Lacrosse Unite to Fight - Cancer Fundraiser

 

Hi, my name is Boden Clark, I play for the Peninsula High School Lacrosse team.  Please help me raise funds to provide local hospitals with comfort items for adolescent cancer patients facing long hospital stays. 

I have been undergoing treatment for leukemia for almost two and half years.   In my experience teens have different needs than the younger pediatric patients. Every young cancer fighter is a WARRIOR!   I believe teens have a unique struggle– middle school, high school, college plans, athletics, relationships, emotional and physical changes - it all falls apart. Teens, in particular, have no dedicated place in treatment and survival rates for leukemia are lower. We are not adults nor are we strictly pediatric. It is a lonely place but I believe that even in this small way we can help improve their quality of life while they fight.  

My Story:
In February 2020, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). What followed was eleven horrible months of intense, debilitating chemotherapy. I spent over a third of that time hospitalized. The rapid and awful decline from the leukemia, followed by the serious and debilitating effects of chemo seemed to take away everything.

When lacrosse began last season I had just completed the “upfront” cycles of intense high-risk treatment during which time I received approximately 265 doses of chemotherapies.   (Additionally, I still had to complete a year and half of "maintenance treatment" to keep me in remission.  This consists of daily chemo and periodic lumbar punctures with spinal chemo.)  My body had been decimated, I was on/off crutches, had lost 3 in. of height, and did not have the strength to get through warm- ups.  No way did I think I would play but I wanted to be the best teammate I could possibly be. I was determined to show my support and hoped to be strong enough to be helpful in practice as the season went on.  My team treated me like I was one of them, didn’t take it easy on me or lower any expectations.  Their encouragement and support fueled my battle on and off the field.  They helped me get my life back and I will always be grateful to them!

 

While I continue on chemotherapy, I still have side-effects that make it difficult and painful to play but my team continues to carry me through. They give me their trust on the field and makes sure I have a trashcan nearby when I get sick on the sidelines.  What more can a guy ask for?

In the beginning, I didn't want anyone to know; I didn’t want the attention or sympathy as the kid with cancer. However, my team has helped me understand that we fight and dig deeper together.  So now I wear leukemia ribbons on my helmet as a badge of honor and hope to share the message that we are all stronger than we believe.  Especially when we unite to fight!

My Request:
Please donate to help improve the quality of life for adolescent cancer patients during their long hospital stays and time healing at home.  

 

I went to the ER for what I thought were very painful muscle spasms but instead was diagnosed with cancer and couldn’t leave the hospital for two weeks.  97% of my blood was cancerous and the accumulation of the cancer cells, expanding my bone marrow from within, was the true cause of the pain.  There is no way to prepare for something like this but together we can provide local hospitals with comfort items immediately available for patients.  While I spent the next year in and out of the hospital, I came to especially value a nice pillow, soft blanket and noise canceling headphones (to drown out the docs when they discuss scary technical stuff around the bedside).  During some hospital stays, when I was feeling stronger, we brought our x-box and the doctors would sometimes join me in a game.  It would be so awesome to raise enough to provide a pediatric wing with a gaming system!  

Athletics have the power to inspire and unite people in a way little else does - we learn the capacity to overcome insurmountable odds and create hope. I hope my story helps you connect with these young people, but it pails in comparison to what too many kids are facing right now.  Please help me extend the hope and support that I received from the lacrosse community to other kids fighting for their lives.

You have my deepest gratitude!
Boden Clark

 

Please donate here or via Venmo, which has no processing fees. My Venmo is @Boden-Clark, 6469.  Venmo QR code: