Angel Fund Donors are a Lifeline for Family After Child's Cancer Diagnosis

While his siblings quickly recovered from a winter cold, Broc Cole just couldn’t shake the symptoms.

Then the Cascade boy went in for appendicitis surgery, only for the doctor to discover cancer in his lymph nodes, an extremely rare side effect of an Epstein-Barr viral infection.

Broc’s Burkitt lymphoma required immediate treatment, first at the Montana Children’s Hospital in Kalispell and then at Texas Children’s Hospital. His parents, Jaycen and Maranda, had to quickly pack, figure out care for their other children, make plans for absence from work for an unknown time, make travel arrangements, and more while in the maelstrom of emotions that came with the diagnosis.

Jaycen’s mother, Peg Ray, works at Benefis and knew about Benefis Foundation’s Angel Fund and 221 Children’s Fund. She quickly applied on their behalf and was able to present them with a check to help defray travel and other expenses for Broc’s care.

“When you get that diagnosis, life changes immediately. You have so many things swirling in your mind. You’re thinking, ‘How is this ever going to be OK?’ and then you immediately have a buffer with this gift from donors, it’s powerful,” Peg said through tears. “They immediately and unexpectedly had a buffer while they worked through all these arrangements and early costs of getting Broc’s treatment started.”

Broc made it through months of chemotherapy far from home. He recently celebrated his 7th birthday and a year cancer-free.

“The hardest part was all the pokes,” Peg said. “He’s a naturally sunny kid, but it was a struggle for everyone. Now he’s doing great.”

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