For the first time since her foster son, Emmanuel, 7, was diagnosed with brain cancer in March 2005, Sarah Wright, a stay-at-home mom from Prince George?s County, is taking her family on a trip.
And the upcoming three-day trip to Hershey Park would not have been possible without the help of The Casey Cares Foundation, a Baltimore-based charity that provides uplifting programs to critically ill children and their families.
“They have been such a blessing, and I?m really amazed that they are an organization that caters to the total family,” Wright said. “When you?re going through something like this, that is such a stressful time, there is a lot of guilt as a parent for not being able to be there for the rest of the family.”
Wright said that since Emmanuel?s diagnosis and throughout his treatment at Johns Hopkins, her other three children, who are adopted and also have special health needs, have had to curtail all of their extra-curricular activities. And, with expenses such as driving to Emmanuel?s treatments and parking at the hospital, Wright said money for entertainment has fallen the bottom of the list.
Aside from the upcoming all-expenses-paid trip to Hershey, Pa., Wright said Casey Cares has also provided the family with tickets to the Soul Circus, dinner at a golf tournament complete with gift bags for all of the children and tickets to the Science Center.
The foundation also secured an autographed photo for Emmanuel of John Travolta from “Grease,” the child?s favorite movie.
“I can?t describe the look on his face when he saw that photo,” Wright said.
Foundation spokeswoman Pam Goode said the charity tries to focus on the entire family rather than just on the sick child, because often when a child is critically ill, the rest of the family feels the impact.
“Once a child is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness, it affects the whole family,” Goode said. “That?s why we wanted to be able to provide uplifting activities for the entire family. When a child is sick, the siblings suffer because the family is focusing on the sick child.”
Goode added that since its founding in 2000, the foundation has reached out to more than 3,500 families. Its programs include special birthday celebrations, tickets to local attractions, overnight trips and family pizza nights.
The activities are funded through in-kind donations, fundraising, private donations, corporate sponsors and foundation grants.
Meanwhile, Wright said for now Emmanuel?s prognosis is positive, but the whole ordeal has left a lasting impression on the family.
“Our life has changed forever, not just until Emmanuel is free of cancer for three or five years,” Wright said. “And it?s one thing, unless you have gone through it, that you really can?t understand.”
Contact the nonprofit
» Casey Cares Foundation
1401 Rome Road
Baltimore, MD 21227
443-568-0064
Caseycaresfoundation.org
