Garth_FANtasizer
07-15-2005, 09:25 AM
Family represents Jason's Friends in Vegas
By JENNI DILLON
Star-Tribune staff writer Friday, July 15, 2005
Clay Loraas and his sister, Heather, sit on the floor of their grandparents' living room, playing math games.
Later, they head outside, running around the backyard, dodging bees and jumping up and down with their grandparents' dog, Bear.
"It's time to go home and go swimming," Clay insists to his parents, anxious to try out a neighbor's new pool.
Clay wasn't always this active. Diagnosed with leukemia shortly before his third birthday, the 8-year-old boy has spent the last five years in and out of hospitals, undergoing chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant.
His family spent months traveling with him, intent on helping him heal. While Heather stayed with her grandparents, Karel and Jack Loraas camped out in Denver and later Minneapolis with their son. Through it all was Jason's Friends, a Wyoming organization that supports the families of children with cancer.
"They saved our lives," said Karel Loraas.
This weekend, Jason's Friends will be spotlighted by Teammates for Kids, a nationwide charity started by Garth Brooks, and the Loraas family will travel to Las Vegas to show donors just what their money has supported. The Loraas' will meet and greet professional athletes who support Teammates for Kids, and Clay is scheduled to meet Garth Brooks when the country music star performs in a private show for the donors.
More (http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/07/15/news/casper/124b2a932c9981448725703f0005c756.txt)
~Ann~
By JENNI DILLON
Star-Tribune staff writer Friday, July 15, 2005
Clay Loraas and his sister, Heather, sit on the floor of their grandparents' living room, playing math games.
Later, they head outside, running around the backyard, dodging bees and jumping up and down with their grandparents' dog, Bear.
"It's time to go home and go swimming," Clay insists to his parents, anxious to try out a neighbor's new pool.
Clay wasn't always this active. Diagnosed with leukemia shortly before his third birthday, the 8-year-old boy has spent the last five years in and out of hospitals, undergoing chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant.
His family spent months traveling with him, intent on helping him heal. While Heather stayed with her grandparents, Karel and Jack Loraas camped out in Denver and later Minneapolis with their son. Through it all was Jason's Friends, a Wyoming organization that supports the families of children with cancer.
"They saved our lives," said Karel Loraas.
This weekend, Jason's Friends will be spotlighted by Teammates for Kids, a nationwide charity started by Garth Brooks, and the Loraas family will travel to Las Vegas to show donors just what their money has supported. The Loraas' will meet and greet professional athletes who support Teammates for Kids, and Clay is scheduled to meet Garth Brooks when the country music star performs in a private show for the donors.
More (http://www.casperstartribune.net/articles/2005/07/15/news/casper/124b2a932c9981448725703f0005c756.txt)
~Ann~