Malia Crushes Cancer

On April 1, 2011, it was official: 2 ½-year-old Malia Dakota Jusczyk's carefree life of Disney World and pony rides, soccer practice and swimming pools, came to a grinding halt. A CT scan revealed that Malia's recent "tummy aches" were caused by a large tumor lodged in her abdomen. The solid mass wrapped around major blood vessels and pushed against her kidney and aorta.

A biopsy confirmed that Malia has a very aggressive childhood cancer known as stage IV (high risk) neuroblastoma. The cancer had metastasized into her bones and bone marrow (cranium, humerus, and femur). Immediately after the debilitating diagnosis, Malia's parents, Megan and Glen, left Orlando, Florida in order to provide their daughter with the best treatment currently available to her at the Children's Hospital/Dana-Farber Jimmy Fund Clinic in Boston, Massachusetts.

To survive, Malia's little body had to endure six rounds of chemo, nine hours of tumor resection surgery, a stem cell transplant, removal of a kidney and an adrenal gland, twelve rounds of proton radiation, countless blood transfusions, and immunotherapy.

We are thrilled to share that as of July 2012, Malia has been declared NED (No Evidence of Disease). Yay!! However, since the rate of relapse with neuroblastoma is so high (and since there is no cure once a child relapses), we have entered her in a two-year-long remission trial, which utilizes a medication called DFMO 2/day and includes scans every three months as well as monthly oncology appointments.

Malia, like all children diagnosed with this awful disease, has shown an unbelievable strength and willpower throughout her treatment. We are thankful for every single day we get with our beautiful daughter!

Unfortunately, many parents can't say the same. The fact remains that every sixteen hours a child dies from neuroblastoma, and although cancer is the number one disease killer of our children, only 3.8% of cancer research funding goes toward pediatric cancer. That is why we have chosen to expand the non-profit, For Kids’ Sake (created by Malia's dad, Glen Jusczyk), to raise money for neuroblastoma research as well as for families of children diagnosed with neuroblastoma.

According to the Neuroblastoma Children's Cancer Society: "For families affected by neuroblastoma, the medical costs alone typically exceed $500,000 with many costs not covered by health insurance, this experience can devastate a family financially."

Please consider donating to this very worthy cause and helping more children crush cancer!

Fundraising Events

Share this video on Facebook to raise $1 for pediatric cancer research!

Calendar

Aug. 4	2nd Annual Tri to Crush Cancer REGISTER NOW!
May 3	Texas Hold 'Em Tournament
May 4 & 5	Benefit Yard Sale
Jun. 2	2nd Annual Golf Tournament, Holden Hills
Jun. 2	Brent Dillard Does Newfound Lake Triathlon
Now	Pink Malia Gloves now available from GK Icon USA
Now	Bumper Stickers and Wristbands
Now	Cancer Sucks T-Shirts
Now	Generation UCAN Fundraiser
Now	I Feel Dizzay for Malia

See past events...

2nd Annual Tri to Crush Cancer

On August 4, join us for the 2nd Annual Triathlon to Crush Cancer in North Attleboro, MA. Last year's race was such a success – let's make this year an even bigger hit. Sign up to bike, run, and swim to raise money to fight neuroblastoma, or just come for the fun and games!

There's a limit of 300 racers, so sign up now!

Register Now

Online Race Registration
by ACTIVE Network

Texas Hold 'Em Tournament

Friday, May 3, 2013
Registration 6 pm, first hand dealt 7 pm
Italian American Vet's Club
4 Hayward Field
Milford, MA 01757

On May 3, grab a few friends and join us for a Texas Hold 'Em Tournament hosted by Eastern Poker Tournaments to benefit the For Kids' Sake Foundation!

$80 buy-in for tournament
1/2 no-limit tables will be available throughout the evening
For more details on tournament rules and prize payouts, please visit: easternpokertour.com and click on charity events.
Cash bar, pizza, and other light refreshments on site

MaliaCrushesCancer.com Benefit Yard Sale

May 4 & 5, 9:00 am – 4:00 pm (rain date May 18 & 19)
101 Church St.
Northbridge, MA

Let the rummaging begin! The more items donated, the more money we can raise. This is a great opportunity to start your spring cleaning and rid yourself of all the unwanted clutter.

Clothes, toys, working electronics, appliances, furniture, sports equipment, books, etc. Please help support Malia and all her friends suffering from this horrible disease. Please contact Jessica at 508-873-6518 or by email to donate or for more information.

2nd Annual Golf Tournament, Holden Hills

Sunday, June 2, 2013
Holden Hills Country Club
1800 Main St
Jefferson, MA

On June 2, come join us for the 2nd Annual Golf Tournament to benefit the For Kids' Sake Foundation at the Holden Hills Country Club in Jefferson, MA. Closest to the pin prize, hole in one prize, raffles, and more! Registration includes golf, cart, and dinner. For more information or to register, email Amber Start at forkidssakefoundation@gmail.com. We are also accepting hole sponsors for $100 and items for auction and raffles.

Brent Dillard Does Newfound Lake Triathlon

On June 2, Brent Dillard with compete in the Newfound Lake Triathlon in the New Hampshire Lakes Region. Last year he ran the Boston Marathon – this year, donate below to help him raise $2,000 for families fighting neuroblastoma!

Pink Malia Goalkeeper Gloves now available from GK Icon USA

GK Icon USA launches the Pink "Malia" glove as a great addition to their line. This glove stems from the inspiration of Malia Jusczyk and her fight against Neuroblastoma. Proceeds from glove sales will go directly to Malia's foundation. This model is a top of the line match quality glove. The palm is a 4mm super giga grip with a roll finger design. The backhand is embossed latex along with a full embossed latex wrist strap and enclosure. Retail price is $45, comparable models retail for over $100 for this type of glove. Click here to learn more and buy.

Bumper Stickers and Wristbands

We now have MaliaCrushesCancer.com magnetic bumper stickers and wristbands. If you'd like some, please make a donation, then e-mail us with your address and the quantity you wish to receive, and we'd be happy to mail them to you.

Want to raise funds and awareness for Malia's Foundation? We welcome any and all fundraisers to help crush cancer. Email Amber Start at forkidssakefoundation@gmail.com to get started.

Cancer Sucks T-Shirts

For every donation of $10 or more, we'll send you a Cancer Sucks T-shirt with this awesome logo designed by Maggie Sheppard. When you go to make the donation, click on the "send a message to the seller" link and specify the size. For donations of $20 or more, we can send you two T-shirts, and so on... Donate to help Malia crush cancer, then wear your T-shirt to help spread the word!

If you forgot to specify your T-shirt size when you donated or for any other reason haven't received your T-shirt, please e-mail Glen with your size and we'll send you one right away.

Generation UCAN Fundraiser

Check out the UCAN TRI fundraiser at Generation UCAN for a 10% discount, with 15% of all sales going to the For Kid's Sake Foundation for neuroblastoma research and families fighting neuroblastoma. Generation UCAN is a great new nutrition solution for athletes and triathletes, perfect for getting a jump start on your New Year's resolution or starting your training early for the next Tri to Crush Cancer.