Christmas Without Cancer Makes Stop At Mt. Greenwood Family Home

CHICAGO - The start of one's senior year in high school is often one of the most exciting times in life. But for Mount Greenwood resident and Brother Rice High School student Patrick Ferguson it was met with the difficult news that he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

But a bit of cheer was brought to what has been a difficult battle with the disease just three months in on Sunday when several volunteers with the local Christmas Without Cancer organization showed up to the Ferguson's home bearing gifts for the whole family.

"He's young, and he's a fighter," Gerri Neylon, founder of CWC, said of Ferguson. "This is a big year for him, his senior year of high school. And he's missing much of it because of this horrible cancer."

Ferguson said his spirits have remained high since he was first diagnosed in September.

"My friends and family would do anything for me," he said. "The first couple weeks of treatment were tough, since I was not used to being sick all the time. But I am getting through it."

The stop CWC made at the Ferguson household was one of a half-dozen stops throughout the South Side and south suburbs in which volunteers brought gifts for families dealing with similar hardships.

"They (the Fergusons) are local, and we always try to help our local families - not just at Christmas but all-year round," Neylon said. "This community has become huge supporters of us, and we like to pay it forward and help those who have helped us."

A loyal Crusader and member of the Brother Rice lacrosse team, Ferguson has a goal to make it back on the field in time for the season to start in the spring.

His mom, Kelly Ferguson, had tears of joy when she saw the CWC crew step up to her front porch on Sunday.

"That was quite a sight to see," she said. "Dozens of people spending their day making other people who are having a tough time happy. They (CWC) are another one of those organizations going out of their way to help people who need it."

She also says the Brother Rice community and St. Catherine of Alexandria School, where Patrick and both his siblings have attended, have been nothing but supportive as well.

"Some of the support has come from strangers, too," she said. "It is really eye opening to see what people do for others in times of need."

Top Photo: The Ferguson family stands by their Christmas tree / Photo by Tim Moran, Patch