Today’s Jay Fund Hero – Chase Ryan Olsen
In the ideal world, we wouldn’t need a month of gold or gold ribbons, chemo, or even the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Foundation, for that matter. Clearly, the world isn’t perfect, because here we are on September 30th, 2013 – the last ‘official’ day of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and the fact remains that each school day, 46 kids in the US are diagnosed with childhood cancer. That’s 46 families EVERY SINGLE SCHOOL-DAY, in America alone, and it is the most common cause of death by disease for children and adolescents in America.
Today’s hero is one of the all too many kids, who didn’t make it. Chase Ryan Olsen died in November of 2009 at the age of 9 just 3 1/2 months after he was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer called Malignant Rhabdoid Tumor. “On November 20, 2009, we got the worst news any parent can ever get. We were told that the cancer was getting worse, his kidneys were failing and his lungs were full of fluid. There was nothing else they could do except make Chase comfortable. So that is what we did. For 4 grueling days, we sat by our son’s bed side and held him. We told him we loved him more than anything in this world. Family and friends came to say their goodbyes and to try to give us strength. It was like a dream. How could we possibly say goodbye to our little boy, our buddy?! On November 24, 2009 at 6:50pm, Chase took his last breath on this earth. Our lives forever changed that day,” said Maureen Olsen, Chase’s mom.
Before Chase passed away, he and his family (mom, dad, two sisters and brother), who are HUGE Giants fans, had an opportunity to go on a private tour of Met Life Stadium right after it was built, but unfortunately Chase was just too sick to go. Maureen Olsen, also a pediatric nurse shared, “Chase’s favorite player was Brandon Jacobs, and we buried Chase in all his Giants apparel.” In the ideal world Chase Olsen would be 13 years old now, an 8th grader in Jackson, NJ., and still wearing Jacob’s jersey.
But, we know the world is far from ideal. So, we can choose to help make a difference for families tackling childhood cancer. Donate to the Jay Fund in honor of Chase Olsen, his family or the countless families affected by childhood cancer. Help families pay their household expenses, so they don’t have to worry about their mortgage payments while they sit in the hospital with their loved ones or attend a fun, special event so families and children can come together with others facing the same challenges, or even pay for life saving treatments, when it’s not covered by insurance.
BE THERE for every one of our September Heroes…BE THERE for families tackling childhood cancer. Every dollar makes a difference when you have a child with cancer.