47 | Liam | Pediatric Brain Cancer

Liam is a special 5-year-old little boy whom Kittie’s Warriors had the pleasure of meeting in person right before Christmas. When you see a child who is battling cancer, not fully understanding why he’s feeling the way he does or why he has to go through rigorous treatments at such a young age, it intensely tugs your heart strings. Instead of being a child enjoying the things that other children are able to enjoy, Liam has been battling Ependymoma, a form of brain cancer, since he was just 3 years old. Liam lives with his mother who brings him to the cancer center daily from Chicago early in the mornings so he can receive his proton therapy treatment. After treatment, his mother then drives him back to downtown Chicago to receive chemotherapy treatment as well. Liam’s mother is a single mom who is presently unemployed so she can support her son as he receives his treatments. Liam’s mom is very humble and gracious, and when asked about financial assistance, she didn’t ask for much. She indicated that making their rent payment has been challenging due to no income.

KWF decided that this little boy was so special that we wanted to not only be able to help his mother out so she can focus on caring for him, but we also recognized the need for lifting little Liam’s spirits as well. Hearing that Liam’s favorite things are baby Yoda and dinosaurs, KWF’s founder, Kristina, went Christmas shopping for Liam, purchasing arms full of Christmas gifts and wrapped each one individually. Liam is a very shy little boy whom we met after he completed his daily proton therapy. We were able to give Liam all the gifts, and although he was feeling quite sleepy from his treatment and didn’t have the energy to open the gifts himself, we helped him so he could see them. He was happy to receive all the toys that he could play with later. One of the special gifts Kristina bought for Liam was a warm and cozy dinosaur blanket. Liam’s eyes lite up when he saw that, which made our hearts full in the moment.

We were honored to be able to provide a financial grant to help Liam and his mom during this difficult time.

We thank all of you who have continued to support us. Without your generosity, we wouldn't be able to provide these grants.