Candlelighters a Beacon of Hope

Felix Duncan was just 22 months old when he was diagnosed with leukemia.

The family had been in Arizona for a funeral when the toddler became lethargic and started running a high fever. Doctors at the emergency department told the family it was just an ear infection, but Meghan Duncan, Felix’s mom, knew there was more to it.

The family of seven immediately drove back to Clark County, where Felix saw his doctor. Felix was then sent directly to Doernbecher Children’s Hospital in Portland. He was lifeless at that point, Duncan said.

“They told us he probably had 36 hours to live if we didn’t get him there when we did,” she said.

Felix was greeted in his hospital room with a stuffed penguin provided through the Bedside Buddies program. Nearly 10 years later, the penguin, named Pengle, sits on Felix’s bed among several other stuffed animals he received during his 3 1/2 years of cancer treatment.

Pengle was the first encounter the Hazel Dell family had with the Portland-based nonprofit Candlelighters for Children with Cancer. The family’s involvement with the organization has only grown in the decade since.

Five families

This year marks 40 years of service for Candlelighters. The organization was founded in 1977 by five families who spent months living at Doernbecher caring for their children battling cancer. The families realized there was no local organization that supported the entire family.

Together, they formed Candlelighters.

In the early years, the nonprofit focused on forming a community. They held small fundraisers here and there, but the emphasis was connecting families through activities, said Jackie Groah, the nonprofit’s executive director.

“As time went on, they realized there was a need for financials,” Groah said.

In the late ’90s, the emphasis on fundraising increased, and the organization established a fund to help families struggling financially. This year, the organization is projecting 200 families will seek help to pay their mortgage or utility bills, or need money to cover the cost of food or gas to get to medical appointments. The nonprofit has budgeted for each family to receive a maximum of $500.

“We’re the only organization that does that,” Groah said. “That became a really strong component of who we are.”

In addition to the financial assistance, Candlelighters hosts its annual Family Camp in Eugene, Ore. — a free weekend getaway for the whole family — and regular family activities, such as movie nights and art days. Candlelighters also offers services to families while they’re in the hospital, such as a weekly snack cart at Doernbecher, a food pantry and regular meals at both Doernbecher and Randall Children’s Hospital. And Candlelighters’ Bedside Buddies program distributes hundreds of stuffed animals to Doernbecher each year.

For the last four decades, the nonprofit has done all of that in relative obscurity; many people outside of the childhood cancer world don’t know about the group, Groah said.

But, this year, the organization’s leaders hope to change that and have set some lofty goals. They want to grow the annual budget from $600,000 to $1 million, and they want to add programs that focus on siblings and teenage cancer patients, as well as a mentor program for parents, Groah said.

To do that, they’ve launched a campaign to educate the communities they serve in Oregon and Southwest Washington about the nonprofit. This week, they’re hosting an educational event, the Cancer Warrior Breakfast, to spread the word and, hopefully, raise a little money.

“We may not be the sexiest organization out there, but we are that infrastructure for families,” Groah said. “We help to normalize a journey they shouldn’t have to endure.”

‘Second family’

For the Duncan family, the Candlelighters community was essential for helping them through Felix’s lengthy treatment.

“You get desperate for people who are going through the same thing,” Meghan Duncan said. “That’s where we’ve been blessed by Candlelighters. … Candlelighters became our second family.”

Although Felix finished his treatment in May 2011, the family has remained involved with Candlelighters. They’ve gone to Family Camp every year and Duncan serves on the organization’s board of directors.

“Cancer is a horrible thing, and it’s not a club I’d ever, ever want to be a part of,” Duncan said. “But there are silver linings, and Candlelighters is one of those silver linings.”