October 16, 2023
By Riley Piehl
Communications ’25
Boo Cancer is Gamma Phi’s main philanthropy event. The sorority hosts a carnival with games and a silent auction to raise money for a child they select each year who has cancer.
All community members are welcome. Admission is free; ticket prices for the games vary.
Gamma Phi also hosts a golf outing and sells T-shirts during the week leading up to the carnival to raise money. T-shirts can be purchased the week of Oct. 23 outside Whitney Commons in the University Center.
The child selected this year is Alex Nicholson of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Nicholson’s parents while putting him to sleep one night felt a lump on the back side of his left thigh. Nicholson had not recently hurt himself and did not complain of any pain from that area, so his parents did not think much of it at first.
After a couple of weeks, as the mass had not shrunk, they decided to take him to the pediatrician. The pediatrician advised Nicholson's parents to go in and get his leg scanned and receive a biopsy.
After these tests, the results showed that Nicholson has rhabdomyosarcoma. Rhabdomyosarcoma, or RMS, is a rare type of cancer that forms in soft tissue, specifically skeletal muscle tissue. RMS can occur at any age but affects children the most. The treatment decisions depend on the type of RMS.
Nicholson is receiving 42 weeks of chemotherapy, daily radiation for three to six weeks, and many scans and surgeries. Nicholson is a smart, funny boy who continues to make the most of every day by enjoying some of his favorite things, such as playing with toy cars, dinosaurs, magnatiles, Legos and his cat, Maggie.
A disease of this nature requires very expensive treatments and Gamma Phi is doing everything in their power to lessen this burden for Nicholson's family.
To donate a basket for the silent auction, or for any questions, contact Mackenzie Ross, Gamma Phi’s Philanthropy Coordinator, at mpross21@my.trine.edu.
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