Karters Smile Crusade -Fight Like A kid
Donation protected
(2019- Updated)
Spring is here.
So is a fresh year and a new goal.
Raise $ for my next big donation day.
I have been so busy in school that I haven’t been able to fundraiser much because I’ve been concentrating on my studies.
Im doing good. I love school and looking forward to my 1st yr being in the books.
My goal is to raise $1500 for a special campaign for September which is Childhood Cancer Awareness month and to of course help with my next big donation to Mac.
Thnx to everyone that has donated in the past and help keep my Crusade going.
(2018-Updated)
The Journey....On February 17th 2016 after an MRI our world came crashing down with 7 simple yet complex words.
"We found a mass in Karters head"
On March 2nd 2016 Karter endured a long & aggressive brain surgery to remove as much of the tumor as they could. When Karter was wheeled into surgery the initial diagnosis was a Benign Craniopharyngioma and the incision will be minimal.
We can handle this!!
It's not the big bad "C" word.
After the longest 8 hours of our lives we were dealt another horrible blow. When they reached the tumor it was determined that it was a completely different type of tumor. His incision was far from minimal.. it went from one ear across his head to the other.

The recovery process was Horrific. His eyes swelled shut and it looked like he was beaten black and blue.

March 11th when we felt things couldn't get any worse our final pathology report came back.

CNS Germ Cell Tumor. Germinoma Brain Tumor.
How could Karter have Brain Cancer?
Since diagnosis Karter has endured
4 surgeries
Spinal Tap
16 chemo treatments
24 days of radiation
over 300 blood pokes and accesses
40+ MRI's , CT's Xrays...
1500+ Intramuscular injections as a result of Cancer & treatment.
His Bravery Beads are over 15 feet long.
2 days before Christmas 2016 Karter received some upsetting news. He had a large tumor in his tibia that was compromising his bone. January 2017 he had surgery to remove as much of the tumor as they could & a bone graft was done to stabilize the bone.
So now not only was he fighting the slow recovery from Cancer he had this thrown into the mix.

Through the hospital stays and countless hours spent vomiting Karters positive spirit and smile has prevailed.
Before Chemo began we searched for creative Cancer shirts in Canada to bring a little humor to his horrible Journey. We couldn't find anything suitable so we decided to create our own.
Karter wore his shirts with pride! Especially when he is greeted with an endless amount of smiles after people read them. They trade their sympathetic stares for encouragement.
After seeing the joy that these shirts have brought Karter decided that he wanted to create smiles on other people's faces that are dealing with the same battle.
Maybe for a brief moment they will forget about the agonizing poke that's coming and embrace their new "fighting shirt".
Karter has never once asked "why him."...or asked for anything for himself.
His want is for others to smile while they are kick in' Cancers butt!
That's how Karters Smile Crusade came to light.

Karter requested to contribute his "get well" money that he had received & order in some shirts to gift to others fighting the fight.
And that is where it all began.
Since starting Karters Smile Crusade he has continually donated shirts to his 3F Oncology clinic at McMaster ensuring that every child treated receives at least 1 shirt.

Karter also sends care packages consisting of Shirts, custom decals other items to his fellow fighters across Canada & the USA.
To date Karter has gifted over 4000 t-shirts and care items. 100% of the funds raised through donations and his own fundraising go directly back into his Smile crusade.
After losing Karters Best friend and fighting partner Chelsea to Cancer Karter decided that enough was enough and decided to branch out with : Fight Like a Kid and continue to create awareness for himself and those that have fought, are fighting or whom have have their life stolen by Cancer.

Karter advocates throughout the year at various festivals and events. He fund raises and loves talking to thousands of people a year to bring awareness to Childhood cancer.
The only thing that Karter had asked was to graduate on time with his high school class. With some incredible support from his school and doubling his workload & taking on summer school he proudly walked across that stage and received his diploma.

While Karter continues to struggle with recovery his determination has remained the same.
September 2018 Karter became a college student as he started his journey to obtain his Welding ticket.

Mid November Karter was honored to receive the news that he was no longer considered a "Cancer patient"...he was now considered a "Cancer Survivor" and was moved to the After care program.
While he faces many challenges as a result of the Cancer, Surgery and Treatment he continues to crusade for what is important to him.
His fellow fighters and those that our medical system failed.

Please visit Karters Smile Crusade - Facebook to see the impact that his crusade has had on his fellow fighters.
Karters selflessness and bravery through this journey has amazed not only us but all that have been supporting us all the way!

