First an update on where we are with our Annual Matching Challenge! So far, we have raised about $5,000…which puts us 1/4 of the way to our goal. Remember, all of your donations through the end of the year will be matched 100% up to $20,000*. So this is a great time of year to donate to Team Summer!
We do what we do because of kids like Hatcher, who lives all the way up in Alaska! His story starts back in 2022 when he was about to turn nine years old.
Back then, Hatcher was a typical Alaskan kid – spending as much time outdoors as humanly possible. Summers on the water; winters on the slopes! It was all so much fun! He had no idea that his big adventurous life was about to come to a grinding halt.
On his ninth birthday, Hatcher choked on a chip. Hatcher’s father, who is an EMT and a firefighter, dislodged the chip, but that was not the end of it. Not by a long shot.
After that, Hatcher began clearing his throat constantly and complaining there was something stuck in there. His parents wondered if he had a small injury from the chip incident. But as time went on, Hatcher did not feel better; he felt worse. He was in and out of the pediatrician’s office with no diagnosis. Over the next several months, he lost 20 pounds.
The way Hatcher and his family finally found out what was wrong was pretty scary. Hatcher was prescribed steroids for pneumonia. What the doctor didn’t know was that Hatcher had leukemia and a tumor in his chest pushing on his esophagus. Taking steroids was like pouring gasoline on a fire. Cancer cells flooded Hatcher’s blood stream with toxins. He was so sick that the local hospital could not treat him, and Hatcher was put on a Learjet to Seattle. And that is where he stayed for the next six weeks. His long cancer treatments had begun.
That was two years ago. Hatcher is eleven years old now, and his cancer treatments continue. It’s been hard being in a fun place like Alaska when you have to stay inside, isolated from friends for fear of infection.
Lucky for Hatcher, Team Summer kid Kaylee in Kansas found out about him through their moms! If you recognize Kaylee’s name, it might be because she has already nominated and given gifts to 18 kids whom she met during her battle with leukemia. But NONE of them lived as far away as ALASKA!
Kaylee was excited to get to work! She knew she could not get Hatcher back out on his boat or on his skis, but she – of all people – knew exactly what it’s like to miss your friends when you are stuck at home. She had a plan to get him connected again!
Haylee and Hatcher met for the first time over Zoom! After she introduced herself, she welcomed him to Team Summer. Then she got to the part where she had a special surprise for him hiding in his house!
When his parents brought out his Team Summer gift, the box was almost as big as Hatcher! And inside was a HUGE gaming monitor and soundbar speaker!
Now Hatcher could play video games in style! And most importantly, he could connect virtually with friends whenever he wanted…just like a regular kid! Way to go, Haylee!
And here is something cool! Before Hatcher even got off the Zoom call with Haylee, he knew exactly whom he wanted to nominate to become a Team Summer kid. He had already made Team Summer history by being the first kid in Alaska, and now he was going to make Team summer history again…by choosing the first kid in Oregon! Stay tuned for that story!
Your generosity has made this and hundreds of other gifts like it possible! And the success of our Annual Matching Challenge has everything to do with how many kids with cancer Team Summer can help in 2025. All your contributions will be matched dollar for dollar!
On behalf of my beautiful daughter, Summer, whose vision, compassion, and empathy started all this, thank you in advance for helping to fund this very important mission!
Much love,
Lynne Dale
President
Team Summer
*This is the remarkable group of Team Summer supporters whose generosity created our Challenge Fund. I am grateful beyond words!
Gold Level Donors
Cathi and Chad Morriss
Individual Donors
Jennifer Barnes
Holly and George Batchelor
Elizabeth and Frank Blake
Tracy Carusi
Melissa Demetrops
Robert and Janet Dobson
Scott Levere
John Loving
Liza and Derrick McSwain
Jeri Moran and Shaun Rawls
Nancy Neufer
Jeff and Betsy Sherry
Anonymous Donor
Corporate Donors
HawkPartners
Specialty Center for Periodontics and Dental Implants
*Team Summer, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. All contributions are tax deductible to the full extent of the law.
