When a parent has a seriously ill child, help in any shape or form is appreciated.

For three sets of area parents who have children with life-threatening illnesses, money topped with kindness from the Kids & Cancer Benefit Run provided just the boost they needed.

The parents shared their stories with The Era in honor of the annual benefit run that will be held today in a community-wide celebration in Bradford. Some of the parents will address motorcyclists who gather at the Zippo Manufacturing Co. parking lot on Congress Street to register for the event that has raised close to $500,000 in its 21-year existence.

Those funds have helped many, many families over the years who also experienced expenses associated with the medical care of their children fighting cancer or other serious health conditions.

Here are their accounts of how Kids & Cancer made a difference for them:

Shannon Hildom and James Scoma of Jamestown, N.Y., said they realized something was wrong with their son, Sawyer, immediately as he was wheezing at birth.

“We noticed he was wheezing so that’s when we took him to the doctor,” Hildom said of her child. “But he wasn’t diagnosed until he was 6 weeks old” with scimitar syndrome, a rare heart defect, and pulmonary hypertension, which causes difficulty in breathing.

From that point on, little Sawyer became quite familiar with the inside of hospitals. After a two-month stay in Golisano Children’s Hospital and Strong Memorial in Rochester, N.Y., hospitals, he was released only to return for another seven months.

“We were lucky enough to stay (in Rochester), both of us, the whole time” with Sawyer, Hildom recalled. “Sawyer is home now, but he has a feeding tube, a trachea, and he’s on a ventilator 24-7. He’s also on a lot of medications, but he’s doing really well.”

Hildom said her son is delayed in some of his development because of his lengthy hospital stays and receives physical therapy and other early intervention services.

While she and Scoma both have continued to work in their community, they were grateful to hear of Kids & Cancer and the help the organization could provide with travel expenses.

Hildom said she learned of Kids & Cancer through an acquaintance who had a family member helped by the organization.

“We were helped in October, they sent us gas cards,” she recalled. “Driving back and forth (to the hospital) in Rochester was two and a half hours away. There was a lot of driving back and forth so the gas cards definitely helped alleviate some costs.”

Hildom said she plans to attend and speak at the Kids & Cancer event to show her gratitude.

“We’re very lucky to have that organization in our area,” she said of Kids & Cancer. “They’re great.”

Debbie and John McKane of Mayville, N.Y.,  always had wanted to ride motorcycles in the Kids & Cancer Benefit Run as a show of support, but never could find the time.

In November of 2017, they would experience the generosity of the organization firsthand when their son Drake, now 13, was diagnosed with high-risk leukemia b-cell. The diagnosis came after Drake woke up earlier in the month with swollen hands and spiked a fever that was accompanied by a swollen foot.

Initial hospital visits diagnosed Drake with a viral infection and the start of arthritis. Medical follow-ups provided no relief for the boy as his health worsened.

“His doctor diagnosed him with juvenile arthritis, but my motherly instincts knew there was something more wrong with him, and I asked for him to be tested for leukemia,” Debbie said. “Sadly, it seems this fell on deaf ears, and he referred us to an arthritis specialist in Buffalo (N.Y.).”

During that appointment, lab work and X-rays of Drake’s hands determined what Debbie had feared – her son had leukemia and had to be admitted to Oishei Children’s Hospital in Buffalo immediately. After hearing of their son’s diagnosis, she and her husband “both drowned in tears” as it was their worst nightmare.

She said Drake has been hospitalized off and on over the past eight months and has had several spinal taps with chemo to keep the cancer from spreading to his spine and bone marrow.   

In addition, he has lost 30 pounds as his “appetite isn’t the greatest most days.”

Debbie said her son continues to receive intense chemo treatments along with spinal taps weekly. In addition, he receives blood and platelets transfusions weekly, sometimes daily, and will continue this for another year. On top of that, he receives physical and occupational therapy to help him gain his strength and mobility back.

“This has been such a tough road for Drake and all of us,” Debbie admitted. “I want to say how proud we are of Drake and how strong he is to keep fighting through all this. This kid has shown us so much courage and lets us know everything is going to be alright.”

In addition to prayers from family and the community, she said another thing that has lightened the load for them has been support in the form of gas cards from the benefit run.

“Kids & Cancer has helped our family tremendously,” Debbie said in an email from Drake’s hospital bedside this week. “I had taken the year off of work to be with Dake while my husband stays working full time to pay the bills. Kids & Cancer helped with gas cards so we could transport Drake back and forth to Buffalo for treatments. They also have helped us emotionally with all their love and support during this difficult time – they definitely helped take stress off us trying to figure out how are we going to afford all these trips back and forth on just one income.”

Jamie and Shaa Moore of Sugar Grove also appreciate the generosity of Kids & Cancer as the financial assistance has helped them get through tough times with their son Sylar, who turned 2 on July 24.

“My son Sylar was born with a congenital diaphragmatic hernia and was hospitalizalized from birth to almost 9 months old,” Jamie said. “His medical history is extensive, and he has multiple diagnoses. As a result of Sylar’s CDH, he has bronchial malacia, which causes respiratory failure and has required long-term ventilation.”

She said her son also has a tracheal tube as well as a gastrointestinal tube as his long-term hospitalization and ventilation has caused feeding difficulties.  

“Sylar has had many surgeries during his long-term hospitalization and multiple surgical procedures since,” she continued. “We used to travel to (UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh) for follow-up appointments every other week, but now it’s every one or two months. We know that Sylar’s conditions will require more surgeries and procedures in the future.”

Despite his difficulties, she said Sylar is a miracle who has touched the “hearts of so many.”

“Even though he has more obstacles ahead we know he is strong, and he can overcome anything,” she said. “Sylar is the happiest and sweetest child. His positive attitude is infectious and draws people to him.”  

Jamie said she is able to stay with Sylar and be his full-time advocate and caregiver because she left her job.

“My husband Shaa continues to work in I.T. in Lakewood, N.Y. Consistent travel and lack of home healthcare staffing has been challenging,” she lamented.

While this has benefitted their little boy, it has presented financial challenges. She said this is where organizations such as Kids & Cancer and other entities in the area have helped them stay afloat.

“We have lots of travel … and see a lot of doctors in Pittsburgh, and Kids & Cancer have helped with our travel expenses,” she said. “Since the first time we had made contact with them, they have been wonderful. The support we have received has meant more to us then we can express.”