Dear Editor:
Earlier this year, our daughter, Madison Eastman, 12, started a
club called
”
Help Save the Cancer Kids of America.
”
Dear Editor:
Earlier this year, our daughter, Madison Eastman, 12, started a club called “Help Save the Cancer Kids of America.”
Madison was diagnosed with cancer five years ago. Her goal was to play Santa to the oncology kids at Stanford.
In particular, she wanted to present each child with a stuffed Mickey Mouse in memory of a dear friend, Merisa Rojas, from Hollister, who died of leukemia in 1999. Madison wrote the Hollister Independence Rally Committee in the hopes they would donate the cost of one of the Mickeys. HIRC went far beyond Madison’s expectations.
Madison was asked to be a guest speaker at a luncheon hosted by HIRC and Rotary on Oct. 8. At the luncheon, HIRC presented Madison a check that would do far more than just take care of the costs of all the needed Mickeys. They also generously donated the headstone for Merisa, whose family could not afford one and raised more funds at the luncheon. Not only will Madison now be able to play Santa to the kids at Stanford, she has funds to help her achieve her ultimate goal to help families who need financial assistance.
Thanks to HIRC, Madison has been able to procure all of the Mickey Mouse toys, help pay for the funeral services of one boy, provide a laptop computer for another local child who has been in-patient at the hospital for three months with leukemia, and earmark funds to take care of Christmas and Thanksgiving for another family.
We extend a heartfelt hug of gratitude to HIRC for its support, for its help making the goals of a 12-year-old a reality, and for helping “Help Save the Cancer Kids of America” achieve its goal of helping sick children and their families.
Gary Byrne, executive director of the Community Foundation of San Benito County, was able to set up “Help Save the Cancer Kids of America” as a non-profit organization under the Community Foundation. We are thankful for his help in making a complicated process so easy and for taking the time to answer a lot of questions and e-mails. This will enable “Help Save the Cancer Kids of America” to provide continual support to families, while making it tax deductible to people who contribute to the organization.
For information on “Help Save the Cancer Kids of America”, you can e-mail Madison at
ea******@ho******.com
.
We thank John Sander of Black Cooper Sander Funeral Home for his generosity and grace in working with HIRC and “Help Save the Cancer Kids of America” to provide a headstone for Merisa.
It seems only natural that HIRC would be the organization that would take a child seriously and back that child’s efforts. HIRC has done more in their support of “Help Save the Cancer Kids of America” than make one child’s dream a reality – they have touched and helped the lives of several children and families stricken with cancer. That’s a phenomenal accomplishment. We are not surprised, just incredibly thankful.
Colleen Eastman,
Hollister
