A smile says a lot about you. For Michael McDuff, his smile is an inspiration to all as he battles a very rare genetic disease.
Meet Michael. He’s 19 months old and the son to Elizabeth and Mark McDuff. Michael smiles, a lot, and loves playing patty cake and peekaboo with mom and dad. Ever seen Bubble Guppies? It’s his favorite show. Michael is just like any other cute baby, except, he’s battling a very rare genetic disease.
Landen Green is 7 years old and has acute lymphoblastic leukemia, but that’s not slowing him down from living life as a kid.
It’s a gift Nya Decker and her family had no idea they were getting. And shows amazing things can happen when a community comes together with a shared vision to provide support and help turn a dream into a reality.
Cancer changes our lives, but it won’t stop us from living life. This is something Aiden Elder and his family has embraced during trying times.
**The Hope Foundation is saddened to learn of the passing of Aiden Elder (2012-2019). Aiden and his family were the recipients of a financial grant from the Foundation several years ago. We ask that you keep Aiden and his family in your thoughts and prayers. Heaven has truly gained an angel.
Children Receive the Gift of Teddy Bears from The Hope Foundation. Non-profit organization takes advantage of technology to deliver stuffed animals to kids battling serious illnesses.
Connecting children with special needs to the right programs to meet those needs makes all the difference in the world. And for several local families, The Hope Foundation helped open several doors to finding those programs.
Six children undergoing chemotherapy received Hope Totes thanks to a grant from The Hope Foundation. Hope Totes are bags tailored to each child’s individual likes and wants to help take their minds off of their illness and let them just be kids.
Everyday costs can seem to pile up when a family has a child who is undergoing cancer treatments. For five local families, those costs got a little easier to deal with.
A 10-minute break with an iPad with apps for children with Autism helped calm a seventh grade student who was having difficulty in school. The apps help students practice numbers and letters and identify feelings, and allow nonverbal students to communicate their ideas for the first time.
Camp can sometimes be a second home to children. But for kids with serious illnesses, it can help build a sense of pride, accomplishment, and freedom while letting them focus on just being a kid.
John was 15 years old when Mahoning County Juvenile Court initially took him out of his home for physically and verbally aggressive behavior, and for being non-compliant with house rules. In an effort to help change his behavior, the court referred him to a Multisystemic Therapy (MST) Program.
Autism can present a number of communication challenges for children. Some of the more severe cases can interfere with everyday life.
Henry, a student at Potential Development Preschool in Youngstown, cannot communicate in any way. This can make it difficult for his teachers to calm him during class. However, a grant from The Hope Foundation helped provide the means for a new soothing strategy.
