North Jersey Cancer Patient, 12, Presents $1.75M To Help Fight Pediatric Cancer

Hannah Boorse (center), a youth ambassador for Stop & Shop’s annual fundraising campaign to benefit Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, is joined by Bob Yager (left), the Senior Vice President and Division Lead of Stop & Shop’s New York Metro Division, as they present Dr.Andrew Kung (right), Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, with a check for $1.75 million. Hannah was featured on a series of fundraising coupons made available to Stop & Shop customers in 199 stores across New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.

Twelve-year old cancer patient Hannah Boorse of Ringwood presented doctors and cancer researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) with a check for $1.75 million raised through a fundraising drive by Stop & Shop and its customers. Hannah, who served as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Ambassador, was featured on a series of fundraising coupons made available to Stop & Shop customers in 199 stores across New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Since 2001, Stop & Shop has raised almost $70 million for charitable causes, with $17.9 million given to support pediatric cancer research at MSK.

“This campaign with Memorial Sloan Kettering will help ensure families get the best care possible for their children,” said Bob Yager, Senior Vice President and Division Lead of Stop & Shop New York Metro Division. “We are so appreciative of the generosity of each of our customers who continue to make this campaign a success. By working together, we are proud that Stop & Shop and our customers can make a difference.”

“The support Stop & Shop has provided us for the past sixteen years has allowed us to continue to fulfill our mission. We hope to not only cure childhood cancer, but to send our patients back to their homes, schools, families and friends in exactly the condition they were in before this devastating diagnosis,” says Andrew Kung, MD, PhD, Chair, Department of Pediatrics. “The hard work each Stop & Shop employee puts into this campaign truly pays off. We see better outcomes for kids and for their families. On behalf of the physicians and scientists who work tirelessly to conquer childhood cancers – and the children who will benefit now and in the future – I extend our deepest gratitude.”

Hannah lives in Ringwood with her parents and three older brothers. She began to experience back pain in the spring of 2016. After weeks of discomfort, her mom took her to see an orthopedist, who sent her for X-rays and a CT scan. By Memorial Day, doctors at MSK had diagnosed her with Ewing’s Sarcoma, a cancerous tumor that grows in the bones or the soft tissue around the bones. “Hannah never doubted that she would get better,” says her mother Cathleen. “Her positive attitude not only inspired all the members of our family but even the medical staff at MSK.” The residents of Ringwood have been very supportive of Hannah and her family. “People all across town are wearing yellow bracelets which proclaim that no one fights alone,” said her father Alan. “The support she has received from classmates, teachers and even strangers has been remarkable.” Hannah is an accomplished soccer player and loves to swim. When not busy with sports, Hannah enjoys baking and decorating cakes and cupcakes. Hannah says she hopes to one day become a nurse practitioner and dedicate her career to helping kids.