Tampa Bay family creates non-profit after losing child to cancer
Family turns grief into childhood cancer non-profit
FOX 13's Kylie Jones talked with one family who decided to help other families who have also dealt with having a child cancer patient.
TAMPA - A Tampa Bay family has turned their grief into a non-profit to help other families who have a child with cancer.
The non-profit, Finn's Fighters, was started in honor of Finn Gray, who was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma when he was five years old.
The backstory:
Finn's mom, Christen Gray, says he was a goofy and vibrant five-year-old, getting ready to start kindergarten.
"Finn, we like to call him an old soul," Gray said. "It is Irish, meaning 'fair-haired warrior', and that's exactly what he ended up turning out to be."
Gray says her son loved superheroes, dancing and beatboxing.
She says Finn had started having back pain, but they weren't sure what was causing it.
"There's so many different scenarios that play out that you don't jump to worst-case scenario," Gray said. "And for him, worst-case scenario was a tumor that was growing on a spine."
On his first day of kindergarten, Finn came home feeling sick. The next day, Gray says he couldn't walk.
"It was slowly causing that paralysis, which then, once it was identified, it was an emergency surgery," Gray said.
Finn was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma.
Gray says Finn underwent a second emergency surgery, followed by about nine months of intensive chemotherapy.
She says Finn finally rang the cancer bell, but as he started first grade, he faced another battle.
"At his first planned post-treatment scan, they found a tumor lower in his spine," Gray said.
At the beginning of 2020, Finn and his family took an emergency trip to a hospital in Boston, where they got devastating news.
"And unfortunately it went to his brain and we had an MRI in January, and the doctor sat us down and they said that there's no more curative efforts available," Gray said.
She says Finn died three days later, at six years old.
"They say when a child receives a pediatric cancer diagnosis, it's really the whole family that is receiving that diagnosis," Gray said.
The start of Finn's Fighters
Gray and her family poured their pain into a new project, which grew into Finn's Fighters.
She started the organization to serve as a shoulder to lean on for families of children diagnosed with cancer.
She wanted to help other families after experiencing the trials and sacrifices every family member goes through when a child is diagnosed with cancer.
"I've raced to the hospital to deliver supplies when the social workers call," Gray said. "We have a cup of hope that we give a $500 preloaded gift card to the family and then a list of resources."
Finn's Fighters also provides financial grant assistance to help families with rent payments, bills and sometimes, funeral services.
The organization has also started co-funding a mental health therapist at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital.
"She sees over 150 individuals, whether it's the parent, the child, or the patient themselves," Gray said.
Earlier this week, Gray traveled to New York City to mark the kick-off of 'The Gold Movement', a national movement to raise awareness for pediatric cancer.
Finn's face was displayed on the big screen in New York City.
"It's a club that nobody wants to be part of, but once you're in it, it's a really amazing community to support each other," Gray said.
Close to six years after she lost her 'forever six-year-old', Gray hopes Finn's Fighters can grow for many more years.
"It's always a way for us to let the world know who Finn was," she said.
What's next:
You can find more information about Finn's Fighters and upcoming charity events by clicking here.
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The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kylie Jones.