Help Local Families Fight Cancer

Usually at Mommy Poppins, we write posts that help families take full advantage of living in this amazing city. But sometimes one of us will come across a story that's so moving, we want to turn things around and ask our readers to help others.

That's exactly how I felt when I read about Brooklyn parents Nathan and Elisa Bond, who were both diagnosed with aggressive forms of cancer this February—within nine days of each other.

Cancer seems to be omnipresent these days. Whether it's a relative, a friend, someone’s parent or child, we all know someone who's battled the disease. Elisa and Nathan's story is particularly heartbreaking. As a fellow New York City parent, I know the streets they walk, the playgrounds they likely visit and can relate to how much they love their 18-month-old daughter.

As much as I want to help everyone fighting cancer, sending checks to big charities doesn't feel very personal. It's nice to put faces to names, stories to statistics, and to help others do the same.

Read on to find out how you can help the Bonds, as well as other ways to get involved with local families whose lives have been touched by cancer.

Elisa, 36, an aspiring actress and broker at Corcoran, is battling stage 4 metastatic breast cancer, while her husband Nathan, 38, a painter and educator at Parsons, is fighting stage 3 rectal cancer. Together more than six years, they live in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn with their daughter, Sadie. As the Bonds' very frank blog explains, the road ahead of them is long and complicated. Elisa will undergo multiple rounds of chemotherapy, and Nathan has chemo, radiation and surgery in his future—all while raising Sadie. And even though they both have health insurance, the out-of-pocket costs are staggering.

Their story has quickly spread around the country, and their family and friends have rallied behind them, creating a Facebook page and organizing events to raise money for their expensive treatments. 

A big benefit for the Bonds is going to be held on Friday, May 19 at the Prospect Park Picnic House. Tickets cost $200 and include food, drinks, dancing and an auction featuring backstage passes to a Sheryl Crow concert, trips to the Caribbean and New Mexico, and other cool items. The organizers hope to raise $50,000, with all proceeds going directly to Elisa and Nathan. Click here for more info or to buy tickets. Of course, you can also make a monetary donation of any amount to a trust established to help them pay their medical bills.

The Witts are another New York family with a heartbreaking story. In February, 2007, their then 2½-year-old Liam was diagnosed with a type of cancer called Neuroblastoma. When his parents learned that there was little funding to fight his particular disease, his mother, Gretchen, decided to hold a bake sale. With the help of 250 volunteers, she baked 96,000 cookies and raised $400,000. A year later, she launched her nonprofit, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, an organization that sells cookies and helps facilitate bake sales to raise money for pediatric cancer.

Sadly, Liam passed away in January. This May, he would have turned 7. To honor his birthday, Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is asking people to hold bake sales in his memory. Glad (yes, the folks behind the plastic bags) has vowed to match up to $225,000 of the funds raised. All of the proceeds will go to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.

Organizing a bake sale is fun and easy, and it's a great way to get your kids involved in an important cause. The children’s play space appleseeds and Liam’s former preschool, the Chelsea Day School, hope to host the biggest bake sale of all on Liam's birthday. Cookies will be sold at both locations, as well as the nearby Flatiron building, on Friday, May 13.

A related event: On Monday, May 23, Tracey Stewart, the owner of kid-friendly cafe and art space Moomah in Tribeca, and Jessica Shyba, the blogger behind Momma's Gone City, are teaming up for a Cookies for Kids’ Cancer benefit. Tickets are $35, and every guest will be automatically entered in a raffle to win prizes from Maclaren, Oeuf, Britax and more. Only 45 spots are available, so buy your tickets now if you want to attend.

No, none of these events will magically make cancer disappear, but they do help fellow NYC families in need. They also make us feel like we're helping to make a difference.

Photo by Betsy Marie