Bingo Benefits Leukaemia
26th November, 2007
4-year-old Mackenzie McCarter was diagnosed with leukaemia this past September, with treatments expected to endure for at least the next 2.5 years. For her family, the emotional stress of the illness was just the start of their worries. Mackenzie’s mother, Melissa was recently forced to take an extended leave of absence from her school-teaching job without pay in order to care for her daughter.
Like so many families, the McCarter family must struggle to cover medical costs and care for their child without having the chance to earn money. In response, Mackenzie’s cousin, Deanna Sheckles-Hawse organised the family’s first fundraiser, sponsored by the Jeremy Foundation.
The fundraiser, a bingo night for over 200 people at the Frederick Moose Lodge 371 in Maryland, offered prizes of about 30 baskets filled with toys, snacks and toiletries. The sponsor, the Jeremy Foundation was begun by a mother who lost her 3-year-old nephew to cancer, and now reaches out to families with children battling cancer. The foundation aims to help families cover the cost of their non-medical expenses. Insurance doesn’t cover the cost of food, gas, electric, and mortgage payments—all things which as still very real expenses for families battling disease.
On Sunday night, Mackenzie’s bingo fundraiser was expected to raise almost $10,000, and though the totals are still being added up, Sheckles-Hawse is confident they’ve reached their goal.
Thanks to fundraisers like bingo nights, children like Mackenzie are able to get the treatment and attention they need from their parents, and parents need worry less and less about basic expenses.