Thank you to everyone who has supported his Crusade!
Spring is here.
So is a fresh year and a new goal.
Raise $ for my next big donation day.
I have been so busy in school that I haven’t been able to fundraiser much because I’ve been concentrating on my studies.
Im doing good. I love school and looking forward to my 1st yr being in the books.
My goal is to raise $1500 for a special campaign for September which is Childhood Cancer Awareness month and to of course help with my next big donation to Mac.
Thnx to everyone that has donated in the past and help keep my Crusade going.
(2018-Updated)
The Journey....On February 17th 2016 after an MRI our world came crashing down with 7 simple yet complex words.
"We found a mass in Karters head"
On March 2nd 2016 Karter endured a long & aggressive brain surgery to remove as much of the tumor as they could. When Karter was wheeled into surgery the initial diagnosis was a Benign Craniopharyngioma and the incision will be minimal.
We can handle this!!
It's not the big bad "C" word.
After the longest 8 hours of our lives we were dealt another horrible blow. When they reached the tumor it was determined that it was a completely different type of tumor. His incision was far from minimal.. it went from one ear across his head to the other.
The recovery process was Horrific. His eyes swelled shut and it looked like he was beaten black and blue.
March 11th when we felt things couldn't get any worse our final pathology report came back.
CNS Germ Cell Tumor. Germinoma Brain Tumor.
How could Karter have Brain Cancer?
Since diagnosis Karter has endured
4 surgeries
Spinal Tap
16 chemo treatments
24 days of radiation
over 300 blood pokes and accesses
40+ MRI's , CT's Xrays...
1500+ Intramuscular injections as a result of Cancer & treatment.
His Bravery Beads are over 15 feet long.
2 days before Christmas 2016 Karter received some upsetting news. He had a large tumor in his tibia that was compromising his bone. January 2017 he had surgery to remove as much of the tumor as they could & a bone graft was done to stabilize the bone.So now not only was he fighting the slow recovery from Cancer he had this thrown into the mix.
Through the hospital stays and countless hours spent vomiting Karters positive spirit and smile has prevailed.
Before Chemo began we searched for creative Cancer shirts in Canada to bring a little humor to his horrible Journey. We couldn't find anything suitable so we decided to create our own. Karter wore his shirts with pride! Especially when he is greeted with an endless amount of smiles after people read them. They trade their sympathetic stares for encouragement.
After seeing the joy that these shirts have brought Karter decided that he wanted to create smiles on other people's faces that are dealing with the same battle.
Maybe for a brief moment they will forget about the agonizing poke that's coming and embrace their new "fighting shirt".
Karter has never once asked "why him."...or asked for anything for himself.
His want is for others to smile while they are kick in' Cancers butt!
That's how Karters Smile Crusade came to light.
Karter requested to contribute his "get well" money that he had received & order in some shirts to gift to others fighting the fight.
And that is where it all began.
Since starting Karters Smile Crusade he has continually donated shirts to his 3F Oncology clinic at McMaster ensuring that every child treated receives at least 1 shirt.
Karter also sends care packages consisting of Shirts, custom decals other items to his fellow fighters across Canada & the USA.
To date Karter has gifted over 4000 t-shirts and care items. 100% of the funds raised through donations and his own fundraising go directly back into his Smile crusade.
After losing Karters Best friend and fighting partner Chelsea to Cancer Karter decided that enough was enough and decided to branch out with : Fight Like a Kid and continue to create awareness for himself and those that have fought, are fighting or whom have have their life stolen by Cancer.
Karter advocates throughout the year at various festivals and events. He fund raises and loves talking to thousands of people a year to bring awareness to Childhood cancer.
The only thing that Karter had asked was to graduate on time with his high school class. With some incredible support from his school and doubling his workload & taking on summer school he proudly walked across that stage and received his diploma.
While Karter continues to struggle with recovery his determination has remained the same.
September 2018 Karter became a college student as he started his journey to obtain his Welding ticket.
Mid November Karter was honored to receive the news that he was no longer considered a "Cancer patient"...he was now considered a "Cancer Survivor" and was moved to the After care program.
While he faces many challenges as a result of the Cancer, Surgery and Treatment he continues to crusade for what is important to him.
His fellow fighters and those that our medical system failed.
Please visit Karters Smile Crusade - Facebook to see the impact that his crusade has had on his fellow fighters.
Karters selflessness and bravery through this journey has amazed not only us but all that have been supporting us all the way!
Thank you to everyone who has supported his Crusade!
Organizer
Karter Ellis
Organizer
Welland, ON
