UPDATE: MHS Community Turns Out For Talia & Make-A-Wish
by Callie Schweitzer
(May 8, 2004) On Friday evening, May 7, all parts of the
Mamaroneck High School commmunity gathered for the
second annual Walk-a-Thon in memory
of
Talia Cohen, who passed away in November 2002
during her sophomore year.
The crowd ebbed and flowed at the MHS track throughout the
evening, making it difficult to estimate the large number
of faculty, students, parents, and school board members in
attendance. The night included great entertainment from MHS
bands such as Halfat, Waste Basket Brothers, Tobias, and
Gerber’s Burgers, also known as 8-Ball. Another fun
moment was the raffle, with prizes donated from local vendors.
All the money donated and collected from the evening will
go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, to complete others’ dreams
like they did Talia’s.
“I thought the attendance was great, and the environment
was also incredible,” said freshman student council
representative David Cohen (no relation to Talia). “People
seemed to be very relaxed and looked like they were having
a good time.”
RESULTS:
“We have about $10,000 after expenses and I'm expecting
more checks,” student Activities Coordinator, Barbara
Rosenblum summed up. “The turnout was phenomenal. The
Student Council worked incredibly hard to put this evening
together. They brainstormed all year about the event, wrote
and sent out letters, collected donations, and arranged for
fabulous entertainment. The walkathon is special because
it raises money for a wonderful cause but it's also a really
fun community event. Parents, teachers, high school students
and their families come together for a good purpose. It's
a win/win night for everyone to enjoy!"
MHS student Abby Freeman agreed. “It was
really nice to see everyone coming together," she said.
"The Make-A-Wish foundation
is a wonderful cause, and it was nice to be a part of something
that I know will be directly helping kids and families
who need a reason to smile.”
Talia's Wish
by Naomi Cohen
(May 3, 2004) In March 2001, when Talia was diagnosed
with Anaplastic Wilms Tumor (a rare pediatric kidney
cancer), a friend of the family mentioned Make-A-Wish.
Talia’s wish was to meet
Ian & Talia |
Ian Thorpe, the Australian Olympic swimming champion,
whom she had admired passionately ever since the 2000
Summer Games. Ian was 19 in 2001, only four years older
than Talia. Talia met with a Make-A-Wish volunteer
in May 2001 to discuss her unusual wish. After months
without any news from the foundation, Talia had given
up on her wish.
On November 26, after eight months of debilitating
chemotherapy and weeks of hospitalizations, a CAT
scan showed that Talia’s cancer was no longer
responding to treatment. Talia and her parents were
plunged into despair. That evening, Make-A-Wish called
to ask if Talia and her family could be in Los Angeles
on December 11 to meet Ian Thorpe. The family scrambled
to clear the trip with Talia’s oncologist and
to arrange for her brother Danny (then a 7th grader
at Hommocks) to miss a few days of school. After
months of a grueling regimen of treatments and the
isolating experience of cancer, Talia and her family
were given the chance to experience a joyous occasion.
The global Make-A-Wish network worked together to
make Talia’s wish come true. Make-A-Wish arranged
for flights to L.A., stretch limousines to transport
them to the airport, a beautiful hotel in Santa Monica,
a car rental, and VIP passes to Universal Studios.
The highlight of the trip was lunch with Ian Thorpe
at a restaurant in L.A which lasted all afternoon.
Talia was so nervous, she was hardly able to speak,
but she did manage to give Ian a CD she had burned
of all of his favorite songs. Ian Thorpe told Talia
she was the first person who had ever wished to meet
him through Make-A-Wish, and he was deeply honored.
Talia returned to Mamaroneck floating on the happiness
of her wish come true. She had spent a whole afternoon
with the world-famous athlete that she had admired
but had never in her wildest dreams imagined she
would ever meet. The Cohen family was able to enjoy
a family trip, the last before Talia’s death.
Make-A-Wish gave Talia and her family joy and strength
to carry on in the midst of terrible suffering and
hopelessness.
Read
More about Talia
|
To make a donation, send a check to:
Make- A –Wish Foundation
c/o Mrs. Barbara Rosenblum
Mamaroneck High School
1000 W. Boston Post Road
Mamaroneck, N.Y. 10543 |
Callie Schweitzer is a freshman at MHS and writes for the GLOBE.
|
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