Op Ed - Sporting Kansas City & The Victory Project

Making Wishes Come True: The Victory Project

Statistically speaking, relative to the prevalence of many forms of adult cancer, childhood cancer is relatively rare. However, despite its rarity, childhood cancer is the number one disease killer of children in the United States today, and in low- and middle-income countries, mortality from childhood cancer is increasing. Most of us probably know a child currently battling cancer, a survivor of childhood cancer, or a family who has lost someone to the disease, which makes childhood cancer seem hardly rare at all. Every day, 43 children are diagnosed with cancer and the average age of diagnosis is six. About 1,180 children younger than 15 years old are expected to die from cancer in 2018. Cancer affects all ethnic, gender, and socio-economic groups and over 40,000 children undergo cancer treatment each year. Cancer affects everyone.

Every kid wishes, and sometimes a wish is all a kid has to hold onto. So while every kid wishes, perhaps none are as deserving as those 43 children diagnosed with cancer each day. Although it might seem difficult to make a difference for children around the world; it is easier than you might think to get involved and help make a difference in your community, and Kansas City specifically.

Every year 20-25 families receive the heartbreaking news that their child has cancer at Children’s Mercy Hospital, a comprehensive pediatric medical center in Kansas City, Missouri. Which is where Sporting Kansas City and The Victory Project come into play. The Victory Project is an initiative by Sporting Kansas City that grants wishes and brings happiness to children diagnosed with cancer. The Victory Project gives the club and the community an opportunity to make a difference for these children. Read on to learn how these children battling cancer’s wishes became realities.

Meet Elliott (6 years old): Elliott had a wish to go to a Pittsburg Steelers game.

In 2012, Elliott was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma when he was just 1 ½ years old. After his diagnosis, Elliott received a liver transplant and was cancer-free. In 2015, he received a secondary diagnosis of juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia and received a bone marrow transplant to beat cancer once again. However, in 2017, Elliott and his family received the devastating news that his cancer had returned again. Through Sporting Wishes, Elliott and his family made the journey to watch the Steelers play the Cincinnati Bengals. Elliott even got the chance to meet B.J. Finney, a Steelers offensive-lineman before the game, as well as go on the field for pre-game warmups.

Meet Olivia (7 years old): Olivia had a wish to go to Disney World to meet the Princesses and to find seashells by the ocean.

Olivia was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma when she was 18-months old. After becoming cancer-free, Olivia and her family learned that she had relapsed in 2013. After being declared cancer-free once again, she learned that she would have to battle once more in July 2016. Olivia was Sporting Wishes first recipient when in March 2017 her family spent five days at the Disney properties. On their fifth day, the family headed to Cocoa Beach where Olivia was able to collect her seashells and enjoy the ocean.

Meet Kalen (18 years old): Kalen had a wish to be a Sporting Kansas City player for a day.

Kalen has been battling bone cancer since being diagnosed in December 2015, when he underwent 13 surgeries over the last three years. In 2017 the cancer spread to his left wrist. This year, Kalen’s left arm was amputated between the shoulder and the elbow in response to new tumor growth. In July, Kalen learned his cancer had returned. The Victory Project was happy to help cover the costs incurred for the procedure. The Victory Project also granted Kalen’s wish of becoming a Sporting Kansas City player for a day. Sporting Kansas City signed Kalen to a contract on Saturday, September 29 before the club played Real Salt Lake on Sunday, September 30 at Children’s Mercy Park. Kalen had the chance to participate in all aspects of the game as a team member and even got to watch the game from the team bench.

These children’s wishes came true because of The Victory Project, a foundation of Sporting Kansas City. The Victory Project is an initiative of Sporting Kansas City that unites players, staff, and fans to help children battling cancer. Since its founding, The Victory Project has given over 100 children VIP experiences during home matches at Children’s Mercy Park. The Sporting Kansas City players know nothing brings a smile to a child’s face like meeting his or her soccer hero, which is why Sporting KC players are crucial to The Victory Project. The players visit children in hospitals, help grant wishes, and participate in various community events.

In partnership with Social Workers in the Division of Hematology/Oncology/Bone Marrow Transplant at Children’s Mercy, The Victory Project identifies children who receive a secondary cancer diagnosis or relapse and grant them a wish. Whether that be a trip to a volcano, swimming with dolphins, or going to a Pittsburgh Steelers game, The Victory Project children’s makes wishes become a reality.