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The children featured in this year’s Burger King “Beat Cancer for Kids” campaign are 3-year-old Jonathon Cuin, sitting on the stool; 13-year-old Daniel Poston in the far back; 18-year-old Alex Stowe, center with 1-year-old Signe Morrow on his lap; 18-year-old Desiree Partridge holding 1-year-old Elizabeth Hendersen. |
But a year ago, Stowe faced a situation few teenagers experience. He was diagnosed with cancer.
“It was the biggest shock of my life. If it wasn’t for my family and friends, I don’t know what I would’ve done,” he said.
On July 18, 2006, Stowe was diagnosed with leukemia. For the next six months, he was periodically hospitalized at UNMC. With the help of his family, Stowe remained positive. He even continued to do homework during his hospital stays.
After five rounds of chemotherapy and numerous painful bone marrow biopsies, the recent high school graduate finished his treatment in February. He plans to attend the University of Nebraska at Omaha this fall.
Now, Stowe is featured as a part of the fourth annual Burger King “Beat Cancer for Kids” campaign, a fund-raising program supporting childhood cancer research at the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center.
“The program sheds light on how tough cancer actually is,” Stowe said. “It can happen to anyone, even little kids.”
Along with Stowe, five other children are featured as well in this year’s program.
“BK Beat Cancer for Kids” is part of Liz’s Legacy, a fund to advance cancer research and treatment through the Eppley Cancer Center. The fund is named after the late Liz Karnes, an Omaha civic leader who died in 2003 after a 12-year struggle with cancer.
Throughout July, 73 Burger King locations in the greater Omaha and Des Monies areas will ask customers to donate $1 to BK “Beat Cancer for Kids.” In return, customers will receive a winning scratch card that includes a free Burger King food item worth at least $1.
The scratch cards also provide customers a chance to win prizes donated from sponsors. The grand prize is a family vacation for four sponsored by Six Flags in Los Angeles, including travel on Southwest Airlines. Other prizes include items from Best Buy, Scooters Coffeehouse, Scheels, beautyfirst, UNO Athletics and Creighton Athletics. Additional sponsors include KPTM Fox 42, KCWI23 (Des Moines), Star 104.5, Bozell and Artfac Graphics.
All donations benefit childhood cancer research at the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center. Ken Cowan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center, said that these donations have already made a difference.
“We’ve instituted a new research pilot program that focuses on identifying new treatments for pediatric cancer,” Dr. Cowan said. “Our hope is these pilot programs will lead to federal funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) on a long-term basis.”
This research wouldn’t be possible without Burger King’s support, Dr. Cowan said.
Since “BK Beat Cancer for Kids” first began in 2004, the program has raised $340,000 for pediatric oncology research at the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center. Last July, the event raised more than $200,000.
Natalie Simmonds, manager of marketing and special projects of Simmonds Restaurant Management, Inc., attributes the fundraiser’s success to Burger King’s staff and customers.
“It’s an opportunity to help out one dollar at a time,” Simmonds said. “In addition to all our employees’ hard work, it’s such a success because every card is a winner. It’s a win-win for everybody.”
Burger King hopes to raise about $200,000 again this year, Simmonds said.
Tom Thompson, director of development, UNMC Eppley Cancer Center for the University of Nebraska Foundation, said that the commitment the Simmonds family and Burger King restaurants have shown to the program and the UNMC Eppley Cancer Center is remarkable.
“They recognize that strides will only be made when physicians and researchers receive this type of support,” Thompson said. “It’s exciting to see a program have such a direct impact.”
Lu Anne Pane-Stowe, Alex’s mother, has experienced the benefits of “BK Beat Cancer for Kids” on a personal level.
“Beat Cancer for Kids means so much to our family because it touched our lives,” Pane-Stowe said. She added that she was grateful to the UNMC’s staff for their support and care.
“There is no other hospital in the country that I would ever consider going to after our experience at UNMC,” she said.
Those interested in making a donation online or learning more about the promotion can visit www.beatcancerforkids.com. The public is invited to read the profiles of the six children who have participated in the program.
The following UNMC pediatric cancer patients and survivors of childhood cancers are featured in this year’s “BK Beat Cancer for Kids” campaign:
Daniel Poston, Age 13, Sioux City, Iowa — In March of 2007, Daniel was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. He’s currently undergoing chemotherapy but that hasn’t slowed him down a bit. Daniel remains highly involved in competitive swimming, which is his first hobby. Daniel also enjoys working with computers.
Jonathon Cuin, Age 3, Columbus — Jonathon is certainly an athlete in the making. Despite intense treatments for leukemia, including chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant , Jonathon still loves to play soccer and run around outside. His favorite teammates are his dog and his dad.
Elizabeth Hendersen, Age 19 months, Underwood, Iowa — Curious little Elizabeth was recently diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma — a type of soft tissue cancer. She is currently being treated with chemotherapy and hopes to be done soon. She loves books, the outdoors and her English bulldog, Missy. Elizabeth also enjoys playing hide and seek with Mom and Dad.
Desiree Partridge, Age 18, Omaha — Diagnosed in January 2005 with a germ cell tumor of her ovary, Desiree is the model of courage. After chemotherapy and surgery to remove the tumor, she has her sights set on a career in caring for newborns and infants. But until then, she loves talking on the phone and spending time with family, including her dog.
Alex Stowe, Age 18, Omaha — After five rounds of chemotherapy, Alex completed his treatments for leukemia this past February. Since then, Alex has had the opportunity to shake hands with two of his favorite baseball players, Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada of the New York Yankees.
Signe Morrow, Age 22 months, Lincoln — Since being diagnosed more than a year ago, little Signe has bravely fought medulloblastoma — a type of brain tumor. Signe completed treatment about eight months ago after undergoing surgery, months of treatment and a stem cell transplant. Now she is back to what she loves most — books and riding in her little red wagon.