FREMONT, Mich. — At age 11, Keegan Bulk’s motto is “I beat cancer and it ran away scared”. Now, the young cancer survivor and his family are paying it forward to other young patients diagnosed with the disease.
The Bulk family launched “Team Keegan” last spring. The non-profit ships treasure chests full of toys to kids fighting cancer in West Michigan and across the country.
Each box is handcrafted by Keegan’s dad and stuffed with more than $100 dollars worth of goodies.
“Our hope is obviously one day they’ll be a cure,” said Jennifer Bulk, Keegan’s mom. “Until there’s a cure, we will hopefully be able to get a box into every child that requests one.”
The Bulk family was inspired to help bring smiles and happiness to those dealing with childhood cancer after getting the news that Keegan was in remission in May 2011.
Keegan, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in September 2010, underwent six cycles of chemotherapy and 30 radiation treatments to combat his condition.
His parents watched as small toys like an X-Box game, helped him fight such a big battle. They created the Team Keegan treasure boxes to give other kids motivation to hang in there.
“After every poke, chemo, shot, struggle, they can pick out a prize, an incentive for being brave,” explained Jennifer. “We’ve reached 29 states as of right now.”
Most of the treasure chests make their way into the hands of kids at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, where the family personally delivered the 100th box last month.
“In the end, it’s all worth it to see kids smile and to help them on their journey through their treatments,” said Donny Bulk, Keegan’s dad. “Hopefully Team Keegan can keep going and helping out with other kids that are dealing with this.”
The family has shipped out more than 115 of the special toy boxes. They’re hoping to expand the non-profit one day with a building to increase their operation.
In the meantime, the family is holding a live auction to raise money for Team Keegan on Saturday, February 23, 2013.
The event is scheduled for 10 am at First Reformed Church in Fremont. Doors open at 9 am.
Team Keegan is always accepting donations. Donations are tax deductible.
For more information, you can visit the website by clickinghere.
Or, find them on Facebook by clicking here. Find more event details by clicking here.