Carmel Fire Department August 27, 2015 from 6-9 pm. Tickets are $15 per person, kids 3 and under free. We only have 100 tickets to sell and must be purchased in advance. Checks can be mailed to Danielle Casamassima 60 Homestead Dr. Carmel NY 10512 or Beth Makaj 232 Lakeshore Dr. East Carmel NY 10512 and made payable directly to Kevin Blackman. We will be having an auction the evening of the event ( payable by ck or cash) as well as a 50/50 raffle ( cash only.) All food is being donated by local restaurants as well as salad and rolls. The dessert will be donated by a few local caterers. . (Let’s come together as a community since Kelly is a former Carmel/Brewster resident prior to moving to Connecticut)
Here is a little insight on Kevin Blackman “The Smiling Warrior” This is his story in his mother’s words. (Kelly Blackman) Kevin was born 7lbs of pure perfection on August 17 2013. He smiled constantly. Until about 3months old, on December 7th 2013 just shy of 4months I brought Kevin to the ER with nothing more than my Mothers intuition and suspicion of possible constipation. After X-rays, ultra sounds, and blood work I was informed that my beautiful smiling newborn was ridden with over 90% cancer cells. I thought they had the wrong room, the wrong patient, the wrong blood work in front of them; the doctor obviously was tired and grabbed the wrong information off the printer. BABIES don't get cancer. Not babies that smile like Kevin. NOT MY BABY. But the doctor didn’t have the wrong room, or the wrong patient. It was us. And with that one sentence our whole world changed.
We were immediately admitted that night to the 8th floor cancer unit at Connecticut children's medical center in Hartford. We spent exactly 3months straight living there. Christmas, New Years, Valentine’s Day, Easter, ALL of Kevin's first holiday's. Once discharged at the end of March we were allowed home for weekends but remained inpatient at the hospital during the week. We did that for another 3 months and then the day came I was able to bring my baby home. We still had weeks at a time spent in the hospital. And that first year alone Kevin had 5 different surgeries and countless spinal taps. But by November of 2014 Kevin had entered the maintenance part of his treatment and his hospital visits were less and less and his inpatient stays in the past. His hair had come back and his body that once had over 90% cancer cells had less than 0.01%.He was in the process of making friends and enjoying everything he had missed out on his first year.
With 5 months left on treatment Kevin went for a routine spinal tap on Monday July 13th 2015 and we got the news that Kevin's cancer was back and even though they caught the relapse just 2 weeks after it happened he was already 70% cancer cells in his bone marrow. My heart broke. We were told Kevin must start immediate aggressive chemotherapy to stabilize his body in the hopes of getting a bone marrow transplant. We have only been in the hospital for a few days so far, it is not easy. But we came to fight.
