do for our families. While you probably rarely hear from my families they really do appreciate all the support they receive from Michael’s Way. You might not be aware of it but most of our families, by the end of treatment, have medical bills which are quite large. By your foundation assisting them financially they are able to make payments on the balanced owed. Thank you so much”.
Not many kids spend their Friday nights giving back but Dan Hill is not most kids. And if you’ve ever coordinated any kind of event, you know it takes more than one night. Throw Cancer a Curveball raised over $11,000 and it is all thanks to 3Dimensional Physical Therapy of Medford, NJ and the Hill Family! They ran a very successful fundraiser at Big League Dreams. Danny Hill and his family have now become our family. We are lucky to have met you. Thank you for your kind and generous hearts, you have a lot to be proud of!
Last night’s Grand Opening in Charlotte is going to be tough to beat! Scott Crutchfield, Michael’s Way Board Member, introduced us to the Charlotte community and we were welcomed with great food, drink and conversation. Our new friends at the NASCAR Foundation attended to show their support and ran into one of their own…Joey Logano! Mr. Logano made an exciting appearance as he closed the night out with a $30,000 donation to Michael’s Way! Thank you to the Joey Logano Foundation for that generous donation! Since January, we have been working with the Oncology social workers at Levine Children’s Hospital and they have expressed the great need for financial support. Thanks to his contribution, we will be able to make a significant impact on the lives of families that have children with cancer. We are thrilled with this recent expansion and look forward to many more good things to come!
