Sweet CeCe’s in Benton will host a fundraiser this weekend for a local child battling cancer.
The frozen custard and sweet shop from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14 will donate a 20 percent of its sales for the day and 100 percent of all cash donations to the family of Kendall James. In addition, Sweet CeCe’s will host free face painting and pumpkin painting as part of the event. The public is invited to come out, participate and help support Kendall James in her fight.
Kendall was diagnosed with stage III Embryonal Rhabdomyoscarcoma, a rare form of soft tissue cancer, in January after tummy issues prompted the family to visit the doctor. Physicians discovered a football sized mass in then 5-year-old Kendall’s stomach.
Kendall is undergoing treatment at Vanderbilt University Medical Center; she underwent surgery in April to remove the tumor from her stomach. Doctors were able to get all but a 2.6-centimeter section from the affected area. Doctors have administered a six-week course of radiation, and Kendall is about 30 weeks into a 43-week chemotherapy regimen. Each week, she and her mother, Kendra James, make the trip to Nashville for five-day treatment and return home on the weekends to her father, Shawn James, and sisters, Kaydee and KeAnna.
Still, Kendall, now 6, has kept a positive attitude, and treatment appears to be working. According to “Prayers for Kendall James,” the social media group maintained by friends and family to keep concerned community updated on her progress, results of a PET scan administered Friday indicated the cancer had not grown.
Life has shifted dramatically for the Jameses, and financial burdens associated with treatment and travel have prompted the community to step in and contribute. In addition to community fundraisers, friends have set up a Go Fund Me account to help offset the expense of Kendall’s battle. Those who wish to contribute may do so here or by visiting any branch of Community Financial Services Bank.
To learn more about Kendall’s story, follow her progress or wish her well, visit Prayers for Kendall James on Facebook. To learn more about Saturday’s fundraiser, visit Sweet CeCe’s on Facebook.