THE HUDDLE

Welcome to the 2022 Fall edition of our newsletter, “The Huddle”, which we hope will be

a helpful source of news and information for our teammates, donors, volunteers, and friends.

To keep everyone in on the game plan, we encourage you to sign up on our website to

continue to receive this newsletter quarterly.

MEET ROMAN!

This active little boy is three years old and has a passion for dancing and dinosaurs. He is lovingly referred to as "Chonchis", which means "chunky" in Spanish because he was over nine pounds at birth.

In May of 2022, Roman was experiencing knee pain and sleeping more than usual. He was taken to the doctor twice, checked out, and told he was fine. The day before his diagnosis, Roman's mom went to take him out of his car seat when he let out the loudest scream she had ever heard. Roman was clearly in pain so she immediately called his pediatrician and they were in his office 30 minutes later having labs run. Tests revealed that Roman's hemoglobin was extremely low, a sign of Leukemia. He was instantly taken to the ER where he received his official diagnosis of B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia on May 17th.

Roman is currently in treatment. After finishing the induction phase, Roman reached remission. We are grateful to share that his body is responding well! He still has a long road ahead of him, but Roman will get through this and is determined to kick cancer's butt!

MEET Lakelynn!

This resilient little girl is nine years old. Lakeylnn is battling an extremely rare sarcoma.

Lakelynn has been battling this rare form of cancer since the age of three and a half. She is currently on a clinical trial and will continue to stay on it as long as possible since surgery is not an option. The goal is to keep her cancer stable. Lakelynn hopes to reach remission one day when more research is discovered.

Lakelynn's family shared with us, "She is a little unicorn." Lakelynn is a big fan of the sport of soccer and we are so glad to have her as part of the Cancer Kickers team!

DONOR OF THE MONTH

On July 16, 2022, NBS Fitness hosted the "Deadlifts for Charity" event. This inaugural event had over 100 participants, including both kids and adults. Event attendees competed against each other by doing two-minute max body weight deadlifts--all for charity! This family-friendly event featured multiple sponsors, food trucks, and lots of positive encouragement. Not only was this first-time event a lot of fun for everyone, but it raised $8,254 for the Cancer Kickers Soccer Club. We are honored to be the recipient of this new event and are thankful to have NBS Fitness on the CKSC team! If you aren't familiar with NBS Fitness, check them out here. With two locations, NBS Fitness prides itself on providing guidance, accountability, and community while focusing on giving its clients the best hour of their day so they can live healthier, happier lives.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

SUMMER SOCCER CAMP SPONSORSHIPS

The Cancer Kickers Soccer Club knows how important community is and is always looking for ways to get involved and have an impact on those around us. This summer, for the second year in a row, we were excited to partner with four local soccer clubs that were hosting summer camps for area kids. These organizations, which included Soccer Ole, Carl Schmitt Soccer Camps, Elite Level Training (ELT) Camps, and Christian Brothers High School, held multiple weeks of summer camps for eager kids with a passion for soccer and we were proud to align with them on these fun events. With these partnerships, not only did we lend our name, but we spread awareness of childhood cancer and our mission to help kids battle cancer with teamwork. Our prayer is that none of these kids ever know cancer first-hand, but that if they do, they also know they have an ally in the Cancer Kickers Soccer Club.

NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDERS

As Childhood Cancer Awareness Month comes to a close, we are reminded again of what a blessing it is to have personally met so many wonderful teammates and their families. Last weekend, our daughter played a soccer game against the sister of one of our teammates. They met this summer at a soccer camp and we were so excited to make that connection. Soccer is not only an amazing sport but a great way to foster community. We here at Cancer Kickers strive to continue to provide that sense of community to our teammates and we thank each of you, whether you are one of our teammates, a family member, a donor, a volunteer, or someone who just believes in our mission, for being part of that community.