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Kier's Kidz
Kier's Kidz is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that helps kids and young adults with cancer and their families. We help to underwrite pediatric cancer research. We work closely with Kier's Kidz at Rutgers and with our High. Please donate at www.kierskidz.com.
Dear Kier’s Kidz Family and Friends:
Kier’s Kidz at Rutgers, our affiliate group of colleagues at Rutgers, New Brunswick, will be conducting a bone marrow donor project during Rutgers Day, Saturday, April 30th. Our colleagues will be set up close to The Honors College at Rutgers.
The project will allow people to donate a sample of their DNA to the DKMS (www.dkms.org), a major national and international
bone marrow donor bank. A simple swab might put you in the position of donating your bone marrow sometime in the future to someone whose life you may save. Most DNA donations are simple and take only a few hours.
The entire world’s peoples really need more potential DNA donors, especially, after the past few years of Covid when the number of bone marrow donor projects has been severely curtailed. The process of getting your DNA is safe and quick. Fill in some forms and swab the inside of your mouth. Done.
We hope to see you at our booth. Stop by and say “hello” to our hard-working, compassionate, and cherished members. And donate if you can.
Thanks so much.
We wish each of you a healthy, happy day.
Love and Peace,
Larry Perfetti
CEO, Kier’s Kidz
Together, we delete blood cancer.
www.dkms.org
DKMS US is part of the world's largest network of bone marrow donor centers with over 10 million registered donors. Register today - DKMS.org/register
Dear Kier’s Kidz Family and Friends:
Today we commemorate the 14th anniversary of Kiersten’s death with tears of sadness and joy, love in our hearts, and a deep appreciation of the person Kier was.
Kier was a great bolt of lightning and a tremendous flash of thunder, a beautiful symphony of enchanting music, a tower of love, and a bastion of fairness, helpfulness, and compassion.
In celebrating Kier’s life today, we would like to announce our new beautiful website at www.kierskidz.com, created and coded by Pete Russitano, graphic artist, coder, and person extraordinaire. We hope that the website captures the joy and the love that Kier brought to helping the many, many kids she helped at CHOP, when she was a cancer patient there.
Our Kier’s Kidz Board, our Kier’s Kidz at Rutgers Colleagues, and our High School and College Advisors, continue Kier’s work of helping children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer, and their families now more than ever. Kier would be so thankful to each person who has helped continue her legacy of love and hope for young people with cancer. Mimi and I certainly are.
Remember Kier today by loving someone special to you, making joy in your life, listening to your favorite music, and eating your favorite food.
Thank you for sticking with us over the years. You have made a difference to us and to so many others.
Love you always, Kiersten. You’re still making a difference in this world.
Love and Peace,
Larry (Dad) and Mimi (Mom)
Dear Kier’s Kidz Family and Friends:
Thanks to all who participated in our recent Fruit Fundraiser to support our Chaplain Sohaib Sultan Project that helps hospitals and other cancer centers make their treatment spaces warmer and more friendly.
With the leadership of Sarah and Usra Attalla, two of our Board members, all the date fruit packages sold out in less than two weeks.
Our special thanks to Mr. Mokhtar Kenioua, owner of Alya Foods of Princeton, NJ, who generously donated all the packages to Kier’s Kidz.
Our special thanks to Chaplain Khalil Abdullah and the Princeton Muslim Life Program for their generous purchase and donation.
Our special thanks to Imam Safwan Eid, Sajid Syed, and the Muslim Center of Greater Princeton for allowing us to use their space to sell many of the dates.
This fundraiser would not have been possible without the hard work, creativity, and dedication of Sarah and Usra. We thank them also from the bottom of our hearts.
We thank the many people who bought the dates. I hope you found them as delicious as I did.
Love and Peace,
Larry Perfetti
Date Fruit Fundraiser for Kier's Kidz’ Sohaib Sultan Project
Through our Sohaib Sultan Project, Kier’s Kidz is working with willing hospitals and oncology centers (currently, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey) to make their pediatric and adult oncology units more personal, warm, and cheerful through art and other environmental improvements. All work will be in honor and memory of Imam Sohaib Sultan, former Chaplain at Princeton University, based on his direction, wishes, and experience in the hospital.
