Oscar’s Kids U.S.
Oscar’s Kids US, co-founder, Melissa Rauch:
It was the power of a mother’s love that brought the extraordinary Oscar Keogh into my life. The remarkable Yavanna Keogh and her incredible husband, Lar, touched my heart beyond measure when they shared their mission of filling their son Oscar’s world with magical experiences…packing a lifetime of memories into what was almost guaranteed to be a young life cut short. Oscar was diagnosed with an aggressive form of pediatric cancer called DIPG (Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma) which, at this time, is incurable. Despite that grim and dark diagnosis, Oscar’s parents were actively choosing to bring as much light to their precious boy’s life as possible. Yavanna happens to be a brilliant writer, and she detailed their experiences in the most heartbreaking and beautiful posts I’d ever read. Her words took my breath away, as they shot an arrow directly into the heart of anyone fortunate enough to read them. It was incredibly humbling that they reached out to invite me to be a part of their mission for Oscar, given that at the age of four, he had adorably declared my character on The Big Bang Theory “his girlfriend.”
And although their outreach to me was about bringing happiness to Oscar ~ getting the opportunity to learn about his life, to see his magnetic, soul-piercing smiles and laughter, to hear the little things he enjoyed doing each day, the interests that peaked the curiosity of his joyful mind, the chance to listen to his sweet voice was a million times greater than anything I could ever offer him. I feel so lucky to have known Oscar Keogh, to have become dear friends with both him and his endlessly loving, amazing parents. The example of this family’s love was life-changing. Following his tragic passing at age five, we wanted desperately to find a way to celebrate his beautiful life. As a mother with a firm belief in the power of a will meeting a way, coupled with the force of the brilliant scientific minds this world has to offer — it’s imperative to me that Oscar’s Kids be a vessel towards the desperate need for us to find a cure for DIPG. To end the suffering that accompanies this diagnosis. To help families navigating it and other devastating prognoses. What Yavanna and Lar Keogh have had to endure…losing their son to a disease for which no medical cure is available — is simply unimaginable. But we partnered together to form Oscar’s Kids because we can imagine a future where immunotherapies, genomic studies and well-funded research will pave the way to a cure, at last. Simultaneously, we aim to enrich the lives of children and their families who are faced with childhood illnesses. That is what this charity endeavors to do, and with your help, we can do it. Together, we can honor Oscar’s life by saving the lives of countless children going forward, while bringing some of his magic to their lives along the way. With your generous support, we can help Oscar’s memory to live on — a forever burning Legacy of Light and Love.
How Support Helps
Research is our greatest tool in discovering new and improved ways to help treat and cure children. Yet childhood cancer research is massively underfunded around the world. Your funding of Oscar’s Kids will assist in our mission to change those odds, and help in so many other ways!
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K # of children worldwide diagnosed with a form of cancer yearly
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% % of U.S. Govt funding for pediatric cancer research — far less than for adults
