Twin sisters Kaylee Rivers, left, and Emma, celebrated their sixth birthday in Kaylee’s hospital room, where she has been battling cancer through six rounds of chemotherapy, surgeries, and radiation.
Kaylee is pictured here at 5 years old, prior to her diagnosis of neuroblastoma, a rare cancer of the sympathetic nervous system.
How to help:
To donate online, visit www.footprintsfoundation.com/donate.asp. Click on Family Funds Box, then Kaylee Rivers.
To donate through mail, make checks payable to: The Footprints in the Sand Foundation/Kaylee Rivers and mail to: The Footprints in the Sand Foundation, 100 Paragon Drive Suite 250, Montvale, NJ 07645
On Oct. 25, 2002, Trish and Mike Rivers brought two beautiful baby girls, Kaylee and Emma, into the world. With daughter Laina already a blessing in their lives at the time, the twins completed their family of five, filling their lives with love and joy. But this year on Oct. 25, when these proud parents should have been preparing for a bustling household filled with family and friends to celebrate the twins’ birthday, they spent the day in the hospital, with Kaylee fighting for the very life her parents welcomed into the world just six years ago.
On the family Web site chronicling Kaylee’s struggle with cancer for family and friends, Trish and Mike did not want to focus on her illness, and instead celebrated the lives of their children. “Today we celebrate. No talk about anything else,” read the entry for the girls’ birthday.
On June 6, Kaylee was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare cancer of the sympathetic nervous system. For Kaylee, her diagnosis was not simply another case to add to the nearly 650 diagnosed annually. Instead, it was the start of her battle to fight for the many years of her life she has yet to live; for the chance to try her first face of make-up, attend her first school dance, and embrace the childhood innocence every little girl deserves.
Of the 650 new cases of neuroblastoma diagnosed in the United States each year, most of the victims are young children; nearly half of whom are infants. The cancer usually develops in the form of tumors, and is commonly found in the nerve tissues, but can also spread to the bones and bone marrow.
On their Web site recording Kaylee’s treatments and her strides toward recovery, her parents write, “Our hearts are broken, but are also filled with so much hope and love for Kaylee. We look at her and see a happy, smiling, beautiful strong girl and we just know that she is going to be okay.” To date Kaylee has endured six rounds of chemotherapy, and is presently undergoing radiation twice a day. She has also undergone several surgeries to remove tumors. “This poor kid has just gone through hell. Since June, she has spent more time in the hospital than out,” said Cathy Davey, Kaylee’s great-aunt.
Cathy and her husband Pete, owners of Davey’s Locker in Montvale, have felt the impact of Kaylee’s diagnosis, and despite the helplessness they feel with her struggle, they are doing what they can to provide relief for her family. “Our role right now is just to do as much as we can,” said Cathy.
The Daveys have been working to organize various fundraisers to benefit Kaylee’s family and alleviate some of the financial burden that has come with her illness. Trish, Kaylee’s mother, has not been able to work since her daughter’s diagnosis in June, and her husband Mike, a self-employed contractor, has been limited in the work he can do while trying to balance time with his daughter through her battle.
The family started by donating all the proceeds collected from their annual Davey’s Golf Outing held earlier this month to Kaylee. The outing generated nearly $6,000 in donations. In addition, three of the Davey’s children, Tommy, Sarah, and Seton, will be running in the New York City Marathon on Sunday, Nov. 2, in support of Kaylee. All the money raised from the pledges received for the Davey siblings will go to benefit Kaylee in her recovery.
“Our family has been lucky, as far as everyone being healthy. So something like that, a young girl in our family getting sick, you almost feel helpless,” said Tommy. “It doesn’t seem like a lot that we are doing, but we are just trying to do something.”
Additionally, Davey’s Locker will be holding an open house on Saturday, Nov. 15 from noon to 4 p.m. A buffet will be provided and donations accepted, as well as the opportunity to win prizes.
The Davey family is focused on doing as much as possible to benefit Kaylee, and have been following her progress through the daily postings Trish and Mike have on their Web site. “I don’t know how they write it, because I can’t read it sometimes,” said Pete. “We just fall apart reading it,” added Cathy.
But while Kaylee continues to fight her battle with cancer, the Daveys will continue to do what they can to raise as much money possible to ensure that Kaylee can get the care that she needs to survive, and have a chance to live a long, full life.
