Mother’s Day donation honors moms of kids who have cancer

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (May 10, 2018) – Kris and Tabitha Parson of Jacksonville have turned their daughter’s life-threatening cancer diagnosis into a mission to support families who are facing similar circumstances. Carolina Parson was seven when she was treated for a brain tumor in 2014, and today she is thriving. The Believe Foundation, started by the Parsons, is in its fourth year of giving, and today, with Mother’s Day approaching, they delivered gifts for the moms of children currently being treated at the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute.

The Parsons said they noticed while Carolina was on treatment that many of the moms at the Proton Therapy Institute had relocated to Jacksonville temporarily from other states or even other countries. They were inspired to honor mothers who often carry the majority of the caregiving responsibilities for both the seriously ill and healthy children in their families.

The Believe Foundation collected donations to provide an evening out for each of the 30 families currently on treatment at the Institute. Gift bags were delivered containing gift cards to restaurants and the movies along with a flower for each mom. The foundation also dropped off thousands of character bandages they had collected in a bandage drive for the pediatric program.

“We want families to know they are not alone,” said Tabitha Parson. “There is a community of people in the childhood cancer world here to support you.”

About The Believe Foundation

The Believe Foundation exists to provide emotional, financial and spiritual support to kids, siblings and families affected by childhood cancer.

February 24, 2014, our 7-year-old daughter, Carolina, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. After a successful 11 hour surgery to remove the tumor, she underwent 30 rounds of proton radiation treatments and 7 rounds of chemotherapy. Through our journey, we have seen the deep pain and needs that having a child with cancer brings on the entire family. Because of this, The Believe Foundation was started.

About UF Health Proton Therapy Institute

UF Health Proton Therapy Institute is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization affiliated with the UF College of Medicine and the UF Health Cancer Center, a Florida Cancer Center of Excellence, dedicated to delivering state-of-the-art cancer treatment and setting new standards for treating and curing cancer. It is an accredited radiation oncology facility by the American College of Radiology. The cancer treatment facility houses both conventional radiation and proton therapy, and delivers proton therapy to 100 patients a day. For more information about the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute, please visit www.floridaproton.org, or call toll-free 877-426-9790.

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