MEET OUR KIDS

Corey's Story

February 2002

After the words “Your son has cancer,” I heard nothing else. I remember sitting in the Hasbro ER on February 24, 2002, watching the doctor’s lips continue to move – explaining the diagnosis – but I couldn’t hear anything. I remember that my husband asked “How serious is this?” The ER doctor responded “Very serious.” My husband started to cry. Our only child had been diagnosed with Stage 4 testicular cancer. It was then that our journey with The Tomorrow Fund began.

We were told by doctors that Corey would be battling the same cancer as Lance Armstrong and Scot Hamilton, so our family felt very hopeful that Corey would endure the recommended 4-6 rounds of chemotherapy and be cured. But sadly, after an initial positive response to the chemo, the cancer continued to grow. Corey’s cancer could be measured through a blood test called a Beta MCG. Our family would watch the Beta count rise and fall and rise again. We all were on an uncontrollable roller coaster ride with an end nowhere in sight.

Two stem cell transplants and another chemo protocol failed to destroy the cancer. On January 2, 2003, Dr. Forman gave us the news we could not bear to hear – that Corey could not be cured. Dr. Forman – who had been Corey’s doctor from the beginning – had put together a combination of older chemo drugs that he felt could keep the cancer under control… for a while.

I had been praying so very hard for Corey. I felt so helpless during his illness. As parents, we naturally want to make things better for our children no matter what, but I had no control over what was happening to Corey. Prayer gave me something to focus on. I truly believed that I was doing something positive to help Corey heal. I had faith that God could hear my prayers. I had faith in Corey’s doctors that everything was being done to help him heal. Together – with this powerful combination – a miracle occurred.

The three chemo drugs in Dr. Forman’s protocol began destroying the cancer immediately. On May 19, 2003, Corey’s test came back with the cancer undetectable. Nineteen months later, Corey’s cancer is still gone.

I thank God every day for our miracle. I pray every day for the children and families of The Tomorrow Fund. I pray every day for all the staff, nurses, and doctors of The Tomorrow Fund, especially Dr. Forman. I believe in the power of medicine. I believe in the power or prayer. I believe in miracles.

We’ve been helping children with cancer for 20 years!

There is a child with cancer in every city and town in RI and nearby MA who is being helped by The Tomorrow Fund.

Last year, children with cancer spent more than 2,500 nights in Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

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