A Letter from NC4K Mom Desiree’

Dear NC4K Champions,

My name is Desiree’, and my daughter, Violet, is battling a pediatric cancer diagnosis. Our journey has been one of immense challenges, isolation, fear, countless hospital visits, and moments of uncertainty. But it has also been one of joy and hope. We have always chosen to focus first on gratitude. Gratitude for supporters like you who choose to make a difference.

Violet was diagnosed with brain cancer in January 2012. Since then, life as we know it has changed entirely. When Violet was hospitalized with cancer, we watched Disney’s Tangled every day in the hospital. There is a line in that movie that summed up our lives almost perfectly. The story is of a young princess who was adored and cherished, “and in that moment, everything was perfect, and then that moment ended.” The baby is stolen out the window by a witch, and that is how Violet’s pediatric cancer diagnosis felt that day. Like my baby, and dream come true, was stolen from me.

People like NC4K, and you, have helped us find our happily ever after again, and for that I am forever grateful. There have been days filled with happiness over small victories, like when Violet’s hair grew back long enough after treatment for her first “Rapunzel” ponytail, as well as days of heartbreak, like Violet getting a prescription for a wheelchair on her 13th birthday. In Violet’s life, she has endured a 16-hour craniotomy, 8 rounds of high-dose chemo, with hundreds of doses of chemo, 3 stem cell transplants, and more procedures than most adults. She continues to face countless horrible side effects from the chemo and treatment that she received. Through it all, these things remain constant: our love for each other, our gratitude for donors like you that support NC4K, and NC4K’s meaningful support for families like ours.

NC4K provides financial assistance, emotional support, and events for play, but also comfort, normalcy, and moments of joy that brighten our darkest days. They are there when families like ours need them most, creating a lifeline that reminds us we are not alone in this fight.

This holiday season, as you consider how you can give back to your community, I humbly ask you to support NC4K. A donation of any amount will have a direct impact, ensuring that families like ours can continue to receive critical support services like their Back-to-School Bash, where Violet can see her other friends in the pediatric cancer community and get school supplies and clothes that I otherwise would really struggle to provide. NC4K also has helped our family with utility bills when I faced unemployment after her diagnosis. They have truly been a light in the darkest days of our lives. I truly don’t know where we would be without them and the support of generous donors like you.

On behalf of our family, and every other family navigating a pediatric cancer journey, thank you for considering this request. Together, we can ensure that now and always, No Kid Fights Cancer Alone.

With deepest gratitude,
Desiree’

We invite you to honor Violet, her family, and their powerful story of challenge and resilience by making a contribution today.