Starlight Families Share 

Christopher's Story - Jacksonville 

The story of Christopher’s illness began the day I took him to Memorial Hospital for his stomach pains and constipation. The doctors did a CT scan of Christopher’s abdomen and found a large mass in his stomach.  We were referred to Wolfson Children’s Hospital, where another set of doctors performed surgery to remove the mass and diagnosed my son as having Clear Cell Sarcoma of the Kidney.

A year later, routine scans showed doctors that the cancer had spread to Christopher’s brain.

In an instant, our lives changed completely. I went from thinking that I had two healthy kids to having to quit my job to take care of my son. My husband had to take on extra work to ensure that our family could financially survive.  Read More 

Diamond's Story - Plantation 

My name is Lisa, and I am the single mother of four beautiful girls: Shawanda, Alexus, Porshea and Diamond. Shawanda is my oldest daughter. Alexus is fifteen and is in the tenth grade at Plantation High School. Alexus is doing very well in her school work and is a well behaved young lady. Porshea is fourteen and is in the eighth grade. She is doing very well in school and is a very nice young lady as well.

Diamond is my last baby. She is 11 and in the sixth grade. She is doing very well in school and is making the Honor Roll. But sadly, Diamond was born with Sickle Cell Anemia. When she was born, the doctor noticed right away that something was wrong with the color of her skin. She was almost immediately diagnosed with Sickle Cell Anemia and needed to see her pediatrician again within days of going home. Read On 

Andrew's Story - Orlando

David and Rose of Orlando have three children, five-year-old Ryan and four-year-old twins Katelyn and Andrew. Andrew was born with spina bifida, hydrocephalus, clubfoot and severe scoliosis – which have required nine surgeries and continuous medical follow-up since his birth.

“The biggest issue for our family has been managing all the medical services Andrew needs along with coordinating care for our other children. At any one time, there are six to 10 doctors involved in his care. Honestly, this leaves us with very little time and energy for planning for and saving for a day of fun. Sometimes it feels as if we are the only family that is going through something like this – which is why we are so glad to have found Starlight..." Read On 

Laura and Alex's Story - Jacksonville

Twins Laura and Alex both have the most severe type of Spina Bifida called Myelomeningocele  — a birth defect in which the spine is open at birth, and doesn’t protect the spinal cord. Laura’s diagnosis is degenerative and therefore terminal, while Alex’s condition is life-threatening. The Monger family began regularly participating in Great Escapes family activities in 2007... Read On