Published: June 16, 2008 11:58 am      

Battling

11-year-old joined cancer fight, now fighting for himself

CUMBERLAND - One of the Northeast Elementary School Lemonheads, a fifth-grade group that formed to raise money for a 3-year-old boy battling cancer, recently found out that he, too, has cancer.

Eleven-year-old Christopher Sawyers was diagnosed with Hodgkins lymphoma May 23 after his grandmother Rebecca Boyd noticed a lump on his neck.

"He began treatment at Johns Hopkins on the 29th," said his mother, Cindy Sawyers. "He has to go back next week," she said Friday.

Christopher was one of the 12 students in Cindy Cecil's fifth-grade class who decided to sell lemonade and snacks during recess to raise money for Kaden Sharpless and his parents, Marty and Stephanie of Westernport, to help defray the cost of the trips to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore.

"At the time when he was raising money for Kaden with the Lemonheads, we had no idea that he had cancer," said Cindy Sawyers.

The Lemonheads raised $701.88 for the 3-year-old who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a rare form of childhood cancer. Now Christopher and his family need help with travel and lodging expenses.

"Christopher met Kaden at Johns Hopkins," said Boyd.

"Kaden's parents have really been helpful and have offered a lot of advice," said Lisa Nasser, Christopher's aunt.

Christopher has to receive treatments for six months and will not be able to attend school at Washington Middle until January, said Cindy Sawyers.

Christopher, an "A" student, is looking forward to the end of his treatments so he can play the trumpet, swim and ride bikes with his cousins and his little sister, Mackenzie, a second-grader at Northeast Elementary.

"Chris' dad, Danny, who lives in Delta, Pa., has been wonderful; he has been at the hospital with him," said Boyd.

Christopher is also looking forward to being able eat in restaurants again; while he is going through treatment, he has to eat specially prepared foods and limit his exposure to germs.

"He has to be very careful of infections," said Cindy Sawyers.

Boyd, who lives at 12112 Orabell Drive Northwest, Cumberland, is accepting donations for the family.

"Northeast School held a fundraiser, and we really appreciate that," said Cindy Sawyers.

Christopher volunteers at Rocky Gap State Park and the other volunteers recently donated gas cards and the new, soon-to-be-released Aerosmith Guitar Hero game, which he is eagerly awaiting.

Contact Jennifer Raley at jraley@times-news.com.