Author: K Cancer Baseball!

No parent of a child with cancer should have to decide between medicine or groceries. 

We are so thankful for the people and businesses who decided to give to K Cancer Baseball so that we can drop off surprises like Walmart cards 🙂

Time to get our #teammates together again.  We are excited to announce that Wired Cafe in Rockford will be hosting a “Little Bakers Day” for local childhood cancer patients and their siblings!

On June 3rd at 3:00 pm we will be heading to Wired Cafe at 414 E State St, Rockford, IL. The staff there will be teaching our kids how to make and decorate cookies as big as your head! If you know of a child battling cancer (and/or their siblings) who would like to take part, please direct them to our event on facebook at

https://www.facebook.com/events/102987953608841/?acontext=%7B%22ref%22%3A%22108%22%2C%22action_history%22%3A%22null%22%7D

 Can’t wait for tomorrow! One more day till we get to hear from Lucas and Ireland of K Cancer Baseball and Softball at the Rockford East/Cherry Valley Rotary Luncheon. They present just before keynote speaker Diane Hendricks! No pressure guys 😉

http://www.rrstar.com/news/20170328/beloit-billionaire-businesswoman-diane-hendricks-to-speak-at-rockford-luncheon

 

There is something powerful about being a part of a team. Your contribution gets magnified when it is in lockstep with the contribution of others who are pulling on the same rope that you are. They say that two horses pulling together can drag WAY more weight that the two horses can individually. I’ve seen the same dynamic play out in baseball and softball. You get a group of good kids together who play as a team for 7 full innings and you will win a lot of games against teams who are more talented. Being a part of a team is special, whether it is in sports, at work, or just your family.

Losing a teammate is hard. At K Cancer Baseball we recently lost a #Teammate, that is what we call all of the kids that we meet who are battling childhood cancer, #Teammates. Through our work, they allow us the privilege of getting to know them and we try to step alongside them, as best we can, during their struggle. Sometimes we are able to spend time with them and over time, like members of our baseball and softball team, you start to notice their strengths and weaknesses. Then, pretty soon, they are contributing to the cause and you are made better because of it.

This was the case with a special young #teammate and his family. His name is Ridha. Ridha was an incredible young guy with a smile that would light up a room. He was incredibly kind and appreciative about everything good that came to him in spite of all of the bad that came his way via his battle with Childhood Cancer.

Like any good teammate, he wasn’t just a taker, he was a giver. You would go to see him with the intention of doing something to make his day a little better and put a smile on his face. You would leave feeling better about yourself and the world around you and you would find yourself smiling for no reason. That is the impact that true teammates have on those around them.

We lost a true #Teammate when Ridha passed from this world to the next. His smile will be sorely missed. There is something amazing about being a part of a team though. You create deeper memories than you do any other way. Pay attention the next time you hear a couple of old guys who played sports together as kids. They can’t remember their age, but they can still remember games they played, wins and losses, and the feeling of just being a part of the team. One day in the distant future I am planning on sitting down with my old #Teammate Ridha and laughing about the good ‘ol times when we were #Teammates.

“Ridha, you remember that time you were in treatment and that burglar thought he was going to do you harm by breaking into your house and stealing your video games and TV only to have the community link arms and “Beat The Burglar” by contributing money and replacing the stuff? Do you remember when the guys on the team won that tournament and they thought so much about how you inspire them that they gave you the trophy plaque?”

I am looking forward to the day when a couple of old #Teammates can just sit around and share stories. While it is hard losing a #Teammate, it does not compare to the joy of being #Teammates. The next time you are around the people who are a part of your team (sports, friends, co-workers, family), let them know how much you appreciate what they contribute to the team. Thanks Ridha…

It’s World Cancer Day today. This was just put in perspective for me. I was just notified that a young fella close to our program was diagnosed with Cancer. Cancer doesn’t care about holidays, it doesn’t care about age, it doesn’t care about your education or your finances. Cancer strikes at will.

The thing is, we can strike back. There is amazing research taking place to one day find a cure for this awful disease. We have met the heads of research personally and heard the passion in their voices as they spoke about their life’s mission to find a cure for Cancer.

