Everything Under The Sun: Peyton Wright Foundation Assists Children With Brain Cancer And Their Families

One of the children undergoing treatment received glasses through PWF.

It is a horrible day when a parent hears that a child has been diagnosed with cancer. There is a long battle ahead, with no guarantees about outcome. Even more so, when you child has been diagnosed with a rare type of cancer for which no treatment exists. That happened to Peyton Wright's family when she was just three years old. After two years of chemotherapy, which had very little effect on the cancer, Peyton died.

The family, however, decided to found the PEYTON WRIGHT FOUNDATION (PWF), which has its headquarters in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. This organization provides support for families providing care to a child who has brain cancer, along with upholding Peyton Wright's memory and fighting spirit.

Starting this year, PWF has partnered with The Joseph Kevin Potts Foundation to provide Treatment Care Bags to children with a new diagnosis of brain cancer entering any of these four hospitals - Duke Children's Hospital, Durham, NC; All Children's Hospital of St. Petersburg, FL; Arnold Palmer Hospital For Children, Orlando, FL; or Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA.

A total of 120 bags were prepared and donations for the project were closed in March. The bags contain such items as a water cup with lid, blanket, chapstick, hand sanitizer, hand cream, notebook/coloring book, crayons, headphones, hat, and tote bag. All bags were furnished through donations.

Another source of donations has been the Peyton Wright Foundation 8th Annual Golf Tournament, which was held on May 16 at the Longboat Key Club. Golfers who were participating paid $225 each. There was also a banquet in the evening, which was included for golfers and was an additional charge for other participants. There was also a silent auction. Total donation amount has not yet been posted.

What does all this raised money do? For a family in Florida, whose son has brain cancer, it meant that $1000 worth of bills were paid. For family members who had to travel some distance to obtain treatment for their children at Duke University Hospital, it meant some relief of transportation costs, in the form of $1000 worth of gasoline gift cards. The list of needs goes on and on, and PWF comes through with some monetary relief for the economic burden.

Poster for the 8th Annual Golf Tournament.

This means so much when, because of the amount of care needed by a child, one or both parents must stop working, in order to provide that care. A Florida family has needed 24/7 nursing care for their son with brain cancer. There weren't enough personnel to fill all of the shifts needed, so mom and dad had to fill in. That made work difficult; so PWF's help with essentials was vital to supporting this family. Illnesses of any type can devastate a family; it's good to know that there are organizations like PWF around to help.