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Maribel Aber. >> All right, Mayor Bill, so
>> All right, Mayor Bill, so
September is pediatric Cancer
Awareness month.
>> KPRC, 2 community series
focusing on big love cancer care and the services they
care and the services they
provide to families facing
childhood cancers across the
state.
>> Joining us this morning to
tell us more about the great
things that they do in our
community. Is Kelly Rankle.
Kelly, good morning. How are
you doing? >> Hi, good morning. And early
>> Hi, good morning. And early
summer you were. Well, thanks
for being with Can you tell
us in the viewers about a big
love cancer care, what it is that you all do?
that you all do?
>> Yes, sir.
>> Well, big love cancer care
is a small nonprofit organization and that we serve
organization and that we serve
hospitals in Texas the 16 years
ago. So this year we’re excited
to. So we are 15 years of and
started in memory of Burke. Philips, a little girl, 5 years
Philips, a little girl, 5 years
old that battled leukemia for
2 years and during hospitals say and many hospital stays
say and many hospital stays
her fight. Her parents realized
there was a men’s needs of
other families are battling
cancer. And so they just out of Berks Spirit and her love for
Berks Spirit and her love for
And in her memory, they sort of
big love cancer care and they
basically just want to ease
the burden of cancer for all pediatric cancer And so over
pediatric cancer And so over
the past 15 years, they’ve been
working really hard him.
This really small and Angleton,
Texas. That’s where their families from and the community
families from and the community
came together and just, you
know, really grassroots mall.
And over the 15 years we’ve
if we’ve got over 15 programs and we serve over
and we serve over
100,000 patients and families every year. And now so that we
every year. And now so that we
really And now we’re in a
hospitals across And so we just
try you think of, you know what
the family needs as are going
through their Try to say yes to as many of those needs as
to as many of those needs as
possible. Yeah. And speaking
about that according to the
CDC, 15,000 kids and teens
under the age of 20 in the
U.S..
>> Diagnosed with cancer every
year. So for parents you’ve met with through big love
met with through big love
cancer care.
>> Tell us more about the
journey there on.
>> Yes, I think we’re pretty
lucky to live in Houston and
we’ve got the biggest, you
know, medical center, all of
the cancer. You know,
everything you can they get in
our backyard. And I’m being told that your child has cancer
told that your child has cancer
is incomprehensible for most
people. And it’s just a
different journey. You just
don’t think they could see
cancer until it happens. You or someone that, you know,
You or someone that, you know,
we’re live in so there’s a lot
of challenges the families go
through from most of the time
when it’s a child, they can’t
be alone. So they have to have up. Here are guardian. And so
up. Here are guardian. And so
most of the time the family
has to split up where, you
know, long as you work in the
other caregiver has to say with
the child, there’s other
children that they have to walk to. Ian, thank you all of the
to. Ian, thank you all of the
hospital. So there’s there’s a
lot of stress financially,
emotionally, you know, with
the family and then at the worst time ever with
worst time ever with
their valley, this disease.
And you don’t know the outcome
is going to be was the time.
that’s where being love stepped
in. And just, you know, we
helped like we know that there’s a financial burden so
there’s a financial burden so
we will help with financial
need to see that we provide
food to hospitals they don’t
provide. Apparently all know provide a patient right.
provide a patient right.
In so many times. The parents
have to, you know, run
somewhere, really clicking it.
Something perhaps a little
Bron, bringing them food and just a healthy meal will make
just a healthy meal will make
a big difference in your day,
especially when you’re young.
You’re up all the time of the
sick child. we you know, we do weekly, which is where they
do weekly, which is where they
can get their groceries
delivered to them
parking, just to do you know
if there’s a family is in
crisis and the need something
the social workers will reach out and we will help
out and we will help
with that as well double.
So there’s a lot of just so
much going on. It’s for the most stressful time of the
most stressful time of the
family’s lives of their child.
