HICKSVILLE, NY — The Sarah Grace Foundation For Children With Cancer has been around for 20 years. The commemoration is bittersweet, but the Hicksville-based charity has spent two decades achieving its mission: helping children and their families overcome the challenges and hardships brought upon by childhood cancer.
Matt and Marissa Weippert founded the not-for-profit in memory of their daughter, Sarah Grace, who died of acute lymphoblastic leukemia on Nov. 9, 2002. She was 12.
Their corporation is dedicated to improving the quality of life of children with cancer and providing comfort and support to their families. The foundation “absolutely” gives the family a way to allow Sarah to live on, Matt said.
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“From day one, it has remained our way of keeping Sarah alive,” Matt Weippert told Patch. “Keeping her memory alive. Continually telling her story. By virtue of helping all these other children and families over the years, it’s comforting to us to know we can make a difference. Try to make the path a little easier for these kids. They want to be kids, not patients in the hospital. So we try to help them that way.”
Since its inception, the foundation launched signature programs and introduced some new initiatives.
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The Hugs for Sarah 2023 Virtual 5K ended on May 31. The third annual event featured 60 participants from across the country. Runners could complete the race on their own schedule and share a photo with the foundation using the hashtag #HugsforSarah5k. The 5K – or 3.1-mile race – honors Sarah, whose birthday is March 31.
The foundation recently sponsored a “Spring Into Summer Walt Disney World Vacation Raffle.” The fundraiser raised more than $1,900 for the foundation, which sold 116 tickets for a chance to win a five-day, four-night stay in a Walt Disney World Deluxe Studio along with a $500 Disney gift card. The drawing was held on June 21st to coincide with the first day of summer. The winner of the raffle was Natalie Ranallo.
The foundation recently distributed items to pediatric cancer center patients and staff including 20th anniversary drawstring backpacks and penlight flashlights symbolizing that Sarah’s light continues to shine. Additionally, the Foundation has continued its programs including The Escape Hatch, Chemo Duck, book replenishment through Sarah Grace’s Book Angels, spring and summer craft shipments and tickets to New York Mets games.
“I could talk for two hours about all the different things we do,” Matt said. “It’s very important for these families to have an organization or someone to lean on other than their hospital family that they’ve developed. Someone who understands what they’re going through and people who have walked in their path. They find it reassuring or comforting. As long as we are able to continue to do that, that makes everything that Sarah went through mean something.”
A child life specialist who recently opened a package thanked the foundation and expressed excitement to hand out the 4th of July and summer crafts, according to a news release from the foundation.
In addition to fundraising efforts, the foundation also is supported through grant funds, and recently received another grant from the Nassau Bar Foundation, WE CARE Fund.
“The Foundation remains extremely grateful for the continued support,” it wrote.
The Weipperts recently attended the Hicksville Chamber of Commerce annual scholarship lunch and were invited to speak about the 20th anniversary of the foundation. The foundation was presented with a citation from the Town of Oyster Bay in recognition for its service to children with cancer and their families.
“The foundation’s 20th anniversary is a milestone, and it is difficult to believe we have been doing this for 20 years, but even more difficult to accept that our angel, Sarah, has been gone from us that long,” Matt Weippert said in a release. “This year does represent a celebration, but a commemoration of a young life cut too short, and a recognition of all the positive things being done in Sarah’s memory.”
The family got the news that Sarah Grace was diagnosed with cancer on Feb. 7, 2002, when they were told her white blood count was over 1 million.
Sarah required more high dose chemotherapy, cranial and full body irradiation, and a bone marrow transplant while she fought. Sarah’s brother, James, then 10, was a perfect match and donated a liter of marrow to help his sister. Sarah rallied after the transplant and regained some of her strength.
“All indications were we had won the battle,” the Weippert family wrote.
Six weeks after transplant, Sarah relapsed and her leukemia was more aggressive than it had been originally.
“Sarah battled fiercely to fight off her disease. She fought hard – and she kept smiling. Sarah never knew how sick she was; she would wake up after each bone marrow aspiration, spinal tap, or surgery and immediately announce, ‘I need a craft and a snack!’ … Throughout her illness, Sarah matured into a brave young woman and a courageous fighter who was always smiling and never complained. Sarah had a unique love of life and a strong desire to live. She enjoyed crafts, music, ballgames and in Sarah’s memory we want to ignite that same spark in other children.”
The Sarah Grace Foundation provides children fighting cancer with “escape hatch” suitcases filled with fun items; colorful beads; ballgame tickets; holiday parties and activities; outings; and more. It also helps families with financial aid; funeral expenses; meal and transportation allowances; and more.
The Bead Program, Matt said, is the foundation’s most impactful program. Sarah was always into arts and crafts, so the Weipperts created The Bead Program to help children while honoring Sarah. Children fighting cancer are given glass beads of varying shapes, sizes and colors. Each bead represents an aspect of treatment, whether it’s a hospital stay, finger stick, bone marrow aspiration, spinal tap, chemo treatment, or a good or bad day. Children choose among 50 or 60 different beads to create a bracelet or necklace to tell their story.
Social workers told the Weipperts they have children use the beads to help them transition back to school. The kids will then present the beads to their class and discuss what each bead represents.
Matt said an “unfortunate” way the foundation offers help is defraying funeral expenses.
“I guess I’ll say having walked that path, we can’t imagine anything worse than having to bury your child than not being able to afford to bury your child,” he said. “We’ll assist a lot of families in that area. We find that’s comforting to us to help families that way.”
For more information on The Sarah Grace Foundation, you may call 516-433-9745 or visit the Sarah Grace Foundation’s website.
Donations or requests for information may be sent to The Sarah Grace Foundation at 17 E. Old Country Road, Unit B, PMB 202, Hicksville, NY 11801. Anyone who wishes to volunteer or provide
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[email protected].
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