The text below is an excerpt from my recently published book, Perseverance.
This book [Perseverance] is the result of one of my lifelong passions – a desire to help kids with life-threatening illnesses. It started when, as a young child, I became immersed in a world intrinsically different from my own. When I was six, I went with my parents to visit Camp Sunshine, a camp run by their friends. Camp Sunshine was and still is a retreat in Casco, Maine for children with cancer. Even though I had never been through cancer, I began to understand the impact of this disease at a very personal level. During this visit, I had developed a deep connection to children with cancer. Though I didn’t know it, that visit was going to change my life, and redefine my concept of courage forever.
Freed from the fear of rejection by their peers and the isolation of their hospital rooms, at Camp Sunshine children facing cancer could just be “normal” kids. From what they told me, the psychological issues faced by most kids going through cancer treatment were ubiquitous. Returning to the camp eight years later when I was fourteen, I was again overwhelmed by the strength and courage of my peers with cancer.
Returning to my “normal” life at home after the second visit was difficult. I was older, and more aware of the campers’ struggles. That year, I founded Carolyn’s Compassionate Children (CCC), an organization to help children with cancer and other serious illnesses.
CCC began as a pen-pal program connecting children who had cancer with their healthy peers. When I was fifteen, my foundation became a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It was a success, but I wanted to do more.
CCC has flourished in the nine [now: 10] years since I founded it. CCC has awarded 100 college scholarships to childhood cancer survivors across the nation. Currently, the mission of CCC is to improve the quality of life for young adult cancer survivors by increasing the opportunity for college access.
At the beginning of my spring semester freshman year at Duke University, I worked with a child in a documentary studies class examining childhood illness. The purpose of the class was to help a child facing cancer document his or her life through photography. Each student in the class was paired with one child.
I was paired with ten-year-old Kadeejah. I visited her at Duke Hospital every day. She smiled regardless of how she felt. She filled the bleakest days with sunshine. She loved to hold my hand. I gave her a teddy bear on her eleventh birthday, St. Patrick’s Day.
And then I watched her slowly slip away from me.
The last time I saw her, she was lying unconscious in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) with the teddy bear in her arms. I kissed her on the cheek and said goodbye.
I came to believe that every life has a purpose. Kadeejah and I were brought together for a reason. She taught me the value of now – this moment, today. Kadeejah spent every spare moment creating art. She never tired of these projects and as soon as she finished one creation, she went on to the next. I determined to spread Kadeejah’s passion for life to as many people as I could reach. This book is my first step toward realizing this goal.
… We all have journeys into uncharted territories that we must take alone. But I have learned that we aren’t necessarily alone. No matter how dark the moment, brave souls have already walked the same path. The purpose of this book is to shine a light on the path each of us takes.
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Kadeejah’s beautiful memory and unbelievable courage shine a light for me, allowing me to share these words with you in celebration of Kadeejah’s life, and in particular, Kadeejah’s birthday.
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To watch me read this excerpt from the book, you can see my personal video on Spring.
Please consider making a donation in memory of Kadeejah to support the Kadeejah Moore Memorial Fund. Every dollar counts.
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