Jackie Feldman, a junior here, transferred to HSMSE last year, and couldn’t be happier with both our school and its community. Two months ago, Jackie began a program called Smiling to Survive, a fundraiser for research into finding effective treatments for pediatric leukemia. I thought this heroic act of dedication deserved to be brought to light here at MSE. Donating and raising money for Smiling to Survive would allow MSE students to do their part in progressing the development of cancer research, and improvement in care for both patients and their loved ones. Students can volunteer in bake sales, or other fundraising events, they can also help organize donations.
Jackie Feldman conceived the idea for this project two months ago, and has been developing it ever since. At the age of four, Jackie’s brother, Daniel Feldman, was diagnosed with biphenotypic leukemia, an extremely rare kind of leukemia. In fact, only 5% of those with leukemia have biphenotypic leukemia. Daniel had been complaining of neck pain for weeks, so they visited their pediatrician and got forwarded to a hospital. The hospital they visited made an already very hard process much more difficult for both Daniel, and his family. This is the opposite of what a hospital should do. Eventually, Ms. Feldman brought her son to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he received intense treatment for 2.5 years. The process itself was long, and heart wrenching for the entire family, especially Daniel.
One of the harder parts of being a survivor, according to Jackie, was that this occurred during his most developmental years, from when he was four to six years old. During these years, Daniel needed to be homeschooled and consequently missed out on many important social lessons and other developmental experiences. His compromised immune system often kept him isolated, further impeding his socialization, which is vital for young children.
Jackie took this personal experience to heart, and wanted to do her part to ensure that no other family received inadequate or improperly provided care, like the Feldman’s originally did. So, she started Smiling to Survive. A program intended to make the entire process easier, for everyone involved.
Anyone interested in helping coordinate, volunteer, or even donate, can email Jackie Feldman at [email protected] or dm her on Instagram @jackiezfeldman. The money raised would be forwarded to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the hospital that saved Daniel Feldman’s life.
