WEST OTTAWA, Mich. — Community members in Ottawa County gathered Tuesday night to support a young girl who is battling cancer for the second time.
You may recall when FOX 17 first introduced Emerson Hoogendoorn in 2019. She was 7 years old at the time and battling brain cancer. She had already received two major surgeries and endured 30 rounds of chemo and radiation treatment.
Emerson says a clinical trial helped Emerson overcome the odds and beat cancer.
Years later in May 2023, doctors located a second cancer caused by her earlier treatment.
Now 12 years old, Emerson is supported by a community who wants to show she’s not alone in this fight.
A benefit was held Tuesday night at Harbor Lights Middle School. Attendees were encouraged to walk six laps around the school’s track. Each lap represents one year Emerson battled cancer.
The goal behind the event was to raise money for a special bike that would allow Emerson to build strength.
Organizers tell us the fundraiser was the right thing to do.
“This cancer is a really big thing beyond ourselves, out of our control,” says Beth DeJong, who teaches at Waukazoo Elementary. “So anything we can do to help family to ease the burdens a little bit is just wonderful.”
“I think sometimes in the world, we tend to see, you know, kind of the hard things right? And you look around and you see all these people just showing up and it just shows that people are really good and kind,” says Lisa Foy, Emerson’s fifth-grade teacher.
“It's very uplifting,” says Ami Hoogendoorn, Emerson’s mom. “It's just, like, … a big comfort for our family just to see people we know and people we don't know here cheering on our girl who has just had a really hard time.”
The fundraiser ended with some good news. Enough money was raised for the new bike.
Any additional money raised will be put toward a Disney World trip for Emerson and her family.
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