Turning Personal Heartbreak into Help for Others
Love, Bear
As Bear fought his own battle with cancer, he asked his mother, Kathleen Casey, if there was some way they could help the other kids in the hospital. He came up with ideas and Kathleen went about trying to get them done, all while her son remained hospitalized.
After a 5½ year fight and a fifth remission, Barrett “Bear” Krupa passed away at the age of eight. Devastated and seeking a way to start the healing process, she began a small-scale effort to carry on her son’s dream. As the two of them had learned, pediatric patients have unique needs but so do their families as well as the hospital facilities.
Now a 23-year journey, Kathleen launched and built Bear Necessities, a Pediatric Cancer Foundation, turning the inspiration of a courageous young boy and grief of a mother into hope and happiness for hundreds of children. This charitable organization commits to “helping kids rediscover their childhood while we discover a cure for pediatric cancer.”
A sick child brings all of us to our knees and likely to tears, especially when fighting life-threatening
disease. It naturally evokes a desire to do something, even if we cannot physically visit the sick child. Through years of working with pediatric cancer patients, Kathleen landed on two ways to make a difference.
As Bear fought his own battle with cancer, he asked his mother, Kathleen Casey, if there was some way they could help the other kids in the hospital. He came up with ideas and Kathleen went about trying to get them done, all while her son remained hospitalized.
After a 5½ year fight and a fifth remission, Barrett “Bear” Krupa passed away at the age of eight. Devastated and seeking a way to start the healing process, she began a small-scale effort to carry on her son’s dream. As the two of them had learned, pediatric patients have unique needs but so do their families as well as the hospital facilities.
Now a 23-year journey, Kathleen launched and built Bear Necessities, a Pediatric Cancer Foundation, turning the inspiration of a courageous young boy and grief of a mother into hope and happiness for hundreds of children. This charitable organization commits to “helping kids rediscover their childhood while we discover a cure for pediatric cancer.”
A sick child brings all of us to our knees and likely to tears, especially when fighting life-threatening disease. It naturally evokes a desire to do something, even if we cannot physically visit the sick child. Through years of working with pediatric cancer patients, Kathleen landed on two ways to make a difference.
The first is Bear Hugs, customized experiences to cheer up the child and based on their specific needs and interests. For one teen, it was to walk unassisted at her graduation. For another child, it was to attend a game for a favorite team and get a personalized jersey.
But it also includes the little things, especially for the family. As Kathleen discovered during Bear's multiple remissions, there are a million other details of life that get neglected. This can be financial challenges like places to stay while the child is in treatment or paying for the high cost of daily hospital parking. Or just the basics like the care of the sick child’s siblings, household maintenance items or getting groceries and preparing meals for the family.
But it also includes the little things, especially for the family. As Kathleen discovered during Bear's multiple remissions, there are a million other details of life that get neglected. This can be financial challenges like places to stay while the child is in treatment or paying for the high cost of daily hospital parking. Or just the basics like the care of the sick child’s siblings, household maintenance items or getting groceries and preparing meals for the family.
The second is Bear Discoveries. Larger than the size of a classroom, 43 children are diagnosed with cancer every day (~16k/year) with an average age of eight. Spanning twelve types of cancer and 100 sub-types, this is the leading cause of death by disease in children. Unfortunately, a meager 4% of the National Cancer Institute's annual budget is allocated to childhood cancer. Americans pay twenty times that amount annually on potato chips!
Although Bear’s death was nearly 24 years ago, I could see the pain and sorrow in Kathleen’s eyes as we discuss the toll it takes on the family. I can relate as my own child had a brain tumor 15 years ago. I still recall the raw sense of fear, not knowing what is going to happen and not being able to “fix it.”
Lori Doyle served as the Chair of the Parish Pastoral Council and is an active member of the HNC Liturgical Ministries as a Lector, EMHC, Cathedral Altar Server and a Minister of Care at Prentice/NW Hospital.
Although Bear’s death was nearly 24 years ago, I could see the pain and sorrow in Kathleen’s eyes as we discuss the toll it takes on the family. I can relate as my own child had a brain tumor 15 years ago. I still recall the raw sense of fear, not knowing what is going to happen and not being able to “fix it.”
But having people in your life who show up to help makes a difference you will never forget. It may be from a visit or a phone call, a message that your child is in their prayers, an offer to help out at home or through some type of joy provided by a "Bear Hug." There are truly a million ways to help. I thank God that there is someone like Kathleen Casey willing to work every day to discover how to both comfort and cure those with pediatric cancer.
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