Jennifer Masse of Derby was so overwhelmingly grateful for the support she recieved after finding out her son Andrew was facing brain cancer for the second time in his life. When Backyard Broadway, a group of performers from Western New York offered to help Andrew again, Masse wanted to pay it forward and help raise money for ALL familes affected by cancer.
“I didn’t feel right being the sole beneficiary again and I wanted to spread it around, so Backyard Broadway and I are now trying to help families of children with pediatric cancer with every day medical expenses,” said Masse.
Gas cards, cafeteria vouchers, and Tim Hortons gift cards are just a few of the gifts for families that the money raised will go towards. But how would Masse pull this off? A unique idea involving toilets, perhaps?
“The fundraiser is called ‘Flush Away Cancer’ and the idea is someone will find a toilet in front of their lawn and they have to pay to have it removed with the money going towards the Care Project,” said Masse.
Masse has already raised $100 with two glow in the dark neon yellow colored toilets being placed on her neighbor’s front lawns. Each toilet comes with a sign with directions that state: 1. Donate $10 to have the toilet removed 2. Donate $15 to have it removed and choose the next house to be placed at 3. Donate $25 for all of the above plus insure it can never come back to your address again! Total insurance!
Laura Majkut posted a photo on Facebook of the toilet placed in front of her home. She wrote, “I thought about keeping it overnight, so we could see it glow in the dark. But it has moved on and we took the insurance, so it won’t be returning.” -Feeling amused.
The sign also states what their mission is for. It costs a family about $100 a day for every day non-medical expenses like food, gas, and parking. Having a child in the hospital long-term quickly adds up to thousands of dollars each month, which is why helping these families ease the stressful burden is of the utmost importance.
“It made a huge difference to us when we were in the hospital for weeks at a time for someone to do something nice,” said Masse. “I remember when social services came up and handed me a $5 gift card, I felt like I recieved a gold bar. It was so appreciated and it moved me to tears.”
Masse is hoping to have a few more toilets donated to the fundraiser so that she may further her mission. If you would like to donate a clean toilet to the ‘Flush Away Cancer’ fundraiser please call 716-238-1890 or you may visit www.gofundme.com/andrewmasseand make a monetary donation towards the cause.
