2020 Recipients

JIM yOHN

Jim suffered from memory loss and confusion; he knew what he wanted to say but couldn’t get the words out. On December 2, 2019, he was diagnosed with grade IV glioblastoma, an aggressive and infiltrative brain cancer. Our lives changed forever. A biopsy was done to confirm the tumor. Because of the extent to which the tumor had grown, there really wasn’t anything that could be done to "cure" him. 

Jim was given a steroid to shrink the swelling and relieve the pressure, which allowed him to speak complete sentences again. Chemotherapy, radiation or partial removal of the tumor were options (but they would not provide a cure). Instead, they would only cause him pain, sickness or possibly leave him brain dead. His quality of life would be compromised and so, as a family, we chose comfort measures. When the steroid stopped working, we began to see a decline in Jim - he became more tired, he slept a lot, his strength weakened, and his appetite decreased considerably. On January 15, 2020, Jim passed away.

Wesley Myers

Wes is an extraordinary 3-year-old little boy who has dealt with various medical problems from a very young age. In January 2018, at the age of 1, during a routine check on his kidneys, a mass was found that was later discovered to be a type of cancer called neuroblastoma. After many tests, Wes' tumor was removed – fortunately, the recurrence rate is fairly low.

 Unfortunately for Wes, his health complications did not end there. In late summer of 2018, it was discovered that both of Wes' kidneys were packed full of kidney stones. Shortly thereafter, nephrostomy tubes were placed through his back to prepare for surgery and to ensure proper drainage. After many surgeries we are happy to say that Wes' kidneys are almost completely clear.

For such a young child, Wes has been through more than most people will in their lifetime. But he has endured everything like a champion. He rarely complains or even cries. Wes is a wonderful, compassionate, kind and strong little boy. He always has a happy outlook and is a true blessing. Wes continues to have regular scans for cancer and will require additional procedures on his kidneys in the future.

Paula Severino 

Paula is 75 years young. Her bucket list has always included a hiking tour of Italy. Two years ago, she was training for such a trip and kept noticing that during her 10-mile training hikes, her breathing would become compromised at mile 3. 

With the trip approaching, she made a doctor’s appointment. She was diagnosed with non-small cell third stage lung cancer. Since then, she has been undergoing treatment at the Penn Medicine/Lancaster General Health Barshinger Cancer Center. 

Because the tumor is so close to her aorta and is inoperable, she was having difficulty breathing. Additionally, blood poisoning forced her to spend weeks at a time in the hospital. In early January, she traveled to Johns Hopkins to consult with Dr. Steven Yang, who performed surgery to ease her breathing difficulties. 

Career-wise, Paula has been a hair stylist all her life. She helped to bring the salon concept to Lancaster with Headlines, which was located at Place Marie in Downtown Lancaster. Paula was also a consultant/advisor for Redken and traveled the country for five years. 

During her career, Paula helped to spearhead two initiatives. She often noticed clients with bruising and came to learn they were victims of domestic abuse. With help from Redken, she developed a program that trained stylists to spot the warning signs of domestic abuse and share information with victims. In Paula’s opinion, women feel free to share their troubles with their stylists. 

For years, Paula also headed a charitable endeavor called Santa’s Snippers. On a specified day in December, hundreds of hair stylists in Lancaster would offer $10 haircuts, with all of the proceeds going to charity. She also worked with a local female business owner to provide women who were experiencing hard times with new clothing and a new look for job interviews. 

Late in her career, Paula downsized and opened a small shop in her home near Millersville. She has been unable to work for over a year. A former colleague has kept the shop operating by providing clients with color services. It’s Paula’s only source of outside income. A friend has also set up a Go-Fund-Me account for her benefit. 

Katie Rose Moffett

Katie Rose Moffett is a 26-year-old childhood leukemia survivor. She was married in September 2019 and began experiencing concerning neurological symptoms in December. By early January, her health had taken a turn for the worse. After several ER visits and misdiagnoses, she was diagnosed on January 24, 2020 – her birthday – with anti NMDA receptor encephalitis.

Anti NMDA receptor encephalitis occurs when the body is triggered by something foreign to create certain antibodies. These antibodies bind to the NMDA receptors in the brain, triggering the immune system to attack. At this point, she is being kept sedated and her brain activity suppressed to the point of near unresponsiveness in order to prevent further damage from the seizures caused by the encephalitis. As she is treated, the doctors will begin to wean her off the sedation.

The disease is often triggered by an ovarian tumor. Initial scans do not show a tumor so for now she is undergoing treatment to remove her antibodies and destroy the cells that create antibodies. This treatment is effective, but until they find and treat the source of the trigger, the chance of relapse is always there.

We, her family, all look forward to interacting with our Katie Rose as she begins to recover. She is a strong-willed woman, and by the grace of God and the support and prayers of her family, friends, and communities, we hope she will conquer this hurdle as she has the hurdles that came before.

Andy Etman

When Andy Etman, a U.S. Army veteran, career EMT and volunteer firefighter switched Primary Care Physicians in September 2018, one of the health issues he brought to his doctor’s attention was a small pea-sized cyst on his inner right eyelid. His doctor suggested a referral to an ophthalmologist. Andy finally saw the ophthalmologist in March 2019. The doctor removed the cyst and sent it to pathology as a precaution. Five days later, Andy and his wife Barbara learned he had stage IV diffuse large B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Other diagnostics performed by the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute found the cancer in his eye, brain, cerebral fluid, spine and bone marrow.

 Throughout spring, summer and fall of 2019 Andy made the trip to Hershey for high-dose methotrexate chemotherapy, with each visit requiring a five-day stay in the hospital. He also had bi-weekly chemo through his ommaya reservoir that was placed in his brain. Andy spent 72 days in the hospital in 2019. A stem-cell transplant extraction performed on October 29, and a reintroduction of his own cells on November 5, has put Andy into remission. 

He will soon begin a regimen of Revlimid, an oral chemotherapy drug, for the next two years. He remains upbeat and positive that he’s beating this cancer.

Andy and his wife of nearly 33 years, Barbara, a restorative physical therapist, have two grown children: Seth, 32 (married to Kimberly), and Emily, 29 (married to Korrie), who also a career EMT. Their three grandchildren include Joseph (5), John (2), and Madelyn (2). They reside in Gordonville, where Andy volunteers with Gordonville Fire & EMS. He also volunteers with New Holland Ambulance Association. They enjoy travelling and participate in Civil War reenacting.

Jeremiah Reedy

Jeremiah is a typical 4-year-old boy who loves Toy Story, Paw Patrol, dinosaurs and his older sister. On June 7, 2019, following emergency surgery, he was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare connective-tissue cancer. 

It all started on a Sunday morning as a stomachache that progressed overnight. On the evening of June 3, we took him to urgent care expecting to get some medicine and be sent home. Instead, we were sent to our local emergency room and from there rushed to Hershey Medical Center at 2 a.m. He underwent emergency exploratory surgery on June 5. When the surgeon came out 2.5 hours later with a smile on her face, we thought we were in the clear. 

Unfortunately, our son did have cancer. He has been in active treatment ever since and is set to finish in October (2020), so long as his scans stay clear as the last two have been.