10t h ANNIVERSARY ISSUE Summer 2015 Our Family Story Kaden: It happened so fast, As told by Kaden and his mom Karyn three weeks before I was diagnosed, I was at film camp and looking forward to going to 8th grade. My mom started noticing I was pale and I had a fever, but I didn’t feel bad or anything. Mom: I thought he looked pale and thought he had low iron. So we went in on a Friday to his normal doctor and she said that he doesn’t look pale, he looked totally fine. I said, “Will you just humor me and take his blood?” Saturday morning they called us and wanted to do a biopsy during the week. The next morning we went to the ER and they sent us home for the night. An hour after getting home, Kaden had a 105 fever, chills and was shaking, so we called the doctor and she sent us back to the hospital in an ambulance. They admitted him and our oncologist came in at 12:30 a.m. when she got the results. Kaden was in the room and she sat down. You know it’s never good news when there is an oncologist in your hospital room in the middle of the night. She told us that he had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (also known as ALL). Kaden was in shock and didn’t understand what it meant, because at the time he didn’t feel that sick. The next morning they did a bone marrow biopsy and 94% of his white blood cells were cancerous. You don’t know what it all means. She told us that we would start treatment the next day. She sat with us for two hours and went over everything. We all cried. Kaden: My first treatment was a 30 day steroid push, and it’s funny what it does to you. It makes you feel off, emotionally, and makes you crave salty foods. I went through bags of chips. Mom: The first year, Kaden had 101 chemo injections in his body and that doesn’t include the oral chemo he was taking. He had 65 blood transfusions of red blood cells and platelets. Kaden: I remember there was a doctor talking about a next treatment about 4-5 months into it and I was thinking, “Wait a minute, I still have more of this?” I just didn’t remember that timeframe. (continued on page 4) There With Care News • Summer 2015 • therewithcare.org 1 from our executive director here With Care now serves on average 100 families facing critical illness each day. With Tthe help of thousands of volunteers, donors, businesses, board members and staff, we have been able to provide crucial support for families during a fragile time in their lives. It has been a privilege to get to know so many gracious people along the way. Looking back on the 10-year history of There With Care, I think about the nearly 2,000 special families whom we have helped during a frightening time in their lives. In 2005, when the idea was forming, I was blessed to be surrounded by so many dear people, and to meet so many new people, who immediately understood the mission of There With Care. With their encouragement, the foundation for this organization of providing care began to take shape. I reached out to four families I spent a day with during their child’s wish visit to the HARRY POTTER film sets in London. Each shared what would have helped Ellie their families most, and those things became the core programs of our service. Their children (at right) became the co-founders of There With Care and each day we honor Sam, Ellie, Jay and Sonia. From an idea in London, There With Care sprouted in our Colorado family home in 2005 (where donations would magically appear overnight, bagged and on our porch ready for families). We then moved into Tebo Development’s donated church basement; then to an office shed; and finally made our current offices and warehouses home. I am humbled to experience 10 years of seeing people come together, ask nothing in return, and only want to ease the burdens for a family with a critically ill child. Together, they have created a circle of care around each family and made a meaningful difference for them. As we continue to grow and be there for the children and their families, I think of all of you who make Sonia this work possible and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Warmly, Where we began. Our co-founders – who inspire our work everyday. Paula DuPre’ Pesmen Executive Director 2 There With Care News • Summer 2015 • therewithcare.org from our development director hen you get to see the goodness in people every day, it’s a wonderful thing to experience. In my role at WThere With Care, I am inspired and fortunate to spend time with so many good and gracious people. Of all ages. Most every day, people come by the offices of There With Care to drop off gently used baby clothes, a case of diapers, a gas card, or to drop off a Ziploc filled with earnings from a lemonade stand their children had over the weekend. Some come in with their co-workers from their company for a day of volunteering, and some pop in with a new neighbor who moved in next door—to excitedly bring them in for a tour. So many people share their care by sending in a gift with a special handwritten note or make a donation online in honor of a friend’s birthday, a grandparents’ anniversary, or in memory of someone close who has recently passed away. Other people give their time volunteering with our Team Chop, or assembling Baby Care Bags, or during the holidays making or delivering wreaths. Some carry on their tradition of “adopting” Jay a There With Care family for the holidays and some attend the Red Carpet Adventure events where they bring their friends to learn more about our work. Some people have even donated their gently used cars for the families we serve. And so much more... We are so grateful for the many ways people contribute, and I am honored to work with such a deeply caring community. You are what making a difference looks like in the lives of families and children facing critical illness. We hope to see you at the Red Carpet Adventure event on September 11th (Boulder) and 12th (Denver) to help us celebrate 10 Years of Care. It’s a truly special year and we would love to have you with us! With gratitude, Dana Bacardi Sam VP of Development Where we began. Our co-founders – who inspire our work everyday. There With Care News • Summer 2015 • therewithcare.org 3 Our Family Story (continued from page 1) BOARD OF DIRECTORS Board Chairperson Pam Bernal Mom: They tell you there are fives phases and they don’t give you so Board Director Michael Barnathan much information or you couldn’t function. They just say, “We’re going Board Director Amy Carpenter Board Director Chris Columbus to focus on the first 30 days because he has to go into remission within Board Director Dave Davia 30 days.” After you go through that, you go to the next phase. Board Director Paula DuPre’ Pesmen Board Director William Fuller, M.D. Kaden: One thing I learned was to try to take it day by day instead of Board Director Geoffrey Hansen thinking about something that was going to happen in two weeks because Board Director Kirsten Heckendorf it was going to drive me insane. Board Director Peggy Larson Fuller Board Director Jody Mathie, M.D. Mom: That first month we were in great shock and everyone was starting Board Director Diane Nelson school. In those 30 days Kaden had to go into remission, and if he did Board Director Mimi Roberson not he would need a bone marrow transplant. If he did go into remission, Board Director Jacqueline van Someren he would go on to treatment. The first 30 days you don’t know your path. ADVISORY BOARD We were lucky that Kaden did go into remission. Next, there was a nine- Jane Butcher, Dr. Daphne Haas-Kogan, Dr. Jeffrey Hansen Anne Hanson, Rose Healion, Wendy Kahn, Tommi McHugh month chemo regime. Kaden’s treatment in total will be 3½ years. Nine Marti Sullivan, Patricia Wilson, Dr. Julie Zimbelman months of “intense treatment” and then you have the rest of the duration STAFF in “maintenance.” Executive Director Paula DuPre’ Pesmen By four months he started to lose his hair and had a very round face from VP of Development Dana Bacardi Events Director Shanna Lawless all of the drugs. Socially, he struggled from being alone a lot. That was Development Directors Jennifer Purdum, Trish Hoyt really hard for him. For everyone else, life is still going on and not being Community Development Associates Lora Covington, Kim Schulz at school was lonely. Grants Director Kristina Olsen Operations Coordinators Robin Spitz , Lori Winsor Kaden: It was isolating. I didn’t want to see anyone when I was sick in Program Director Mary Beth Appel the hospital, but when I was at home, I had loads of friends who came to Program Coordinators Kim Richter, Brooke Gilardi, Julie Rich support me and they were awesome. Hospital Care Coordinator Cate Buck Programs Associate Tim Ramenofsky Mom: The biggest challenge during treatment was that he developed AVN Director of Volunteers Jodee Spalding Avascular Necrosis in both of his hips and he would need to have two hip Volunteer Coordinator Bobbi Jakopin Team Chop Coordinator Cheryl Markel replacements.