Your donations to KS95 for Kids help children in this community who are living with cancer or a complex disability. Both benefiting organizations, Gillette Children's Specialty Hospital and Children's Cancer Research Fund, are maximizing every dollar you give to help children like Luke, Molly and Rachel.
When we last heard from the Williams family in December, Molly had just finished up her bone marrow transplant for the pre-leukemia disease, Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). Despite some troubles with fluid around her heart and a lingering case of pneumonia this winter, Molly is now healthy and happy to be at home. Her mom Julie says, "Every day, she wakes up and hopes the sun is out so she can play all day outside."
Her older brother Luke, who had a transplant for the same disease nearly five years ago, had his annual appointment April and reached a significant survivor milestone five years cancer free!
This spring, the family hosted a blood drive in their community to support local blood banks that provided life-saving blood to both Molly and Luke during their treatment. The family continues to be thankful for the research that benefited their children and they look forward to a fun summer ahead.
Read Luke & Molly's full story
We first introduced you Rachel last December. This adorable 5-year old was born with spina bifida, which means "split spine," and occurs when the spine develops abnormally during the earliest stages of pregnancy. It can cause partial paralysis, difficulty walking, and other complex health issues.
These days, Rachel is still a girl on the go – she's continuing to practice riding an adaptive bike all over her neighborhood and is excited about starting kindergarten this fall. This spring, she was even able to demonstrate her exciting new ability, walking! Rachel is also getting to the age, says her mother, Kristen, of beginning to ask questions about her disability. "She told me one day, 'I wish my legs worked like yours do,'" says Kristen. Despite those questions, Rachel remains a spirited and courageous little girl – aided, in large part, to her Gillette team. "Everyone at Gillette absolutely boosts Rachel's confidence!" says Kristen.