Each and every one of us are needed on the team if we are to win against Cancer. If the only thing you can contribute is a prayer, please don’t think it isn’t important. Pray that an answer is given that will unlock the key to research that is being conducted right now. Pray that the advances that have recently come about in the area of Immunotherapy are multiplied!

Cancer will strike, but so can we…

It’s World Cancer Day today. This was just put in perspective for me. I was just notified that a young fella close to our program was diagnosed with Cancer. Cancer doesn’t care about holidays, it doesn’t care about age, it doesn’t care about your education or your finances. Cancer strikes at will.

The thing is, we can strike back. There is amazing research taking place to one day find a cure for this awful disease. We have met the heads of research personally and heard the passion in their voices as they spoke about their life’s mission to find a cure for Cancer.

Each and every one of us are needed on the team if we are to win against Cancer. If the only thing you can contribute is a prayer, please don’t think it isn’t important. Pray that an answer is given that will unlock the key to research that is being conducted right now. Pray that the advances that have recently come about in the area of Immunotherapy are multiplied!

Cancer will strike, but so can we…

 

It’s World Cancer Day today. This was just put in perspective for me. I was just notified that a young fella close to our program was diagnosed with Cancer. Cancer doesn’t care about holidays, it doesn’t care about age, it doesn’t care about your education or your finances. Cancer strikes at will.

The thing is, we can strike back. There is amazing research taking place to one day find a cure for this awful disease. We have met the heads of research personally and heard the passion in their voices as they spoke about their life’s mission to find a cure for Cancer.

Each and every one of us are needed on the team if we are to win against Cancer. If the only thing you can contribute is a prayer, please don’t think it isn’t important. Pray that an answer is given that will unlock the key to research that is being conducted right now. Pray that the advances that have recently come about in the area of Immunotherapy are multiplied!

Cancer will strike, but so can we…

This past Wednesday, the K Cancer Softball Team headed up to Madison, Wisconsin for an all day trip. It was a packed agenda that started early! We piled into a 15 passenger van and headed out of Rockford at 6:30 in the morning. First stop, Colectivo Coffee on the Madison Square for some of their Cinnamon Rolls!  

From there is was over to the Madison Public Library where we presented our organization to the 1 Million Cups group. 1 Million Cups is an awesome group that gathers together in cities across the country where they give early stage businesses a chance to present their company and then receive feedback from the group. This is a huge benefit as you may have Angel Investors, C-Level Executives, and experienced Entrepreneurs in the crowd. The girls who presented did an awesome job and took several pieces of advice away from the presentation.

When the presentation was finished we swung by the Capital to look around. It was decorated for the Holidays and looked beautiful!

Next it was time to hit Ian’s Pizza. If you ever go to Madison, you HAVE to stop by Ian’s Pizza on State Street just off of the Square! Make sure you try their Macaroni and Cheese Pizza! Yes, you read that right. It was awesome!

From there we headed over to the University of Wisconsin Hospital. We made a brief pit-stop by the UW Badgers Softball Field. Who knows, one of the girls may end up playing there one day!  When we got to the Hospital we were met by Program Coordinator, Lori Schultz. Lori gave us a tour of the facility and pointed out all of the thought and care that went into construction of the facilities. Several of the girls pointed out how the decor looked “fun” which has an impact on the mood of the child being treated.

We spent the next hour and a half sitting down with Patient/Family Liaison, Kathryn Murphy and Clinical Director, Dr. Margo Hoover Regan. We had the rare opportunity to hear from the experts in the area of Pediatric Oncology. We left with two thoughts:

1. There are no small things you can do to help a family being treated for Childhood Cancer. Any effort you make to help is greatly appreciated.
2. Our local families who are travelling to Madison for treatment are in the hands of experts in the field who truly care about what they are doing!

 

 

 

Thank you to the American Legion Post in Cassopolis, Michigan! They heard about the mission of K Cancer Baseball and have contributed to the cause. When folks hear that you have a passion for helping others, they will get behind you and support your work.

If you have been thinking about doing some good in your community, tell others about your idea. You may be surprised how many people are willing to help!

30 for 30!

https://kcancerbaseball.networkforgood.com/