Our Crowdfunding Groups
My name is Katherine DiDonato and I am honored to be a part of the 2018 Homecoming Court with my sponsoring organization, Alpha Delta Pi. I want to take this incredible opportunity to raise awareness towards the physical and psychological effects of pediatric cancer.
Over the past year, pediatric cancer has unfortunately played a major role in the lives of two people very special to me. In October of 2017 my eight-year-old cousin, Mary, was diagnosed with pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and has been undergoing countless chemotherapy treatments ever since. A few months later, my longtime boyfriend, Seth, was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma in January of 2018.
Since Mary and Seth’s diagnoses, I have been able to see some of the everyday struggles faced by a child fighting cancer. Whether it be worrying about your blood count levels, your lack of immune system or losing all your hair, eyebrows and eyelashes; cancer patients are constantly fighting an uphill battle to maintain their physical health. However, not only that, many of us don’t realize the impact cancer has on the patient’s mental health as well. Studies show that 59% of children have a diagnosable mental illness because their cancer treatments. Children dealing with cancer don’t get to experience so many things that healthy children most often take for granted; things such as playing on sport teams, hanging out with friends or even being able to go to school.
Through this opportunity I hope to bring to shed light on the impacts of pediatric cancer with the surrounding community and to help further research, care, and quality of life for pediatric cancer patients. Funds raised will be used to help purchase items for care packages and care-packaging events. I hope to engage and encourage fellow Hokies to join me in my campaign: “Kicking Cancer with Katherine”.
