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6 | November 1, 2018 | The Homer Horizon news homerhorizon.com BEACON AVENUE ANTIQUE ROW Reach more than 89,000 homes & businesses PUBLISHES: Thursday, December 6th RESERVE YOUR AD SPACE BY: Wednesday, November 21 AD APPROVAL: Tuesday, November 27 5 SHOPS HOLIDAY 5 Beacon Ave shops stuffed with antique, gift, and holiday items. Anna B’s Antiques ‘N Things Player Piano Clinic & Emporium Pam Benson Antiques And Fine Jewelry SALE Beacon Hill Antiques Kay’s Marketplace Consignment Shop 15-20-25-30-50% HOLIDAY SALE Now till January 1st in all shops 143rd St. and Beacon Ave, 3 blocks West of LaGrange Rd. 708-460-4988 Most shops Open 7 days a week | 10:30am-5pm Monday-Saturday Call your local sales director at 708.326.9170 22ndcenturymedia.com VitaLife buys back trick-or-treat candy for toys and other prizes Homer Glen State Farm agent sponsors healthy Halloween initiative Amanda Del Buono Freelance Reporter Halloween is full of frights, but to some, the scariest part is hidden in plain sight — sugar. The average trick-ortreater consumes about three cups of sugar on Halloween, which is the same as 13 Big Macs, according to data provided by VitaLife Wellness and Weight Loss. Additionally, it would take 180 miles of trick-or-treating to burn off the calories consumed on Halloween. To raise awareness about these frightening Halloween statistics, VitaLife Wellness and Weight Loss will be running a Halloween Candy Buy Back event. The buy back will take place Nov. 1-2 from 4 to 7 p.m. and on Nov. 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at VitaLife New Lenox, located at 352 W. Maple Street. Candy will be weighted, and, in exchange, participants will receive tickets that can be redeemed for toys and prizes. Additionally, by participating in the buy back, one raffle ticket per family will be entered into VitaLife’s iPad prize drawing. Participants must be 12 years old or younger and accompanied by an adult. All of the candy collected will be donated to Operation Care Package and sent overseas to deployed active military personnel, with the hopes of lifting their spirits and helping them build relationships with the children in other countries. Inspiring healthy living The event is part of a mission VitaLife and its owner Davis Jaspers has embarked on to help the local community lead happy and healthier lives. “On Halloween, kids eat almost a pound of sugar just on that one day in America, which is the equivalent of what kids should be having over about 65 days, and they’re doing it on this one day,” said Davis Jaspers, founder of the VitaLife program and owner of the New Lenox VitaLife location. “Somebody has to be the voice of reason out there and say we’ve got to stop this practice otherwise we’re just going to continue this problem for the next generation.” “Rather than doing that and being the bad guy out there, what we want to do is provide an opportunity for the local community to come together and say, ‘Let’s get rid of some of this candy, because we don’t need it all, and let’s have toys that are going to last longer and aren’t going to be detrimental to our health.’” Homer Glen State Farm agent and Lockport resident Michelle Kerfin is a sponsor for the event. Michelle and her husband, Ed, both participated in Jaspers’ weightloss program and lost more than 40 and 80 pounds, respectively. With their connection to the program, they’ve been inspired by Jaspers’ enthusiasm to help others live healthier lifestyles, they said. “I’ve been very successful on his program, like most people I know, and then my husband joined the program, as well,” Michelle said. “… [Jaspers] came up with this idea for the candy buy back, and I thought that was just a brilliant idea for what he’s trying to do for the world. “… He’s just truly trying to change the health of America, and it just fits right into his mission to tell the kids you can have what candies you want, but let’s make a choice to turn some of that candy in and get toys, instead.” Due to their history with Operation Care Package, the Kerfins recommended to Jaspers that the candy be donated to the organization. “My husband and I have always been very involved with Operation Care Package, so we recommended to Davis to send the candy with them over in their packages to active military personnel so they can enjoy a treat from home, and Davis’ wish of course with that candy over in the military is for them to use it to build relationships with the kids in those countries, because they don’t get candy like we get here,” Michelle said. Davis added: “We just found [sending the candy to soldiers overseas] as a great way to spread goodwill to everyone, as well as just giving the kids the opportunity to make that choice.” For more information on the candy buy back, visit www.vitalifeweightloss. com.
