Liam

Liam was 5-years-old when his parents were told he has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in December 2014. After going through months of chemotherapy, Liam is now 2 years cancer free, and is the happiest he could possibly be. Liam’s family is still on the Jay Fund team today. His mother attended a mothers retreat, his family joined us at the annual holiday party, and Dawaun, his father, participated in the 2018 Jay Fund Radiothon. “When Liam was diagnosed, we wanted two things, one, for our son to be healthy and okay; and two, we wanted normalcy for him. That is what the Jay Fund did, they gave us those two things.” – Dawaun Smith

Jose

Jose is a 9-year-old boy who was diagnosed with leukemia in July of 2017. Jose immediately began treatment. Jose’s infectious smile and loving personality warms the hearts of the Jay Fund and the hospital staff. He has a way of making people smile even when he is having a tough time. The Jay Fund has helped Jose and his family with emergency household expenses this past year. Karen, Jose’s mom said “There are no words to describe what the Jay Fund means to Jose and our family. In his hardest moments, the Jay Fund was there to cheer him up. They have provided Jose with activities, which brings excitement to his life. The Jay Fund is always so helpful and we are extremely appreciative for their support. The Jay Fund should be proud of what they do because they do a great job.”

Elizabeth

In November 2009, Elizabeth began to limp, which was thought to be a cause of a disease her twin brother had. After visiting the pediatrician, monitoring it was the best decision. Time began to pass and Elizabeth’s limp continued. The pediatrician did numerous tests including labs, x-rays and more over a span of six months before finally coming to the conclusion of what was causing the limp. On May 13, 2010, Elizabeth was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). The news was shocking to everyone because of all the previous tests being negative. Elizabeth was very healthy and she did not have symptoms that are typical of a child with leukemia. She endured 2 ½ years of treatment which included things like daily oral chemotherapy and steroid pulses, IV chemotherapy treatments, and more. Elizabeth is now five years off of treatment and doing excellent. The Jay Fund was there throughout Elizabeth’s treatment, and continues to be there for them today. “We were able to gain financial and emotional support during this time from the Jay Fund team. From paying bills to invites to parties for our whole family, the Jay Fund was there and is still there today. They are what kept us together as a family. They provided us hope, support, light, smiles, all things that were desperately needed when a family is facing the unthinkable. We found a support system in an unexpected place and we cannot thank the Jay Fund enough.”

Gavin

Gavin is a 9-year-old boy who was diagnosed on January 25, 2017 with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), a form of cancer that is often found in children. Helping him fight is his father, Paul, mother, Cassandra and twin brother, Blaine. When Gavin was first diagnosed, Paul and Cassandra, like lots of families in similar situations, were shocked, devastated and were questioning what life was going to bring. The other question was what the cost and financial burden would be between doctors’ appointments, treatment, travel expenses and more. Both Paul and Cassandra were attending school at the time of Gavin’s diagnosis. Expenses for the household, college and now cancer treatment can add up quickly, and that worry came immediately after Gavin’s diagnosis. With the Jay Fund’s help, both Paul and Cassandra were able to continue their schooling. Paul finished shortly after Gavin’s diagnosis, and is now an Occupational Therapist. Cassandra is finishing school and will pursue her career as a high school math teacher. Financial and emotional help from the Jay Fund has made a huge impact on this family’s life and it’s because they were able to continue some normalcy, and Paul and Cassandra were able to focus solely on their two boys.

Donte

At just two years old, Donte was diagnosed with Atypical Teratoid/Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT), a very rare, fast-growing brain tumor. Mar’Keisha, Donte’s mom, was in shock of the diagnosis, and even more so when the doctors told her Donte only had a thirteen percent chance of survival. The Jay Fund has been very involved in Donte’s family by helping them overcome the unthinkable and BE THERE by paying for several mortgage payments for Mar’Keisha, and providing gas/grocery gift cards so she could tend to her family’s needs and focus on Donte’s well-being. Donte also has two sisters. When he was diagnosed with cancer, his mom was afraid that any sense of normalcy would be gone from her children’s lives. The Jay Fund made sure that was not the case. “The Jay Fund gave us opportunities, not only for Donte, but for his sisters too, so they could enjoy being kids during this time of our lives. I cannot thank the Jay Fund enough,” said Mar’Keisha. From circus tickets to support to make their holiday season feel normal, the Jay Fund choses to BE THERE every step of the way.

Marissa

“The Jay Fund has been there since the day I was diagnosed with cancer. They provided me with an opportunity to smile when the days were hard and they provided me with the capability of seeing the future. Because of the Jay Fund, I am the person I am today and I can proudly say I tackled cancer. To this day, the Jay Fund is still impacting my life in every way and I could not be more thankful.”

Kacey

Kacey’s mother, Krista, participated in the 2016 Jay Fund Momcology event. “I was blessed to go on a women’s wellness retreat. It was scary for me to go because I had not left Kacey since she she was diagnosed with cancer. I had neglected myself during Kacey’s treatment. This momcology retreat was instrumental in helping me focus on myself which I had not done in a long time. It helped me grow so I could take care of myself and in return take care of my family. I am thankful for the Jay Fund and the emotional support they provided myself and my family throughout Kacey’s journey of tackling cancer.”

Mikale

“We were very fortunate to be able to take advantage of the things that the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund offers. Even after the horrible diagnosis with my son, we were still able to achieve things that we didn’t imagine we would be able to. Without the assistance and guidance from the Jay Fund Financial Coach, the process of being able to purchase a home would have been much more difficult. We are very grateful for the opportunity of the many services the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund has to offer.”

Natalie

“Food was difficult in the hospital because all we did was eat out. When you’ve been in the hospital for over a month and you’re eating out every day, it gets expensive. The food vouchers that were provided by the Tom Coughlin Jay Fund allowed us to eat better and helped us save money which was a huge relief. The Jay Fund’s help also removed any potential financial long-term effects that could have happened because of cancer. We have a home because the Jay Fund chose to BE THERE and pay our house payments. The financial helped we received from the Jay Fund kept us on our feet and decreased our financial burden that cancer inflicted on us.”

Mateo

“The Tom Coughlin Jay Fund supported us emotionally and financially when we were in the hospital with Mateo. It was such a shock to our family, we were so scared. But the Jay Fund was always there for us, paying our rent, our car insurance, and our electricity. We are so grateful, there will never be enough words to describe how we feel knowing they are there, and they will continue to be there, for our family and other families dealing with pediatric cancer.” – Cecilia, Mateo’s mom

Jasie

Hannah and MacKennah

Kasey and her family joined the Jay Fund in March when she was diagnosed at age three with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She has three siblings: Hannah (11), MacKennah (9), and Finn (18 months). Since Kasey’s diagnosis, life has changed for the her family, especially for Hannah and MacKennah. Both girls have provided lots of help and love to Kasey and Finn since childhood cancer became a part of their lives. They have also been a big help for their mother and father as they all help Kasey tackle childhood cancer. Kasey’s family is grateful to be part of the Jay Fund family. They are especially excited to have Hannah and MacKennah join J.A.Y.S. Team, the new sibling support program, so they can meet other siblings and share their own story on how they help their sister tackle childhood cancer.