Two-Year-Old Woods Holloway Gives Back after Cancer
When one-year-old Woods Holloway was diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma, a rare form of liver cancer, parents Kayla and Kyle had no idea what it would mean for their family. Now, almost two years later, Woods is a year in remission, and his family is giving back by partnering with Resilience Gives’ Socks with Stories: Paying It Forward Initiative, where Woods and other pediatric cancer survivors have the opportunity to donate socks and spread a message of hope to families in the thick of treatment.
Each year, an estimated 15,780 children between the ages of 0-19 are diagnosed with cancer in the US. And although survival rates have increased to 80% of children living five years or more, advocates like the Holloway family aren’t satisfied with one in five children dying. “Cancer doesn’t discriminate. It could be your child or your grandchild. We have to do everything we can to help them,” says Kayla. With the help of survivors like Woods, Resilience Gives has set a goal of donating 10,000 pairs of non-slip socks to children in hospitals across the country. Woods and his family will be visiting the Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital this November to make their donation, just one stop on a journey to support children with pediatric cancer while sharing stories of resilience.
Without a doubt, Woods Holloway’s journey with pediatric cancer is one such story. When Woods’ parents learned the diagnosis, doctors warned the necessary treatment may include an entire liver transplant. After seven long months of chemotherapy, Woods entered remission without the need for the transplant, though Woods still has to contend with cancer-induced hearing loss as well as genetic disorder familial polyposis, two conditions which can turn serious without constant monitoring. But despite disease and uncertainty, little Woods continues to prove one thing— he is a fighter.
Woods’ journey with pediatric cancer has led him and his family to a partnership with Resilience Gives, the North Carolina based sock company which works with children who are battling cancer to design fun, non-slip socks inspired by their stories of resilience. Woods and her family hope the Paying It Forward Initiative can spread hope to those who need it most — children fighting pediatric cancer just like Woods.
About Resilience Gives: Founded by a cancer patient frustrated with poorly made, drab hospital socks, Resilience Gives partners with children who are battling cancer to design high quality, non-slip socks inspired by their experiences in the hospital. For every pair of socks sold, a pair is donated to a child in the hospital.
Website: www.resilience.gives
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