Fundraiser for family of tumor survivor

On Sunday afternoon, September 20, Cindy Kimmerer of Guilderland had heard enough from her pediatrician about her son's illness most likely being a stomach virus. She thought it was possible the previous four weeks of headaches, vomiting and lack of energy could be attributed to something else, so she brought her son Evan to the emergency room at Albany Medical Center that afternoon. She says after four hours, some neuological tests and an MRI, doctors found an aggressive and malignant tumor in the boy's brain stem, a growth called Medullo Blastoma. Surgeons removed it the next day. Evan will now receive six weeks of daily radiation treatment and a year of weekly chemotherapy. Ms. Kimmerer says doctors removed all of the growth but the radiation and chemotherapy are considered necessary to prevent the tumor from growing back.

While Evan and his parents stayed at the hospital Friday night, at least 200 people gathered at Orsini Park in Altamont, where Evan is known among fellow local ball players for his pitching and hitting. Family friends who sat down Wednesday to organize a fundraiser served hot dogs as donors stepped up to deposit money into an empty blue water cooler jug. Some wrote checks for as much as $500.00. The idea is to help the Kimmerers pay medical bills.

Among the supporters at the park was Evan's grandmother, Mackey Oppedisano. "I just want to say I love him, he's a trooper and he's gone through quite a bit," she said.

"We have the ability, through our efforts, to help families in need like this and you hope that other families in the area, other foundations and other groups in the area are willing to do the same," says John Heath, who wrote a check on behalf of the Guilderland Lettermen Foundation.

"We hope he's doing better and we're really pulling for him and we need him back on the pitcher's mound to dominate the game," his teammate Jack Hale told CBS 6. Another teammate, Cory Moore, was impressed by the turnout at the fundraiser.

"It really shocked me, a lot more people than I thought," Moore marvelled. "It turned out great and hopefully we can make him a few hundred dollars to help him through this tough time."

Cindy Kimmerer said her son is also amazed by the outpouring of support and has been noticing the ever-increasing number of friend requests on Facebook, the social networking website.  She says he may come home Sunday or Monday.