To All of Our Supporters,
Listed below is an update on some families we have been helping since our last report in August.
Xavier was diagnosed, at age eight, with leukemia and is in the middle of a four year intensive chemotherapy plan. Both of his parents are employed but the rigorous treatment schedule makes lost wages an intermittent issue for the family of four. The Foundation covered the family’s mortgage for a five month period to ease the financial strain on the family.
Covid-19 has impacted some of the families we assist. Three year old Lupita was diagnosed in September, 2019 with optic glioma, a rare tumor in children that forms behind the optic nerve. Her treatment plan was scheduled to last about one year. The family of five was being supported by dad’s full time employment until pandemic concerns caused him to be temporarily laid off from his job without unemployment benefits. While the family is very proud and did not want to accept any financial help, meeting their household expenses during dad’s lay off became difficult. The Foundation covered rent and utility payments until dad was able to get back to work.
Jaden is a twelve year old boy who was diagnosed with a brain tumor at Penn State Children’s Hospital. Treatment is expected to last at least one year. Jaden’s family of five also suffered the effects of the pandemic. His mother and father were both laid off from their jobs. The Foundation paid the family’s rent and auto loan payments until their financial situation improved.
When Colton’s family was referred to us he was an adorable seventeen month old little boy who had been diagnosed with infant Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in September, 2019. He received numerous rounds of chemotherapy while admitted to Penn State Children’s Hospital for the better part of a year. Unfortunately, a routine spinal tap this spring detected a return of Colton’s cancer. He had to return to the hospital for additional chemotherapy to prepare him for a bone marrow transplant. Colton is the only child of his parents. Mom quit her part-time job to care for her son and dad has, fortunately, been able to work as much as possible remotely from the hospital or home. The doctors in charge of Colton’s care at Penn State Children’s Hospital recommended he receive his bone marrow transplant at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. Because the family will need to remain in Baltimore for several months, the Foundation is making mortgage payments so mom and dad can cover the expense of a rental close to the hospital in Maryland.
Covid-19 has also impacted Ronald McDonald House operations. Many of the families seeking treatment for their children at the hospitals with whom we partner used to be able to stay at the Ronald McDonald House while seeking treatment. When that housing option became unavailable, the social workers had to seek alternative housing for their families. Luke, a little two year old boy with Rhabdomyosarcoma, underwent numerous rounds of chemotherapy at Penn State Children’s Hospital in Hershey. When he and his family needed to stay in Philadelphia while his six week proton therapy was performed at CHOP, the Foundation helped to cover some of the costs for the family to stay in a hotel during his treatment.
We all know 2020 has been a difficult year, in so many ways. We all miss seeing our families and friends and we’ve also missed seeing many of you, part of our extended family, at the Golf Classic and the Cadillac Dinner. As we continue to serve the families referred to us, we thank you for your continued support. The Jeff Musser Foundation will again participate in Lancaster’s Extra Ordinary Give on November 20. We thank you, in advance, for any donations you may feel you’d like to direct to the Jeff Musser Foundation during the yearly event. As always, we know none of what we do would be possible without your caring and your generosity!
Sincerely,
The Board and Volunteers of the Jeff Musser Foundation