Meet Catherine and Rachel, your January Butterfly Buddies!
Catherine, nearly 17, is a junior in high school who is learning to drive and beginning to plan for college. While she hasn’t chosen a major yet, her passion for interior and fashion design has her dreaming of how she’ll decorate her future dorm room. Rachel, who just turned 13, approaches everything she does with boundless energy and resilience. The sisters are very close, connecting over their shared passions for art, cooking, and a love of learning, with Catherine often taking on the role of teacher and guide to her little sister.
In the fall of 2021, Rachel began complaining of leg pain after a fall at recess, but an annual physical provided no answers as the pain came and went. In early 2022, Marcy noticed swelling and a bump on Rachel’s leg while walking her to school. An x-ray revealed something unusual, and Rachel was transferred immediately to Connecticut Children’s Hospital. Over the following days, a series of tests, scans, and a biopsy confirmed the devastating diagnosis: Ewing sarcoma, a rare bone cancer. Though the news was crushing, the oncologist reassured the family that the hospital had extensive experience treating this rare form of childhood cancer.
But the tough news continued: the cancer had spread to Rachel’s lungs, drastically lowering her survival odds, and was present in her foot and other parts of her leg. Rachel’s treatment plan began immediately: amputation of Rachel’s leg, nine months of chemotherapy, and then proton radiation therapy. Despite the physical and emotional toll Rachel faced during her 11 months of treatment, she showed remarkable bravery. “She really shouldered this with so much courage,” Marcy said. “Even when she lost her leg, she never let it define her..” Although Rachel missed a full year of school during her treatments, her love of learning helped her pick up right where she left off. “She’s determined to keep doing the things she loves.”
Marcy learned about Lucy’s Love Bus from another Love Bus mom while Rachel was in treatment. Thanks to donors like you, Love Bus has been able to provide moments of joy and comfort to their whole family. Catherine has benefitted from spa treatments and massage therapy—moments of pampering that allowed her to feel special and cared for amidst the family’s focus on Rachel. “Catherine loves to be pampered, and she really needed that after everything,” shared Marcy – who used her own funding through the Ilene’s Caregivers program for spa services and a respite getaway. Rachel has used her funding for art lessons that nurtured her creative side during her recovery– something that would have been out of the family’s budget without the funding from Lucy’s Love Bus.
One of the most impactful gifts that Love Bus continues to provide Rachel is the gift of choice. Love Bus pays for the annual cost of storing Rachel’s preserved ovarian tissue—a critical step Marcy took to protect her daughter’s future fertility options before cancer treatment. For Marcy, the decision to put Rachel through an additional invasive procedure was daunting, but adding to the stress was the question, “How will we afford this? How will we keep the harvested tissue safe long-term?” She reflects, “What an incredible gift that is—for Love Bus to give Rachel the opportunity to have children someday. Despite everything she’s been through, she still has that choice.”
Now a 7th grader, Rachel is thriving academically, performing as Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast, and joining her local swim team, with hopes of mastering diving. Rachel’s resilience has not only propelled her forward but also inspired her sister, Catherine, who has learned to step back and allow Rachel to navigate challenges on her own. Catherine, meanwhile, has also excelled academically, earning induction into the honor society and beginning to dream about her own future.
Marcy credits Lucy’s Love Bus with helping her family heal. “Lucy’s Love Bus gives kids a choice and a voice when so much of treatment feels out of their control. It lets them dream big and acknowledge their struggles, saying, ‘We see you, we care about you.’ That personal connection is everything.”
Marcy and Bill’s faith and resilience have guided their family through Rachel’s diagnosis and treatment. Though life is beginning to settle into a new normal, the physical and emotional scars remain. With support, they’ve found moments of comfort and joy amid the struggle.
“Lucy’s Love Bus has helped Rachel pursue her passions, made Catherine feel special, and given our family hope. And hope is the most powerful gift you can give."
Thank you for your generous gifts which deliver hope and joy to deserving children like Catherine and Rachel, and their parents, Marcy and Bill!
