NATIONAL CHILDREN’S CANCER SOCIETY

On Father’s Day in 2006, 15-month-old “Jeremy” scared his parents when he suffered a seizure. A few days later, they received the frightening news their only child had an atypical teratoid rhamdoyd tumor of the brain, or AT/RT.

The treatment called for a surgical resection, 60-plus weeks of  chemotherapy and six weeks of focal radiation. “Jeremy” was treated at a medical facility in Boston located about an hour from their home. Because he was so young, one of his parents was always with him while he was at the hospital. His mother initially took a leave from her job, but eventually had to quit to become Jeremy’s primary caregiver through his lengthy treatment and recovery.

“We had a tremendous community of friends and family that helped out financially, but the money and support we received from The National Children’s Cancer Society (NCCS) to help with traveling back and forth and food and lodging was critical,” “Jeremy’s” dad said. “While we were busy dealing with a catastrophic illness, it was incredibly helpful to have someone else worry about that stuff for us.”

“Jeremy” will have to be closely monitored for the rest of his life because his cancer has a high recurrence rate. He is just one of the 25,000 children helped by the NCCS since 1987. The NCCS provides direct financial assistance for treatment-related expenses not covered by insurance as well as emotional support and educational programs.

CVC #0142

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