Cancer has been part of Sarah’s life for as long as she can remember. When she was just four years old, she woke up one morning with a severe pain in her head. Scans showed a mass on her optic nerve. Surgery relieved the pressure, but could not remove the tumor. Sixteen months of intense chemotherapy stabilized her condition, and for nine years, Sarah’a life was pretty normal. Then two years ago, a routine scan revealed what they had most feared – the tumor was growing again.
What followed next was anything but normal. While her friends were focused on school dances and parties, Sarah’s life involved endless appointments with specialists, repeated travel to DC for a clinical trial, and dealing with the debilitating effects of chemotherapy.
Veteran Team Summer kid Tyler, who battled Ewing’s sarcoma when he was 19, knows firsthand how isolating cancer can be for a teenager. He knew the gift Team Summer had planned for Sarah could help with that.
Sarah’s parents told us that Sarah had always wanted a dog. She had even already picked out a name for her made-up dog – Rumpelstiltskin or Rumpi for short!
But Sarah never thought her fantasy dog would become real!
Until now…
Thanks to your generous donations, Sarah now has a best friend she can count on to always be by her side, no matter what! And she knows there are other kids out there – kids like Tyler – who have battled or are battling the same disease and truly understand what she is going through.
Click below to see the video of Sarah meeting Rumpi for the first time!!
Do you know a Georgia kid with cancer who could use some cheering up? Someone in your family? A friend’s family? A co-worker’s family? We’d love to help! Just go to www.teamsummer.org/nominate to tell us more!