A second It’s really just a
blessing that you guys are
there and what you do. Kelly,
how did you get involved with
big love cancer care?
cancer care?
>> I actually met big love
cancer 15 years ago when my son
was diagnosed at Texas
Children’s Hospital with leukemia. We were living there
leukemia. We were living there
and they hopped in our room
had some toys then they brought
holiday They’re really small
back then. So it was is nice to come in and then have the
come in and then have the
programs as they do now.
But it was still really nice
to have someone the the
volunteers or the co-founders kind of walk alongside you
kind of walk alongside you
they’ve been there and they
know what you’re going through.
And so sometimes it’s not even
the conversations just being
around each other. Just knowing that you’re all in this So
that you’re all in this So
that’s how we met. And then
after we’re very lucky. this 22 he was 69 assistance and
22 he was 69 assistance and
spent 15 years he’s very
healthy and he trusted and
all that from all of our fun
run. And just often all the things he can come to our
things he can come to our
family still supports family
and friends still support.
Big lot of us. 17 years later
sense. Find the That’s
wonderful.
>> Kelly, what are some ways that those watching involved
that those watching involved
with big love cancer care?
>> There are several ways to
obviously of supporting our
events and our fundraising events as a big way to come
events as a big way to come
out and then just meet you.
Meet a lot of see what we do
and have some fun. And so
that’s been the biggest weight financially and volunteering.
financially and volunteering.
We need volunteers and, you
know, with COVID we’ve been
had to get creative with how
we serve the patients. Can some of the were on lockdown there
of the were on lockdown there
starting to open back up now?
So we’re didn’t in, you know,
more volunteers training in
sense of there’s a volunteer
that one step the involving go to the hospital each week,
to the hospital each week,
whether it’s just dropping off,
you know, meals or going in a
drop of shopping. The love that
we need volunteers for everything. Pretty much all of
everything. Pretty much all of
our programs.
And then the other way he is
and start a new program and
it’s a community partner program. And what we’re doing
program. And what we’re doing
is we’re connecting. We get a
lot of requests, families, you
know, their car breaks down.
They can’t make it to their
Something happens. Other AC in their houses out.
their houses out.
We’re trying to connect
community partners and with the
family. So we had several
people step you know, transmission company will offer
transmission company will offer
to help a feeling of the
transmission. Sometimes it’s
just headlights are it’s a, you
know, window unit that needs to
be replaced or something like
that. And then it makes a huge
difference to the family because they can’t afford to
because they can’t afford to
fix that. On top of everything
else is going on. So we are
looking for a our community
partners. So our volunteer
pages about and if there’s a
company that wants to come on
inside of us and kind of be,
you know, I’m kind of in will
Rolodex. And when we could call when there’s a need and they
when there’s a need and they
can always, you know, say yes
or no, but it’s a great
resource for us to be able to
fix, you know, these for the family for so much more at
family for so much more at
costs are really big discount.
So much support the community.
The you you mentioned events
next Tuesday, October 4th.
That’s the big fund-raiser, right? What’s going on?
right? What’s going on?
>> Yes. So that’s our annual of
the day. The giving of them.
>> And normally we a corporate
sponsor to match this in memory of Insys Salario use a 17
of Insys Salario use a 17
year-old when you pass after
his battle with the Census Oreo Fund has offered match up to
Fund has offered match up to
$25,000. So in every donation
we get that day is 24 they will match us that can be for any of
match us that can be for any of
our events coming
up. So Army summit of the years
that are seen and that’s fun,
run its in December. It’s really final 5.10, you can sign
really final 5.10, you can sign
up for that on that day and
then that those funds will be
met. So that’s that’s Kevin
Wilson. The gala coming up.
So if you want to register for the gala or buy tickets that
the gala or buy tickets that
day, that will also be matched
and doing so much good for so
many people out there. Thank
you, Kelly. One goal, big love
cancer being with us.
>> We do have more details
about the big love plus links to donate right on our Web
to donate right on our Web
page. Click 2 Houston dot Com.