We are looking for the dollar...
...so that one day no one will have to hear the words "You have cancer."
Team Heroes
Evan Schroeder
Evan was diagnosed with JMML (Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia) at the end of 2007. JMML is a rare leukemia (cancer of the blood) that affects only about 2 in 1 million children. In March of 2008, two months after Evan?s 2nd birthday, he was admitted to Nationwide Columbus Children?s Hospital to undergo a bone marrow transplant (BMT) from a perfect-match, unrelated donor. The goal was to replace his failing and dysplastic bone marrow with an entirely new one that would help him live a full and healthy life. The doctors gave him a 50/50 chance of both surviving the transplant and beating his disease. After a long struggle, Evan finally began to show signs of engraftment (meaning that the new marrow had finally set up shop inside him and was beginning to send out new, healthy cells). From that point on, Evan?s body began to heal and slowly improve.
Evan is now 6 years old and entered Kindergarten in the fall of 2011. Deep down, Evan is an old soul from all he has been through, but on the surface, he is an ornery and funny kid that loves to laugh. He is also a tough kid that makes it a point not to cry when he has to get what he calls "pokers" (blood draws). He tries so very hard at all that he does and if you tell him that he can?t do something, it seems that just makes him try harder. Evan is an inspiration to us and we are so grateful and thankful that he is in our lives.
Matt Hare
In August of 2009, while working on his Master?s Degree in Sports Administration, Matt began feeling fatigued and not like himself. Several weeks later he was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a very rare blood cancer that typically occurred in elderly patients. On Thanksgiving morning of 2009, he completed his last Chemotherapy treatment and began preparing himself for a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT). A BMT is the best chance to gain remission, but Multiple Myeloma is still an incurable cancer. The survival rate is only 4-10 years so funding for this cancer is crucial. He decided that rather than staying put and hoping a cure was found, that he wanted to be a part of a cure. He and his family began fundraising and bringing awareness to this disease. He has gained an understanding of the importance of enjoying life, no matter what comes his way. Chances are likely that his cancer will return, and if and when it does, he is determined to go back to work to knock it out again.
