Meet Eman
In August 2017, Emmanuel (or Eman as his family calls him) was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Eman was only four at the time of his diagnosis. Now six years old, Eman and his family -- his mother, father, and little sister who was just 4 months old when he was diagnosed – are tackling cancer as a family.
“My son has a lot of doctor’s appointments that are a pretty good distance from where we live so we have to take off work either a partial day or full day, depending on what time his appointments are. And on procedure day, where they sedate him and put the chemotherapy in his spine, we take off to be there for him. Missing work means our paychecks are smaller than usual. If he is sick or not doing well, and needs to stay home, I miss work, which affects our pay.”
How the Jay Fund is helping
Both mom and dad have been able to take time off from work to bring Eman to appointments and procedures because of Jay Fund financial support. Eman’s mom wrote, “The Jay Fund is a blessing for our family. Having them definitely helped us not have to stress about what bills we can make and which ones would have to be late.”
Eman at the Holiday Party
After the Holiday Party, Eman's mom reached out and said: “Emmanuel loves the holiday party, and especially the presents and gift baskets during the holidays. It just makes this time of year feel extra special. We are extremely thankful for the compassion and support the Jay Fund has given our family. The Jay Fund has nice distractions for all of us so we can have a 'day off' from cancer and forget about all of the hospital stays, pokes, and more. They allow us to just have a good time.” Even better, Eman's mom reported that Eman will be finishing up chemo this month!
Click here to watch Eman and his family enjoying the Holiday Party!