On Friday, I worked with Jessica on a video that we are entering in a contest. Invacare, the leading producer/seller of medical products (most notably, wheelchairs), is holding a video contest called “The Invacare Real Life.” According to Invacare’s website, “The Invacare Real Life is a forum to tell your stories and what it means to you or someone you know to live with a disability, an ailment or advancing age.” The top three videos will be chosen based on the number of YouTube views, creativity, and inspiration. The creator of a winning video will receive $3,000, and will also get $6,000 donated to a charity of their choice. So, Jessica and I are creating a video about Quinn (Allison’s son) and his life story.
When Quinn was 2, he was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor. Two days after his diagnosis, he underwent surgery followed by a year of chemotherapy and radiation. A few years later, Quinn was healthy and considered “cured” from cancer. However, at age 9, Quinn was diagnosed with a different, even more rare type of cancerous tumor – so rare that Quinn is only 1 of 100 people in the world to ever have this type of tumor. Quinn decided that he wanted to discover a way to find a cure to this terrible disease through the game of kickball. He held the first “Kick-It” event in Chagrin Falls to support him and his best friend, Ava, who was also undergoing treatment. Over 500 people attended and played in the event, which ultimately raised thousands of dollars for pediatric cancer research. After months of chemo and radiation, he underwent another surgery to remove the tumor located in his pelvis, and consequently had his entire left hip removed as well. However, this obstacle did not stop Quinn from continuing his growing Kick-It fundraising efforts. Kick-It games now take place all over the country, and have raised a couple hundred thousand dollars for the Children’s Oncology Group, the world’s largest children’s cancer research group in the world. Now, at age 11, Quinn is taking an experimental medication that doctors hope will continue to keep him cancer free. Besides his distinct limp from the removal of his left hip, Quinn acts like and feels like a normal kid who can rock climb, play (some) sports, horseback ride, and participate in other physical activities.
In the afternoon on Friday, Allison, Quinn, Cathy (one of the two the Kick-It directors), Jessica and I went to the US middle school to attend their Kick-It pep rally. At the rally, Quinn shared his story with the students and teachers and spoke about determination and perseverance, noticeably inspiring others. Allison and Cathy followed Quinn and talked about various logistics and details about US’s upcoming Kick-It event on June 7th. All of the kids and teachers were extremely excited for Kick-It after the pep rally, and were all inspired to help find a cure for cancer and for Quinn.
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