Kids & Family
Everyone Wins When Childhood Cancer Loses!
Upper Dublin Artist With Living Heart Raises Money and Awareness For Child Cancer Survivor
When Upper Dublin designer/artist Lori Diamond heard about Nicole Starace’s son, Ryan, who overcame leukemia after a four-year battle she was overcome with emotion.
As a loving mother of three grown children, Diamond knew she had to help, so she joined a New York fundraising campaign for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Diamond, a socially-conscious artist in Upper Dublin’s Dresher, Pennsylvania, who is always looking for unique fundraising ideas, heard about Ryan’s family, it immediately struck a chord in her.
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Since this is being done in the middle of COVID-19, Diamond said his team “would have to use our strengths to begin to think way out of the box.” As such, Diamond designed the Puck Cancer logo, and put it on several saleable products, including facemasks and T-shirts, to help with the fundraising.
“It so important to me that I could use my art to help heal others and bring a sense of peace and joy,” Diamond explained. “I know that LLS works day and night as a beacon of hope for these heroic children fighting for their lives. Knowing that I helped in some small way brings tears to my eyes.”
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Ryan Starace was just four years old when he became ill and was diagnosed with leukemia, one of many dark days for the entire family.
Yet, nearly four years later, with the help of a strong and loving community, and the courage of the now seven-year-old boy, the world seems a great deal brighter.
This is why the Starace family of Hauppauge, Long Island, – including Ryan’s father, James, and nine-year-old older brother, Luke -- insist on raising money and awareness for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, (LLS), at a time when resources and fundraising dollars are extremely scarce due to COVID-19.
“When Ryan was first diagnosed our world turned upside down, there were definitely a lot of dark times, and we knew that nothing in our lives would ever be the same, because it affects the entire family” his mom, Nicole recently recalled.
“But the light in this crazy journey of cancer,” she explained, “is having a community of people by our side every step of the way; you can’t do this alone.”
His mother says that after being poked, prodded, given tons of medications, and not being able to go to school or play with friends, like a typical young boy, her son “has gotten through this ordeal with so much strength. He is the happiest kid I have ever met. He never complained. On days I felt I couldn’t do it anymore, he was fighting so hard. I feel I gained my strength from him that I can really handle anything.”
Ryan is officially finished with his cancer treatment and one month ago the grateful Starace family was told he is in complete remission with no disease in his body.
After extensive hospital stays and countless invasive medical treatments, he is looking forward to attending second grade in the fall. He is also an active young boy who enjoys riding his bike, playing baseball, deck hockey, videogames, Pokémon, and roughhousing with his brother.
One of the active members of Ryan’s community is Jillian Weston, the Oceanside, Long Island, marketing business owner with a heart of gold, who is on a major mission to raise more than $100,000 for this charity, even during a pandemic.
“I want to be a small part of saving the lives of children, adults, and pets all over the world,” explained Weston, the owner/founder of Jillian’s Circus. “I am excited to be a candidate in this year’s Man & Woman of the Year Campaign, and as Woman of the Year, I'd like to raise more than them as well and show how strong women can be!”
This is the culmination of her three years of involvement with LLS, and her second year of being nominated for the Man & Woman of the Year challenge. The longer she participates in fundraising for LLS, the more she learns about the medical and emotional toll on the young patients and their families affected by blood cancer.
Since 1980, Weston explained, there have been only four drugs developed for children affected by cancer. To put it in perspective, there have been over 57 drugs developed for adults with cancer in the last two years, 45 of which were directly due to the efforts of LLS.
This leads to children being forced to take adult medication which leads to adverse effects in the future. “I believe this is unacceptable,” Weston said. “We do not know what the future holds, and if there is anything that we can do today to prevent someone’s suffering tomorrow, I will do whatever it takes.”
This meaningful journey for Weston has also had its ups and downs, and she was thrilled to celebrate Ryan’s remission with a socially distanced parade that he could watch from the lawn of his house.
“It was an emotional moment to see this brave seven-year-old boy who had just ended three years of chemotherapy treatments standing there with his mother, father, and brother, and everyone was so happy now that the fear of losing this precious child is gratefully reduced,” Weston said.
“I am in awe of this courageous family. My team “Ryan’s Goal: Puck Cancer” honors his struggle by raising money for this important cause and referencing his favorite hockey team, The New York Islanders,” Weston said. The money raised supports LLS research, advocacy, education, and community services, so more families can celebrate like the Starace family. “Everyone wins when cancer loses!”
“When it comes to handling this, always listen to your gut; go with your instincts, and reach out for help within your community. Know there are people out there to help your child and your family,” Nicole said.
“There were a lot of dark days, but when you have your community around you, it really lifts your spirits in those days,” she said. “Now they are here for the happier times, and that means so much to Ryan and the rest of his family. We urge everyone to get on our team and become involved to make a difference in the lives of these precious children.”
For further information see the links below:
To donate: https://pages.lls.org/mwoy/li/li20/PuckCancer#welcome-to-jillian-weston's-mwoy-fundraising-page!
For sponsorship: https://pages.lls.org/mwoy/items/?fundraiserPageURL=https://pages.lls.org/mwoy/li/li20/PuckCancer
To purchase T-shirts and masks with the Puck logo go to: