Meet our new teammate, Abdalridha!  Recently, my family and I had the pleasure of meeting 11 year old ‘Ridha” at his home in Rockford, IL.  Ridha was diagnosed with secondary malignancy leukemia not long after completing treatment for a solid tumor in his ankle last year. After spending 45 days in the hospital for treatment he was allowed to come home for 2 days, and we were fortunate to have met him on his second day home. He was traveling back to Lurie Children’s Hospital the next day to continue his chemotherapy…

From the moment Ridha’s family opened the door we were welcomed with open arms, huge smiles and kindness. My sister, Kayla, and I talked with Ridha and his younger brother, Hassan, while my parents, Ridha’s parents, and his two older brothers had an in depth conversation about the struggles they have faced due to Ridha’s illness.  I learned after the visit that Ridha’s older brothers work to help their Dad support the family as medical bills and travel expenses, to and from Chicago, mount up.

The family moved to the United States in 2013 and face the additional challenge of adjusting to learning English and adapting to their new life here.  The entire family was so grateful for the care packages and gift cards that K Cancer Baseball was able to provide thanks to all of you who donate to the cause.  Please keep Ridha and his family in your thoughts as they are battling round 2 of cancer. We know Ridha is going to come out a winner!

Sean Hesano

Rockford Cosmopolitan Club, you hit it out of the park! We can’t thank you enough for two things:

1. The $1,500.00 donation to hep K Cancer Baseball in its mission to support local families battling Childhood Cancer

2. The example  you set for the young men and women of K Cancer Baseball and K Cancer Softball

For those of you who aren’t familiar with The Rockford Cosmopolitan Club, it is a service club comprised of local businessmen who are not satisfied with simply making a living and reaping the rewards of their success. They get together and raise money that they distribute each year to non-profits who are meeting serious needs in the community. Without the financial assistance that service clubs like The Rockford Cosmopolitan Club provide, the challenge that non-profits face in funding their services would be even greater.

Thank you again Rockford Cosmopolitan Club. The community appreciates what you do to make the state-line area a better place to live!

Some lives are born into this world not to satisfy themselves, but to serve as a clarion call to the rest of us.  Such was the life of Camden Green.  Born in November of 2014 to Fantasy Harries and Ryan Green, Camden clearly brought love into the world.  Being diagnosed at birth with Trisomy 21 Down Syndrome made him even more special to his mommy, Fantasy.  As she described him: “His extra chromosome made him more handsome, his smile brighter, his laugh louder, his hugs tighter and his blows of kisses oh so sweet.” Based on his picture, I would have to agree!

Unfortunately, we never got a chance to meet Camden and welcome him into the K Cancer Family as one of our “Teammates”.  He was diagnosed on April 4th with AML.  Three weeks later, he was gone.  It’s clear to his family that Camden’s purpose was to bring them a message of love and gratitude.  He helped them be more selfless and more appreciative for their time on this earth.

Sometimes, all we can do at K-Cancer is to be there–to be an ear to listen, arms to hug, and a voice of experience that says, “You will get through this!” We are grateful that we get to do this little bit to try to help someone like Fantasy.  And we’re grateful to all of you who enable us to do it.  Because of your support, we were able to step along side of her and help her get through this time of grief. When we gave her a gift certificate to a Frame Shop so she could have some keepsakes of Camden custom-framed, it brought Fantasy to tears.

Thank you all for your on-going support for our mission–to help stateline families battling childhood cancer (and it’s aftermath).  Your contributions and on-going prayers for mommies like Fantasy are truly making a difference.

Dan Domberg

The team has a big tournament in Milwaukee tomorrow. What did the guys do to get ready? They did landscaping!You see, the guys heard that baby Greer is on the DL. When a teammate goes down you don’t just go on without them. You make sure they know that they are still a part of the team and that they are more important to you than the game. With everything going on, they figured that not having to worry about getting the yard ready for Summer would let baby Greer’s family know they are important parts of the team!

Besides, the guys got a great workout in. After swinging an axe, a 34 inch 31 ounce bat will be nothing. We will send you updates on the games tomorrow Greer. Get better so you can get back out on the field!

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