Sam’s Story

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On January 4, 2012, our lives changed forever when our 4 year old was diagnosed with leukemia. The first few months we felt so overwhelmed, so alone, so scared, and we were struggling to stay afloat. Summer was coming, and we were introduced to some organizations - PCFLV being one of them. They were having a mini golf outing for pediatric cancer families. We hesitated but then decided to go. We met with a family, actually a few families, that also felt what we were feeling. That event again changed us. Sam is

now 14, a freshman in high school, and considered cured. You may think cured is the end of the story, but it really isn't.

My reason for sharing today though is to ask for you to donate time or money to PCFLV – a foundation that gave our family time away to feel normal, by holding support groups and events where we could hang out with other families. They gave our family Christmas when we didn't know how we would with only one parent’s paycheck. The support changes as the needs change, and that is truly what a family needs who is going through a cancer diagnosis. The list of what they provide seems endless, but they can only do that with the support of you, our community. Sam may be thriving now that he is done with cancer treatment, but that doesn't mean side effects and other issues don't come along with it. So the needs never really end, but they may lessen. The friendships created are forever and that includes all of you who donate to PCFLV – an organization who saved our lives as much as the doctors and nurses saved Sam's.

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Written by Sam’s parents, Melissa and Jeff

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Please consider donating in Sam’s honor to support PCFLV's mission.

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Please also consider helping local kids with cancer by donating blood at Miller-Keystone Blood Center:

https://donor.giveapint.org/donor/schedules/centers