Meet Our
Tropical Princess

Lucy Weis, a spunky 6-year-old, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in July 2023. Despite setbacks, including unplanned surgeries and an extremely rare fungal infection, Lucy's resilience has shone through. Her treatment included spinal, IV, and oral chemotherapy, along with an appendectomy and liver lobectomy for the infection. Thanks to the dedication of the UPMC Children’s Hospital teams, she managed home IV antifungals for 10 months and recently transitioned to oral medication, allowing her to enjoy normal childhood activities again.

Lucy enjoys riding her bike (without training wheels!), swimming with her cousins, snacking on sour cream and onion Pringles, and going to the beach with her family. She will be going into kindergarten and spending time with her favorite teacher, Mrs. Roberts.

Lucy’s 9-year-old brother, Marshall, has been her unwavering support. Her journey has demonstrated the true meaning of being a warrior, inspiring family, friends, and strangers alike. We've grown closer as a family, appreciating health and the beauty of a “normal” day together.

We owe a debt of gratitude to Lending Hearts, the Stanley M. Marks Blood Cancer Research Fund, and numerous other organizations for giving Lucy the chance to fight. We hope for continued advancements in cancer treatments with fewer side effects.

“Fate said to the warrior, ‘You cannot withstand the storm.’ The warrior said, ‘I am the storm.’”

Meet Our
Tropical Prince

Brooks Bucklew is an intelligent, creative, and incredibly resilient five year old. Brooks plays baseball, learned how to read earlier this year, and has been doing multiplication and division math tables since he was three. Just this past week he learned how to swim so he continues to amaze us daily.

In late August 2022 Brooks began to develop large swelling on the sides of his neck. Eventually his attitude and energy decreased as well which was more shocking than the swelling. Finally, following a specialist appointment we had to admit him to Children’s Hospital in Pittsburgh on September 30. Brooks was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

Thanks to the expert medical staff, including doctors, nurses, and all support, Brooks began treatment immediately and has responded positively thru the first 2 years. After an immediate 29 days of inpatient care, hundreds of daily trips from Collier to Lawrenceville, and countless amounts of blood transfusions and spinal taps, Brooks is finally back to looking and acting like any typical five year old boy. One more year of treatments to go but full steam ahead.

Brooks is the oldest of 2 boys and enjoys nothing more than being big brother to 1 year old, Harrison. He also enjoys spending time with his 7 cousins at Lolli’s Lake House, watching TFG videos on YouTube, and listening to Imagine Dragons. Brooks is supported by both sets of grandparents,6 aunts, and 3 uncles. Special shout out to Mister Mike on the 9th floor!