Hi everyone!

I'm Cassidy McCarthy and I want to thank you so much for visiting my page and helping me support a cause that I am very passionate about.

Last year I was only four years old and was dx with stage four renal cancer. I am very lucky to have such a strong, loving family and community that believe in me and have helped my parents and me get through one of the toughest times of our lives.

My parents have given me the strength I have today. They have been my backbone and have held my hand every step of the way. Mommy and Daddy, thank you for never giving up on me and even when I felt like giving up myself.

I spent 9 long months in and out of the hospital for chemo, radiation, blood transfusions, and iv antibiotics. I'm only five, but I have learned a lot about who I am as a person and learned so much though out this process.

Last summer, I was done with treatment and cleared to go to Sunrise Day Camp. I was finally in the start of remission!

I became part of the Sunrise Family and I truly had the best time of my life! For the first time in a while, I felt like a kid again. I had the freedom to play on the playground, learn how to swim, become part of a team, sing songs, and make new friends and was able to discover more about my likes and dislikes. Camp helped me come out of my shell, become less withdrawn and finally feel alive again.

My spunk, my sass, my determination, my smile, my laughter and my strength finally came back. My parents always told me I was their superhero and, for the first time ever, I felt like they were right.

Today, I'm asking all of you for help. I am who I am today, because of Sunrise and the amazing experience I had at camp. Sunrise became my family. It saved me when I felt I couldn’t be saved. Every child who’s going through cancer, some a lot longer than I have, deserves to have this wonderful experience. They deserve to be a kid and to let loose and forget, even for a moment, that they have to go to the hospital or get more chemo. They deserve to take in beautiful, fresh air, to experience nature, to get their hands messy, to learn how to play an instrument, to kick a ball, to sing new songs and, most of all, TO JUST BE A KID.

So, please help me make this magic possible for other kids like me.


Love always,
Cassidy