Bay Ridge

Bay Ridge family raising funds for homeless child with cancer

April 10, 2015 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Nine-year-old Casey Bardowell suffers from a rare form of leukemia. She is living with her family in a homeless shelter. Photo courtesy www.SupportOurCasey.com
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A Bay Ridge husband and wife who are dealing with the stress of having a young daughter with leukemia are opening their hearts to help another family struggling to cope with the devastating illness.

Matthew and Nicole Kabel, whose two-year-old daughter Sally has been undergoing medical treatments for 18 months, have agreed to have their house be a drop-off point for donations for the Bardowell family. Nine-year-old Casey Bardowell has pre-b Acute Lymphcytic Leukemia, a rare form of the disease, and has been undergoing treatments at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan.

The cost of the medical treatments, which have included a bone marrow transplant, have overwhelmed Casey’s family, according to friends of the Bardowells, who said the family recently lost their home to foreclosure and have been forced to move into a homeless shelter in Manhattan.

Casey’s mom, Tracy Glasgow, has been unable to work because she spends all of her time caring for her daughter, friends said.

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Matthew Kabel told the Brooklyn Eagle that he is worried about how the poor living conditions will affect Casey’s precarious health. “We were shocked to learn that she was moved into a roach infested shelter knowing how life threatening her condition is,” Kabel wrote in an email to the Eagle.

The Kabels started a website, www.SupportOurCasey.com, to collect donations for Casey’s family. In addition, the Bay Ridge couple has also listed their home address on the website for people who might want to donate by check.

Matthew Kabel recalled how generous Bay Ridge residents were when fundraisers for Sally took place in local pubs. “I realized that many people have chosen to send us checks over the last year and a half of Sally’s treatment as opposed to donating online,” he said. Since the Bardowells are currently homeless, “we offered up ours so that people who wished to make a donation by mail could do so safely.”

The Kabels and Tracy Glasgow got to know each other while their daughters were patients at Sloan-Kettering. The Kabels became friendly with Glasgow, who is a single mother.

“We’re still going to Sloan Kettering twice a week for treatment and can easily hand the checks to her. My wife handed her over 18 envelopes yesterday that we received. Tracy told me today that they contained a total of over $5,000,” Kabel told the Eagle.  

Casey has been battling leukemia since she was two years old.

During the course of her illness, Casey has required regular hospital admissions, including two long- lasting stays of 19 and 10 months. The side effects are drastic. The little girl has experienced multiple compression fractures of her vertebrae, vision changes due to cataracts, renal insufficiency and respiratory airway disease, among other issues. She has also had numerous surgeries and undergoes physical therapy.

Camille Loccisano, founder of the Francesco Loccisano Memorial Foundation, said she greatly admires Glasgow.

“She’s a hardworking, responsible woman who is totally dedicated to caring for her daughter,” Loccisano told the Eagle.

The Loccisano Foundation provides assistance to the families of children with cancer.

“It’s very common that you see the families struggle financially. People lose all of their money because the costs of the cancer treatments are high, even when you have insurance,” Loccisano said.

“Casey and her family are not alone. Nearly half of families diagnosed with a life threatening illness like childhood cancer file for medical bankruptcy due to the exorbitant expense and loss of income. Better support is needed to address the financial hardships that these families face,” Kabel said. “One thing about cancer parents is that we’re all in this together. It’s almost like a club that nobody wants to be a part of but will do anything to support each other.” 

For more information on how to help Casey Bardowell, visit www.SupportOurCasey.com. To make a donation, send a check to: Tracy Glasgow, c/o Kabel Family, 265 88th St., Brooklyn, N.Y., 11209.


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