For a girl on her 13th round of chemotherapy, Kori Quinn sure is busy.
According to an article by Margaret Schmitz Rizzo in the Kansas City Star, Quinn, who has a rare form of bone cancer called Ewing’s sarcoma, is starting high school, playing soccer and helping her soccer-playing pals raise money for “4 Henson,” the pediatric oncology unit at Kansas City’s Children’s Mercy Hospital. One of the fundraising goals is to buy a big-screen TV for the kids living on the unit.
“I have it so much better than a lot of kids out there on the floor. I just want to give back to the floor so they have the chance to get back to a normal life,” Quinn told Schmitz Rizzo.
This year, Quinn’s many supporters in her community set up the “i-ROK Foundation,” for “Kori” spelled backwards, to help people battling cancer. The group sponsored a 5K Run/Walk earlier this month. The participants raised $10,000 to benefit the place where Quinn receives chemotherapy treatments.
“The money we are raising this year is going to go back to Children’s Mercy,” Chris Anderson, Quinn’s aunt and an officer of the foundation, told Schmitz Rizzo. “It’s not for medical expenses for anyone, but for items that make the stay of the patients more pleasant. They don’t get to participate in any of the social functions at the hospital; the risk of infection is too high.”
When Kori stays at the hospital for treatment, her mother, Krista, moves in with her. Friends and family frequently visit, but Kori said others don’t have the same level of support.
“I get sick to my stomach seeing the kids sitting in their rooms all by themselves and it would just be good for them to get out of their rooms and talk to other people who are going through the same things,” she told Schmitz Rizzo, who writes that money raised will buy things that may draw young people out of of their hospital rooms.
Kori was diagnosed with cancer at age 13. By then, the tumor had spread to her lungs. But she’s clearly a fighter. Kori’s freshman year at Excelsior Springs High School began last week along with her 13th round of chemotherapy. The 14th and final regimen is scheduled for next month.
“I truly believe that Kori has handled her treatments so well because she is an athlete,” her mother said. “She’s in great shape from playing soccer, and I think that has helped her tremendously.”
Photo courtesy of The Marmot, via Flickr