When 6-year-old Jackson fell this summer and fractured his leg, his family was shocked to learn he had a tumor on his fibula which was caused by Ewing Sarcoma. Jackson currently receives cancer treatment at Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital and at Boston Children’s Hospital. His treatment includes aggressive chemotherapy followed by extensive surgery to remove the tumor on his leg.

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Jackson is a silly boy who likes all sports, Legos, Spiderman, Pokémon, Nintendo Switch and playing on his iPad. He is so adored by his sister Sofia. Sofia and her parents Martine and Kyle are doing their best to keep his spirits up as he navigates through his difficult cancer treatments.

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We feel very fortunate to be in Jackson’s caring circle, placing a tele-presence robot in his first-grade classroom. The robot allows him to be in school virtually whenever he’s feeling well enough to log on. His classmates have been known to hug the robot and also make a heart shape with their hands, showing Jackson their love.

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Martine, Jackson’s mom states, “Having the robot in his class has allowed Jackson to stay connected to his classmates and friends from his hospital bed. It’s amazing as a parent to see a classroom full of 6-year-olds cheer when the robot comes on and they can see him. We are so grateful to Grahamtastic Connection and all their supporters for being able to provide a tool to keep him engaged with his class and teacher when he can't physically be there."

When you see #johnnystrong on social media, you’ll clearly see where the word STRONG originates from. Johnny is not only showing us his Superhero strength, but also his courageous bravery. Sweet Johnny has been battling Stage 4 High-Risk Neuroblastoma most of his life, (Neuroblastoma is a tumor of nerve tissue that can appear in various parts of the body.)

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Johnny, who is now seven and a half, was first diagnosed at just seven months old. With hundreds of days hospitalized, four relapses, and numerous aggressive cancer treatments, Johnny retains his bright smile and adventurous spirit. Johnny loves to play with his big sister Madi and dog Oakie at their home in Massachusetts between cancer treatments in both Boston and New York City.

 

Grahamtastic Connection has supported Johnny with an iPad. His mom Colleen states, “The iPad has been a life-saver and is always with him.” Colleen went on to say, “Johnny enjoys Baby Einstein and other learning apps, creating a mixture of photos and art, learning his colors and numbers, and has become quite a little techie.”

 

We feel very fortunate to be in Johnny’s caring circle, offering him a device that is helping him navigate through his continued treatment for Neuroblastoma. Please show Johnny and his family love by following @jmoc2a11on Instagram or John Morris on Facebook. We are all #johnnystrong together.

When Reese was eight she was diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma. After 13 months of chemo, 29 sessions of radiation and almost 20 surgeries on her upper arm, we are happy to report Reese is doing very well. While Reese was too ill to attend school and was feeling isolated, Grahamtastic provided her an iPad and placed a tele-presence robot in her school, which she affectionately named R2Reese2. The robot helped her enjoy her favorite subjects, art, music and writing. She also enjoyed researching facts about animals than making presentations about what she has learned, especially wolves. Reese enjoys art and loves to paint and sketch. She often brings works of art to share with her doctors and nurses at the hospital.

 

Reese is very moved to give back to the cancer community and has done so in so many ways. Whether it’s public speaking to over 1000 people, holding a toy drive or helping cancer organizations fundraise, her beautiful smile is always there to help others. Reese’s mother Lynne states, “Having R2Reese2 gave her the opportunity to participate in her normal life again and it was amazing to see the transformation this made in her. She looked forward to logging in and participating in lessons, and was able to go to lunch with her friends at school while she was still in hospital.

Sydney is a sweet 7-year-old girl who loves being a big sister to her brother Jack and enjoys spending time outdoors and animals. She loves animals so much she is known to read encyclopedias about them! Last spring, Sydney’s parents, Lyndsey and Adam, noticed that their daughter started tiring easily and had stopped enjoying their usual family activities, like hiking. On Easter morning, Sydney collapsed with exhaustion and a trip to the emergency room was warranted. Based upon the results of her blood tests, she was immediately admitted into Boston Children’s Hospital and diagnosed with High-Risk B-Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (Blood Cancer). Sydney would spend the next two months in the hospital until she was strong enough to receive outpatient cancer treatment at Dana Farber.

 

Today Sydney is receiving chemotherapy as she continues with her 2½ year cancer protocol. Sydney’s Grahamtastic iPad, along with our donated high-speed internet access, allows her to learn more about animals online and play her favorite games like “Crayola Scribble Scrubbie Pets”. Sydney’s mother Lyndsey, who has become a very strong pediatric cancer advocate, states “We were beyond grateful, for when the moments hit where Sydney did not feel good, she was given the opportunity to go to her bedroom and still watch a movie, or play her games with the gift provided by Grahamtastic!”

 

To learn more about Sydney, their family friend Abigail Galas wrote and illustrated a delightful children’s book titled, “The Adventures of Sydney and Jack”. All book sales support childhood cancer.

Owen is a 6-year-old fun-loving, energetic boy who likes to play with trucks and Legos. In May 2020, while the world was newly experiencing the COVID-19 Pandemic, Owen’s parents started noticing unknown bruising and red spots (Petechiae) on their son’s skin. An oncologist visit and blood work revealed Owen had Aplastic Anemia, which is a rare blood disease where the body fails to produce blood cells in sufficient numbers.

Treatment for Owen included a Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) which he received in Boston, miles away from their home in Maine. Grahamtastic Connection gifted Owen with a new iPad during his BMT, which he uses to FaceTime family and friends who he otherwise would not be able to see while in isolation. Owen’s big sister also showed him some games to play including his favorite learning app Doulingo ABC. Fortunately, Owen’s BMT was successful, thanks to the anonymous donor chosen from over 200 matches in the donor database.
 

Owen’s iPad, along with our donated high-speed internet access, allows him to attend school remotely as he continues to grow stronger each day. Owen’s father Nicholas states, “Thank you Grahamtastic Connection for giving Owen the opportunity to develop new skills with the technology that you have so generously provided him.”

Elijah is an active, funny and caring 12-year-old who was diagnosed with Blastic Plasmacytoid Dendritic Cell

Neoplasm (BPDCN). BPDCN is a rare, aggressive blood and bone marrow cancer that can affect the skin,

lymph nodes, spleen, and central nervous system. This rare cancer affects fewer than 1,000 people each year.

 

Being hospitalized with cancer was the last thing on Elijah’s mind because he was very busy working to

become a YouTube star. He absolutely loves creating content for his channels which are dedicated to his

favorite pastimes, racing cars, and Legos. Elijah dreams of being a Formula 1 race car driver, but for now,

he’s practicing his driving skills with his friends through video racing games like Gran Turismo 7.

 

Elijah is also a huge fan of UConn Men’s Basketball Team. To his delight, his favorite team would often

visit him in the hospital and also provide him and other patients with free tickets to their home games.

 

We were happy to support Elijah with an iPad and home internet access while receiving cancer treatment.

Today, Elijah is back to school and growing stronger every day, after over a year of aggressive chemotherapy.

With the strength and determination Elijah shows, there’s no doubt that someday we will see him cross the finish

line in first place at the Grand Prix.