Neighbor News
Will You Take the #GivingSmiles Challenge this #GivingTuesday to Help Kids Feel Better to Heal Better?
Help Ryan's Case for Smiles reach its goal of $10,000 to provide support to children w/ life-changing illnesses/injuries and their families.
HELP A CHILD FEEL BETTER TO HEAL BETTER
A hospital experience can be terrifying for both a child and his or her family. Ryan’s Case for Smiles founder Cindy and her husband, Gavin Kerr, know just how terrifying the experience was for their son Ryan, their girls and for each of them. Like many families who experience traumatic health care experiences, they suffer from symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress (PTS) that challenge them to this day. They are not alone!
- 49% of adolescents develop mild to severe symptoms of PTS following cancer treatment
- 30% of young hospital patients develop severe PTS symptoms following a serious illness
- 42% of mothers of cancer patients develop symptoms of PTS post treatment
- 25% of siblings develop moderate to severe symptoms of PTS
In addition to providing bright, colorful pillowcases to give hospitalized children an emotional boost, Ryan’s Case for Smiles is partnering with the Center for Pediatric Traumatic Stress to develop resources and tools to help entire families better understand and cope with the difficult experience.
The goal for the #GivingSmiles Challenge is to raise $10,000 to support the organization’s newly expanded mission and initiatives. Cindy and Gavin will match up to $5000 of all donations received during the #GivingSmiles Challenge. Take the #GivingSmiles challenge and pass it on!
Find out what's happening in Tredyffrin-Easttownfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
ABOUT RYAN’S CASE FOR SMILES
Ryan’s Case for Smiles was started in the Philadelphia area over eight years ago by Cindy Kerr when her son Ryan was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma (bone cancer) at the age of 12. While Ryan is no longer with us, his inspiration has led our growth to include 120 chapters serving over 50,000 children each year at more than 330 children’s hospitals worldwide, having delivered more than one million pillowcases to date.
