Kindness for the Kitadas
Donation protected
Kindness for the Kitadas
In August 2014, 9 year old Anna Kitada was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer. After a very busy summer of playing soccer, swimming, running and enjoying summer camp she experienced swelling in her right leg above the knee. A seemingly healthy Anna had a large tumor in her right femur and cancer in her lungs. She quickly began an aggressive 7 course treatment of chemotherapy, which she endured with amazing courage. On December 1st, Anna underwent surgery to remove the tumor in her femur. She had a very unique surgery called rotationplasty which will allow her continue her active lifestyle after recovery. While Anna has made great strides in her battle against Osteosarcoma, she still has a long fight ahead of her. She will have a lengthy recovery period from the rotationplasty which includes intense physical therapy and fitting for her prosthesis. She still also faces additional chemotherapy and more surgery to remove the cancer from her lungs.
My friend and colleague, Claudia Huntley, is the main support for Anna and her 7 year old sister, Kate. Claudia has been by Anna’s side for every step of her treatment and will continue to do so until she has recovered. Her focus needs to remain on helping Anna. Family Medical Leave (FMLA) only allows a 12 week sabbatical and unfortunately, Anna’s battle will last much longer than that. Claudia, who carries the health insurance and financially supports her 2 children, will need to miss work for an extended period of time. No parent should have to worry about how they will pay for the treatments their child so desperately needs, or how they will maintain household expenses. Please join me in donating to help ease some of the financial burden associated with medical bills, travel to and from appointments, household costs and personal expenses. Anna should be spending her days playing soccer, reading, drawing and spending time with her sister, Kate. If we pull together we can help support this special family through an extremely difficult time.
In August 2014, 9 year old Anna Kitada was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, a rare bone cancer. After a very busy summer of playing soccer, swimming, running and enjoying summer camp she experienced swelling in her right leg above the knee. A seemingly healthy Anna had a large tumor in her right femur and cancer in her lungs. She quickly began an aggressive 7 course treatment of chemotherapy, which she endured with amazing courage. On December 1st, Anna underwent surgery to remove the tumor in her femur. She had a very unique surgery called rotationplasty which will allow her continue her active lifestyle after recovery. While Anna has made great strides in her battle against Osteosarcoma, she still has a long fight ahead of her. She will have a lengthy recovery period from the rotationplasty which includes intense physical therapy and fitting for her prosthesis. She still also faces additional chemotherapy and more surgery to remove the cancer from her lungs.
My friend and colleague, Claudia Huntley, is the main support for Anna and her 7 year old sister, Kate. Claudia has been by Anna’s side for every step of her treatment and will continue to do so until she has recovered. Her focus needs to remain on helping Anna. Family Medical Leave (FMLA) only allows a 12 week sabbatical and unfortunately, Anna’s battle will last much longer than that. Claudia, who carries the health insurance and financially supports her 2 children, will need to miss work for an extended period of time. No parent should have to worry about how they will pay for the treatments their child so desperately needs, or how they will maintain household expenses. Please join me in donating to help ease some of the financial burden associated with medical bills, travel to and from appointments, household costs and personal expenses. Anna should be spending her days playing soccer, reading, drawing and spending time with her sister, Kate. If we pull together we can help support this special family through an extremely difficult time.
Organizer
Kristyn Mackin Burke
Organizer
Waltham, MA