homerhorizon.com news the Homer Horizon | November 1, 2018 | 7 Homer girl remains ‘so strong and brave’ during battle with cancer GoFundMe donation page created to aid with ongoing medical bills Jacquelyn Schlabach Assistant Editor Over the last couple of months, 7-year-old Hailee Saenger has been fighting for her life. The Homer Glen girl was diagnosed with Stage 2 diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma on Sept. 6, just two days before her birthday. Throughout the summer, Hailee had experienced stomach aches on and off, but her parents kept thinking it was probably just something she ate. At the end of August, the stomach aches had only progressed and her parents, Cindee and Bill, knew something wasn’t right. The signs were pointing to an appendicitis, so they brought Hailee to an urgent care center, which agreed the symptoms mirrored that of an appendicitis, and she was rushed to the emergency room. After numerous tests, doctors said Hailee had a diverticulum that needed to be removed immediately. Surgery was scheduled that same day on Sept. 1. After five days in the hospital, Hailee came home. Cindee received a phone call from the doctor who had learned from pathology reports that the suspected diverticulum in Hailee was actually a malignant tumor. “My reaction was pure shock, and I instantly just started shaking and crying,” Cindee said. “My husband ran up because he knew something wasn’t right, and he was like, ‘What’s wrong?’ And I was just holding up my finger like hold on, and the doctor was like, ‘I’m really sorry that we have to tell you this over the phone, but we wanted to get you in as soon as possible, and I don’t want you to be wondering all night what we’re talking about, but it is a malignant tumor.’” As soon as Cindee heard the word malignant, her mind went right to cancer. “It was devastating,” Cindee said. “It’s nothing as a parent that you ever want to hear that one of your children has.” Shortly following Hailee’s diagnosis, one of her aunts set up a GoFundMe page to help assist the family with all of their medical bills during Hailee’s battle with cancer. As of press time, $8,415 was raised of a $20,000 goal by 102 people over the course of 25 days. “I am seriously amazed by people and their kindness and their generosity,” Cindee said. Her neighbor, Tracy Szafran, set up a meal delivery plan through www.mealtrain. com, where neighbors, family and friends bring dinner to the Saengers three times a week. “I was just telling Tracy, she set up this food train for us, I mean I have neighbors that I’ve never even met before bringing us meals because I don’t have time to cook,” Cindee said. “It’s overwhelming, it really is. It’s amazing. I feel very supported by community and friends and people I didn’t even know. It’s amazing.” The Saengers are like family to Tracy and her husband, Mick, and said that Hailee’s diagnosis has had a big impact on them, as well. “It’s horrible,” Tracy said. “I cry every time I think of them, think of her. Having kids myself, it’s not an easy battle.” Cindee and Bill went to the hospital the next day after learning that the tumor Homer Glen resident 7-year-old Hailee Saenger is battling Stage 2 diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. A GoFundMe donation page is set up for her and her family to pay for medical bills. Photo submitted was malignant and sat down with Hailee and her doctors to explain to her that she had some sick cells in her stomach. Hailee asked her mother what cancer was, having heard of it previously because of her grandfather’s diagnosis of multiple myeloma. “And she just kind of like asked her dad on the side, ‘Am I going to die?’ And he was like, ‘Oh my God, no.’ I think she didn’t really understand it, but she heard about it, so she was just asking questions.” The plan of execution was to go through all of the options to see how to treat the cancer. Hailee underwent more testing, had bone marrow biopsies, spinal taps, blood work, a CAT scan and CT scan. A PICC line was also surgically inserted into Hailee’s arm, which is a catheter that carries blood to the heart and is used to draw blood. “She’s been such a trooper, just amazing,” Cindee said. “She’s an amazing little girl, so strong and brave. I’m just so proud to be her mom; she’s just amazing.” Hailee had her first round of chemotherapy Sept. 17 through Sept. 21 and her second round Oct. 8 though Oct. 12. Cindee stays with her daughter at the hospital as she undergoes chemo for those five days. “She got really sick, and she needed to get a blood transfusion the first time because she was so weak, and her body just wasn’t making enough blood, Cindee said. “And then this time, it was just a really bad infection she got. Right now, she’s on antibiotics because the infection was so bad in her belly, and it was so inflamed that she couldn’t eat solid foods until yesterday.” Following the first round of chemo, Hailee’s hair began to fall out. Cindee had cut her hair to shoulder length but couldn’t get herself to shave the rest of Hailee’s hair, so she called Tracy. “She’s like, ‘Tracy, I can’t bring myself to cutting her hair,’ she’s like, ‘I can’t do it,’ so I said, ‘OK. I’m on my way home,’” Tracy said. Tracy came over to the Saengers home with her daughter and her daughter’s friend. Cindee asked Tracy to shave Hailee’s head for her, as she held her daughter’s hand. “We did a little dance party beforehand, and she was still all smiles and giggles, and then we sat down and I had shaved her head,” Tracy said. “The girls were there, they cried, her mom cried, I cried, then her dad came down the stairs, he cried. It was moving, to say the least.” In support of Hailee, her father and Tracy’s husband both shaved their heads right afterward. “They did it to show her like, ‘Hey, we can be bald, too,’” Cindee said. “They actually let her hold the shaver, and she went on their head and I had pictures and video of her just doing it. She’s laughing, so it started off emotional, and she was sad and we were all crying, and then we ended up laughing because it’s nice to see support, for sure.” In the coming weeks, Hailee will go to the hospital once a week for testing on her blood cell count. At the end of November, she will go in again for a scan so doctors can see if more chemotherapy is necessary, or if she is cancer-free. “[Doctors are] hopeful, and they said that it’s very highly treatable, that it’s curable, that sometimes it’s just depending on the person and how quickly they catch it, how much chemo they have to do,” Cindee said. “But they’re very optimistic and hopeful that Hailee will make a full recovery and hopefully go back to just being a normal little girl again, so that’s our hope.” Hailee hasn’t been able to go back to school or enjoy the activities she once did, including cheerleading, gymnastics and dance. “It makes her sad,” Cindee said. “I know she’s made comments that she’s really sad about the fact that she lost her hair and she’s very sad about the fact that she can’t be going to school and doing things. She wants to be in dance, and she wants to be doing stuff, but she’s very understanding.” Cindee always reminds her daughter that the cancer won’t last forever, and she’ll be back to normal soon enough. “She tells me, ‘Mom, don’t cry.’ She’s amazing,” Cindee said. “She’s so strong. She’s brave, I mean, so brave. There’s so all these tests and pokes and terrible things that a little girl shouldn’t have to go through, she went through, and she’s just amazing. She’s so positive. She’s already told me like, ‘Mom, I’m going to be fine, my cancer’s gone already, I just know it,’ just stuff like that. She’s optimistic and just amazing.” To donate to Hailee’s Go FundMe page, visit www.go fundme.com/helping-Haileeheal.
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