Kaitlyn Barks is fundraising
FOKWC 22nd Annual Fashion Show
The Friends of Kids with Cancer 22nd Annual Fashion Show is right around the corner! Help send the family and friends of our young models to the show by supporting this campaign.
Please continue reading to learn more about the organization, the show and Keira, one of our beautiful young models this year!
Meet Keira!
Keira, at just age 7, has become a fast friend and inspiration to all of us at Friends of Kids with Cancer (FOKWC). Her spunky personality always lights up the room, and we absolutely CANNOT WAIT for her to light up the stage at the 22nd Annual Friends of Kids with Cancer Fashion Show this year.
So, how did we meet Keira?
On May 16, after fighting what doctors believed to be a sinus infection for nearly a month, Keira suddenly could no longer see out her right eye. In a matter of hours, she visited the school nurse who sent her to an optometrist, who confirmed blindness in her right eye, and then sent her to the ER. Later that same evening, Keira was admitted to Mercy Clinic Children's Cancer and Hematology.
Radiation started the following day.
Keira was diagnosed with a rare form of Rhabdomyosarcoma. She had a tumor behind her right eye that wrapped around her optic nerve causing her to lose her vision. After further testing, it was also discovered that the cancer had spread to her arm, lower back, lungs and bone marrow.
Fast Forward to Today
Keira just completed her 28th and final round of radiation for her eye and still has chemotherapy every other week. While doctors decide whether or not to start additional rounds of radiation for the other parts of her body, one thing remains certain – Keira has had nothing but extremely high spirits throughout treatment!
So, what is the Friends of Kids with Cancer Fashion Show?
The 22nd Annual Friends of Kids with Cancer Fashion Show will take place on Thursday, November 6 at the Ritz Carlton in Clayton. The fashion show gives 25-30 models, who are also young cancer patients, the opportunity to become divas and rock stars as they strut down the runway in the latest fashions and kick cancer to the curb for a day!
The models get to have a red carpet experience and for just a brief snippet of time, forget about needles, ports, chemo, nausea, anti-nausea medications... the list goes on and on.
Help us send Keira’s family and the families of other young cancer patients and models, just like Keira’s, to the show!
Each year our goal is to make this event a night to remember for both the models and their friends and family too, and we can’t do it without your help! Raising $30,000 will allow us to sponsor a table for each model's family and friends, so they can experience their Hollywood moment. Every dollar raised above and beyond our $30,000 goal will support our ongoing educational, emotional and recreational programs for the kids.
What else do we do at FOKWC?
At Friends of Kids with Cancer it is our mission to help kids be kids, even when they experience some pretty adult things. We are devoted to enriching the daily lives of children undergoing treatment for, and survivors of, cancer and blood-related diseases. Our mission is to be an advocate for these special kids and provide them and their families with the educational, emotional, and recreational support needed as a result of the long hours of chemotherapy, illness and isolation.
FOKWC sponsors many different programs to serve the varying needs of the children battling cancer and one program, a program Keira herself is participating in, is the Art Therapy program. The Art Therapy program uses art materials to draw verbal and non-verbal communication from kids as they go through treatment for cancer. The kids are guided through exercises to express themselves through different art mediums and as they grow more confident with their skills, they find that more of what they are trying to cope with end up on the canvas. It has been an extremely effective way for children to deal with everything such as physical pain, social distress, and even the severity of their situation. Keira loves making art and videos through the program!
FOKWC is a certified 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. To learn more about all of our programs, please visit us at www.friendsofkids.com.
***Hurry up! Donate NOW and subscribe to updates to meet our other models!! We only have 30 days to hit our goal!***
P.S. Did we mention that for every $10,000 raised, one lucky supporter will be given TWO complimentary tickets to the fashion show?
Please continue reading to learn more about the organization, the show and Keira, one of our beautiful young models this year!
Meet Keira!
Keira, at just age 7, has become a fast friend and inspiration to all of us at Friends of Kids with Cancer (FOKWC). Her spunky personality always lights up the room, and we absolutely CANNOT WAIT for her to light up the stage at the 22nd Annual Friends of Kids with Cancer Fashion Show this year.
So, how did we meet Keira?
On May 16, after fighting what doctors believed to be a sinus infection for nearly a month, Keira suddenly could no longer see out her right eye. In a matter of hours, she visited the school nurse who sent her to an optometrist, who confirmed blindness in her right eye, and then sent her to the ER. Later that same evening, Keira was admitted to Mercy Clinic Children's Cancer and Hematology.
Radiation started the following day.
Keira was diagnosed with a rare form of Rhabdomyosarcoma. She had a tumor behind her right eye that wrapped around her optic nerve causing her to lose her vision. After further testing, it was also discovered that the cancer had spread to her arm, lower back, lungs and bone marrow.
Fast Forward to Today
Keira just completed her 28th and final round of radiation for her eye and still has chemotherapy every other week. While doctors decide whether or not to start additional rounds of radiation for the other parts of her body, one thing remains certain – Keira has had nothing but extremely high spirits throughout treatment!
So, what is the Friends of Kids with Cancer Fashion Show?
The 22nd Annual Friends of Kids with Cancer Fashion Show will take place on Thursday, November 6 at the Ritz Carlton in Clayton. The fashion show gives 25-30 models, who are also young cancer patients, the opportunity to become divas and rock stars as they strut down the runway in the latest fashions and kick cancer to the curb for a day!
The models get to have a red carpet experience and for just a brief snippet of time, forget about needles, ports, chemo, nausea, anti-nausea medications... the list goes on and on.
Help us send Keira’s family and the families of other young cancer patients and models, just like Keira’s, to the show!
Each year our goal is to make this event a night to remember for both the models and their friends and family too, and we can’t do it without your help! Raising $30,000 will allow us to sponsor a table for each model's family and friends, so they can experience their Hollywood moment. Every dollar raised above and beyond our $30,000 goal will support our ongoing educational, emotional and recreational programs for the kids.
What else do we do at FOKWC?
At Friends of Kids with Cancer it is our mission to help kids be kids, even when they experience some pretty adult things. We are devoted to enriching the daily lives of children undergoing treatment for, and survivors of, cancer and blood-related diseases. Our mission is to be an advocate for these special kids and provide them and their families with the educational, emotional, and recreational support needed as a result of the long hours of chemotherapy, illness and isolation.
FOKWC sponsors many different programs to serve the varying needs of the children battling cancer and one program, a program Keira herself is participating in, is the Art Therapy program. The Art Therapy program uses art materials to draw verbal and non-verbal communication from kids as they go through treatment for cancer. The kids are guided through exercises to express themselves through different art mediums and as they grow more confident with their skills, they find that more of what they are trying to cope with end up on the canvas. It has been an extremely effective way for children to deal with everything such as physical pain, social distress, and even the severity of their situation. Keira loves making art and videos through the program!
FOKWC is a certified 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. To learn more about all of our programs, please visit us at www.friendsofkids.com.
***Hurry up! Donate NOW and subscribe to updates to meet our other models!! We only have 30 days to hit our goal!***
P.S. Did we mention that for every $10,000 raised, one lucky supporter will be given TWO complimentary tickets to the fashion show?
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