THE HUDDLE

Welcome to the 2023 Summer 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 GEORGIA!

This precious little girl is three years old. Georgia battled Wilms Tumor.

Georgia was diagnosed with cancer Easter weekend 2022. Shortly after her diagnosis, Georgia underwent surgery to remove the tumor along with her right kidney. She then began a 19-week chemotherapy protocol. Georgia was able to ring the bell on September 9, 2022 to signify the end of her treatment! She is currently a little over seven months in remission and is doing great! Her scans continue to show no evidence of disease.

Georgia's family shared with us, "Georgia is full of sass and character! She gives the best hugs and still loves to snuggle. She is independent, determined, sweet and loving." Georgia also enjoys playing with her cousins and she is obsessed with makeup, clothes and accessories!

MEET LEWIS!

Lewis is 14 years old and currently battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia.

He is facing cancer for the third time in three years. Lewis was first diagnosed with AML in July 202. Within 48 hours of diagnosis, he had begun treatment. Lewis spent six months inpatient due to numerous infections he contracted. The chemotherapy treatments were extremely hard on his body, but Lewis was determined to fight! On March 9, 2021 he rang the bell to signify the end of his treatment.

In August 2022, Lewis began experiencing similar symptoms to the ones he had when he was first diagnosed with AML in 2020. He went in for bloodwork, which showed that he had in fact relapsed. He was told by doctors that he would have to endure four months of treatment including very intense chemotherapy followed by a bone marrow transplant. During treatment, Lewis developed a severe fungal infection in his lungs. In addition, he underwent surgery to have his gallbladder removed due to an infection. After spending four months in isolation while receiving treatment, Lewis returned home on March 1, 2023.

Recently, a bone marrow biopsy revealed that Lewis' cancer is back for a third time. Lewis is currently part of a transplant trial, which uses cord blood from a baby's umbilical cord. He began chemo again on May 9th. Lewis' mom shared, he "is remaining positive and looking to the future." Lewis had decided that when he grows up he wants to become a play therapist in an oncology ward!

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

901 CUP SPONSORSHIP

The Cancer Kickers Soccer Club was honored to serve as the presenting sponsor for this year's 901 Cup. The 2023 soccer tournament was held at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex in Memphis, TN and was attended by 125 teams representing 24 different clubs from across the region. As presenting sponsor, the Cancer Kickers provided medals and wrestling belts to the winners at Sunday's ceremony, as well as colorful banners throughout the complex to draw attention to our organization and its mission.

The Cancer Kickers Soccer Club is grateful for the opportunity to work with the 901 Cup to help further our message and promote our mission. We look forward to continuing this partnership in the future and are excited about the ways in which we can build on this event year after year.

NOTABLE & NEWSWORTHY

Urbandale J-Hawks vs Dowling Catholic Boys Soccer Game Fundraiser

We feel privileged to have been chosen as the beneficiary of the May 12th soccer game between the Urbandale J-Hawks and the Dowling Catholic high school boys. The fundraiser, which raised $2,243, was the brainchild of Cancer Kickers Soccer Club teammate, Cole Hanson. Cole, a Junior at Urbandale High School in Iowa, has been battling Burkitts Lymphoma since February and couldn't wait to return to the pitch as goalkeeper after completing his chemotherapy. But not only did he kick cancer himself, Cole wanted to go a step further and help others do the same. The proceeds from the soccer game raised enough money to sponsor 7 teammates in the Cancer Kickers Soccer Club program and we could not be prouder of this young man's efforts to help others through their journeys with cancer. The fundraiser was also done in honor of the sister of one of the Dowling Catholic team members, Ava, who is currently battling cancer. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ava, as well as all of our teammates, as they continue to fight. is a great privilege to have been chosen as the beneficiary of the May 12th soccer game between the Urbandale Jand Dowling gh school boys teams. The fundraiser, which raised $

NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDERS

On behalf of our team here at The Cancer Kickers Soccer Club, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks for the continued support we receive from not only our donors, but our volunteers, community partners, teammates, and their families. We couldn't do what we do without each of you, and we are grateful to know we have such amazing fans cheering us on along the way. Thank you for believing in our mission, keeping up with us through our social media and newsletters, and for making our work so incredibly fulfilling. We will continue doing everything we can to help make the lives of our teammates a little less difficult as they navigate their journey with cancer and we ask that everyone join us in covering them with prayer and positivity.