Happy birthday Zhyla!
In D.C., Zhyla celebrated her 7th birthday and is Casey Cares' 590th birthday this year!
Casey Cares knows that for a critically ill child, each birthday is a special milestone celebrating life. For the children in our programs, it not only marks another year, but it also demonstrates a great achievement. Casey Cares staff and volunteers work hard to send out each of our kids a special birthday package through our Birthday Blast program - we send over 1,000 a year! This simple act of kindness delivers joy and hope to our kids who are undergoing treatment.
Meet Zhyla
Having joined Casey Cares in 2019, Zhyla has loved going to Unicorn World, attending a Doja Cat concert, watching Monster Jam and the players at Baltimore Ravens Training Camp, seeing the stunts of UniverSoul Circus, receiving Movie & Pizza Night packages, and more!
With Casey Cares, Zhyla's mother Angela appreciates, "how the kids get offered so many local events. One the nicest experiences was the Mother’s Day Tea Party. Casey Cares thought about mothers which other cancer foundation don't really do, mainly it's about our children."
She adds that for her daughter, "The birthday box and pajamas were so nice since we were away or in a hospital. The movie package is so nice too!"
Testing and Challenges
Angela first knew something might be wrong with her daughter when "she was getting a lazy eye. I wanted to get glasses early before the vision got worse. [The doctor] told me to go to Children’s Hospital in DC as soon as possible. She was diagnosed that afternoon after testing. [More testing showed] that she had a rare eye cancer condition called Bilateral Retinoblastoma was going blind from tumors."
"We started at John Hopkins Hospital and now are in NYC every 4 weeks for last three years. Her left eye tumors are aggressive and there are a lot of them," Angela states.
The mother also shares her the ripple effect of her daughter's cancer diagnosis. "I had stop my profession as head Sous Chef at MGM, my dream career, to become a hands on mom 24/7. We've been living out a suitcase and since every 4 weeks we are going back and forth on the highway to the doctors."
For Zhyla's birthday this year, she requested " a YES Day and to go to the beach!" says Angela. She is excited to take her daughter as she will be in remission in early June.
Want to support more programs and fun activities for critically ill children like Zhyla? Donate here!