'Live Like Abby' Family Fest Honors Memory of 8-Year-Old Oak Lawn Girl

OAK LAWN, IL -- The first-ever Live Like Abby Family Fest will take place on Saturday, Oct. 22 from noon to 4 p.m. at Oak Lawn Hometown Middle School, offering an afternoon of family fun and activities in honor of eight-year-old Abby Wujcik, who lost her battle with a pediatric brain tumor in 2013.

The Family Fest will raise funds for the Live Like Abby Foundation, a partner of the John McNicholas Brain Tumor Foundation, whose mission is to improve treatments and ultimately find a cure for brain cancer in children.

Abby Wujcik, of Oak Lawn, was six years old when she was diagnosed in 2012 with high-grade astrocytoma, a form of pediatric brain cancer. A teacher at Kolmar Elementary School noticed the first-grader having difficulty using scissors, when she called Abby’s parents to give them a heads up.

Kevin and Kristyn Wujcik had close friends who had just lost their 7-year-old son to brain cancer, when they were handed the same diagnosis for their own little girl. For the next 15 months, Abby fought valiantly. Even during 115 chemotherapy sessions, 33 radiation treatments, 40 clinic visits and hospital stays, Abby attended school more days than not and loved it.

“She was a very determined little girl,” her father, Kevin Wujcik, says of his late daughter. “She always had fun and looked on the bright side of things.”

There was a brief glimmer of hope, when the tumor appeared to be shrinking from radiation, but at the 12-month mark an MRI showed new tumor growth. Abby died on Aug. 28, 2013, with both her parents holding her hands.

Following their daughter’s death, Amy McNicholas, whose own son, John, died at age 15 from an aggressive brain tumor, reached out to Kristyn Wujcik. The Wujciks were guests of honor at the 2015 Live Like John softball tournament at St. Rita High School.

Kevin Wujcik was invited to join the board of directors of the John McNicholas Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. As the couples grew closer, Ed and Amy McNicholas asked the Wujciks to become a partner of the foundation named for their son by creating Live Like Abby in honor of their daughter.

Along with two other families -- Live Like Leah and Live Like Finn -- the parents partner together in raising money for pediatric brain cancer research, with the goal of finding less toxic treatment options with better patient outcomes.

Abby would have been in sixth grade this year. Her former Kolmar classmates, who now attend Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School, along with Abby’s cousins, have been busy making signs for the Live Like Abby Family Fest on Oct. 22.

“This is our first fundraiser for Live Like Abby,” Kevin Wujcik said. “One of the most important things when we started the initiative was that we would get Abby’s friends, classmates and cousins involved, so they could have an outlet and make them feel part of the event.”

The Family Fest features an afternoon of fun for children and their families, including bounce houses, face painting, a pie toss, games, raffles, food music and prizes. The event also provides an opportunity to celebrate the life of an incredibly strong girl who touched the lives of many during her short life. Admission is free, with tickets available for purchase for food, games and activities. Oak Lawn-Hometown Middle School is located at 5345 W. 99th Street, Oak Lawn. (The fest will move indoors at OLMHS in the event of inclement weather.)

Since Abby’s death, Kevin and Kristyn Wujcik have had two more children. Abby chose the name for their youngest child, 6-month-old Peyton Abigail.

“Abby would always tell us three were for quitters and that we needed more babies,” her father said. “When Abby was sick and needling Kris about having another child, she knew it would be a girl so Abby picked out girl names.”

No matter many years pass, Kevin and Kristyn Wujcik will always have five children -- three daughters and two sons.

Keep up with the doings of Live Like Abby on Facebook.

Photos: Abby Wujcik at Wolf Wildlife Park in Oak Lawn. | Family photo