FRAMINGHAM – Under the Friday night lights, the Framingham Flyers varsity cheerleaders keep the spirits high from the sidelines. And it is their spirit – not competitive, but caring – that is so worth cheering for.
Led by freshman and sophomore sisters, the team raised more than $10,000 for the Ellie Fund, the same organization that supported their family when the girls were just three and four years old.
“I have metastatic breast cancer. I’ve been living with cancer for almost thirteen years. I had chemotherapy today; I got out about two hours ago,” said the girls’ mother, Jess Leip.
Cheerleaders sell sweatshirts
The team turned October Awareness Month into Breast Cancer Action Month and sold sweatshirts throughout the school and around town.
“We started out selling about 50 pieces. They kept coming with all these orders and saying, can you make more? We ended up making 500. We made these sweatshirts at home!” said the mother proudly.
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“It was really overwhelming, but it felt really good that everyone wanted to support, and it felt like we were doing something really big and it made me really happy to be able to help,” said sophomore Hannah.
Ellie Fund will help 2,000 patients this year
These dollars will make an unforgettable difference for the 2,000 patients the Ellie Fund expects to help this year.
“To feed families, to transport patients to and from treatment, and even to help them get things like oncology massage that really helps the symptoms,” explains Meredith Mendelson, executive director of the Ellie Fund.
The Leips will never forget that kindness, after all these years of active treatment.
“She is a very strong, loving and caring person. I am really proud of her,” Izzy said of her mother.
So they pay it forward and give help and hope to others.
“I’m blown away; blown away that a simple pink word on a sweatshirt can raise so much money. We’re so happy that it’s going to the Ellie Fund and that it’s going to help a lot of people,” said an emotional Jess.
July McDonald
