I have written about caregivers quite a bit recently, but today, I want to introduce you to a different kind of caregiving organization that is just now expanding in our area.
Whether you are a parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or any other family member, nothing strikes fear in your heart more than the diagnosis of cancer in a child. Lions International Clubs support childhood cancer centers all over the world. In our neck of the world, Mary Bridge Children's Hospital is supported by all the local Lions Clubs.
“Footprints of Fight offers services free of charge to families in Washington that are starting or in the midst of treatment for pediatric cancer," explained Briana Nettleton, co-founder of this new organization, along with her husband, Jake Nettleton.
"Our program provides services such as house cleaning, grocery cards, gas cards, yard maintenance, and a variety of other items that will aid in alleviating stress of the family so that the main focus can be on increasing the health of the child with pediatric cancer.
"Our goal is to provide these services for the duration of the child’s treatment and in turn provide hope, strength, and comfort to the family.”
Briana explains their path to founding this non-profit organization as follows: “Our family was forever changed on August 15, 2014, when Mason Jon, our active 4-year-old, was diagnosed with a rare form of pediatric cancer (Wilms tumor).
Looking back, it feels like a lifetime ago and yet we remember the details all so clear. Despite all the bad days we endured, the memory that sticks out the most was the amazing support we had from our family and friends.
After receiving world-class care from Seattle Children’s Hospital, we quickly realized that the real journey began once we left the hospital as we had to figure out how we would navigate as a family throughout the treatment process.
As the challenging journey progressed, we were blessed with a strong support system. Family and friends rallied around us to help reduce the stress of our everyday life so that we could focus on our kids, which was most important!
In turn, we want to provide this same support to other families in Washington by providing some of the same services we received during the treatment process that helped us rally together as a family and continue through the journey with courage, optimism, strength, and resiliency.
Mason is currently cancer-free ten years later and his scans continue to come back showing “NED”, no evidence of disease! We have said since day 1 of this crazy cancer journey that once we were on the other side of treatment, we would do whatever we could to pay it forward and give back. Footprints of Fight is that promise!!”
So far, in the past ten years, Footprints of Fight has provided these services to over 850 families, and now it is available to Thurston County families.
While we may be aware of the emotional toll this disease takes on families, we may not realize all the other problems involved, such as daily trips to hospitals not necessarily close to home. With current gas prices this alone can add to the distress families face.
Briana also talks about the hours Mason spent lying on the bathroom floor to be close to the toilet while he vomited after Chemo and how grateful she was to know that floor was clean… hence the house cleaning services.
Footprints of Fight also partners with the Mary Bridges Children’s Hospital through their social workers for referrals.
Sunny Nunogawa, is the Executive Director of Footprints of Fight. She grew up just south of here in the small town of Morton, Washington, and went to college at Saint Martin's University, where she played basketball and met her now husband, Niko Nunogawa - who was also on the men's basketball team. After going to law school at Gonzaga and working for a few years as an attorney, she knew that her heart was no longer in the legal world when she began volunteering for Footprints of Fight, which is based in Maple Valley. After volunteering with Footprints for seven years, Sunny was hired as Executive Director last spring.
Footprints of Fight operates with volunteers and relies on donations and fundraisers, which include mountain climbing Mt. Rainier and Mt. Baker, golf tournaments, Toys for Christmas, and basketball sporting events at St Martin’s University, the University of Puget Sound, and several high schools.
If you would like learn more about this important service, to apply for assistance, find out about upcoming fundraisers, volunteer or donate, go to https://www.footprintsoffight.org/
Kathleen Anderson writes this column each week from her home in Olympia. Contact her at kathleen@theJOLTnews.com or post your comments.
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