For this fundraiser, we are partnering with Mr. Mokhtar Keniouathe, the kind and compassionate owner of Alya Foods in Princeton, NJ, who have donated all the dates to us..
So, let's have a date–treat your friends, family, or a cancer patient with a sweet treat. Get ready for Ramadan, or just enjoy some delicious dates!
ALL monies raised by this fundraiser, including delivery fees, will be used to support our Sultan Project.
Here are your options for buying:
Option 1: 7 oz Date Fruit Pouch (makes a great gift!) – $7
Option 2: 7 oz Date Fruit Container – $5
(7 oz of dates = approximately 30 delget noor dates)
You can have the dates delivered if you live within 20 miles of East Brunswick. Or you can pick up your dates at various locations around New Brunswick. Times to be announced soon.
Optional delivery within 20 miles of East Brunswick, NJ: Additional $3 (total cost of $10 for pouches, or $8 for containers).
Delivery dates: Saturday, March 26 and Sunday, March 27
Pickup dates:
Rutgers Kier's Kidz pickup dates /locations will be announced soon.
Here’s your order form: docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzkLKalRYsiN8Ep0QMlwYcWUGVvUj82n2EzOY75Zq92ayYzA/viewform
After you order, please pay either through Venmo @Sarah-Attalla or through PayPal attalla756@gmail.com within 48 hours of submitting your form.
Have questions or concerns? Please contact Sarah Attalla at attalla756@gmail.com.
Our special thanks to Mr. Mokhtar Kenioua of Alya Foods for his most generous donation!
And thanks to each of you for supporting Kier’s Kidz.
Love and Peace,
Larry Perfetti
Dear Kier’s Kidz Family and Friends:
Around this time fourteen years ago, Kier climbed into the hospital bed delivered for her, and then never got out it. But that wasn’t the end of her life.
Back up a few days and you’ll find us at The Daily Show with added bonus of meeting with John Stewart backstage, as we had done several times before that. Kier was fatigued before the trip to NYC, and we gave considerable thought to whether we should risk going to the show. But Kier prevailed, arguing that this trip to see the show and more importantly, to talk to John afterward, was probably going to be her last. So, we went into NYC, and we had much-needed laughs during the show and a forty-five-minute get-together with John. He was welcoming and warm, as usual, and he talked to Kier directly about her situation and his concern for her. Hugs all-around at the end of the meeting, and our family headed for home with one happy, energetic, young lady who was hurrying us to get home before the show aired.
Over the next couple of months, while Kier’s cancer metastasized, and her body shut down little by little, Kier made the same choice of connecting with people and of having as full a life as she could. Many, many times, we thought that Kier would never wake up for her deep sleep. In fact, given the amount of pain and suffering she was experiencing, despite all the medications she was taking, we were sure that she would never wake up.
But, if any of her friends came by to see her, Kier would somehow rouse herself and engage, as best she could, in the connection and fun that she helped create. I remember meeting some of her younger friends at the front door and telling them that Kier was in really bad shape and that she might not respond to them or worse yet, she might actually die during their visit. Her friends were undeterred, and Kier rose to the occasion no matter how tough her day had been. We had lots of laughs and exchanged lots of love during those visits.
Kier lived her life to the fullest right to the end of her life. A lesson I have tried to follow since then. It was not easy, given all the pain and suffering Kier experienced, but it was Kier. Kier defined her life as best she could as one of living, loving, helping, and playing hard.
We miss Kier so much. We wish that Kier had had a long, long life. While life was too short for Kier, her message, “Live life to the fullest,” remains as alive in our hearts and minds, as we hope it will be for you.
Love, Peace, and Health,
Larry Perfetti
Kier’s & Keith’s Proud Dad
@RutgersKiersKidz
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