Nova Frazier is a young four year old girl diagnosed with stage 4 neuroblastoma cancer. She is also a little girl with a joyful spirit sure to lift the gloom off any day. Nova lives in Plainwell, Michigan along with her two older brothers. However, these days she has been staying at the CS Mott Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Recently the cancer has spread into her bone marrow and, if doctors can get her healthy enough, she will be starting chemotherapy soon.
After seeing a cry for help from Nova’s family through a Facebook post, Nicole Banks, a student at the Ross Medical Education Center Kalamazoo, Michigan campus in the Medical Insurance Billing and Office Administration program found passion in her heart to not only help little Nova herself, but also to get all of students in all of the classes at Ross Kalamazoo to join her in helping out a local family. Nicole thought it was important for the other students to contribute, saying “it would give her a little more happiness.” With the help of their family, friends, and now the students of Ross Kalamazoo, the Frazier family hopes they can help Nova and keep their family together.
With mobility and motivation through friendly competition, Ross Kalamazoo ultimately raised over $300 worth of donated goods and funds for Nova Frazier and her family. This was an exciting way to allow the students to give to a local worthy cause, while fostering a deeper compassion for each other through teamwork. “We haven’t had that much fun on a project in a while, it’s good to see the students working together to make life easier for such a courageous young girl,” said Lynnette Page, Career Services Student Services Representative. The enthusiasm expressed by the students was infectious, and this community event soon became more than just donating pennies. It transformed into a cause of action, compassion, and determination.
If you are interested in helping, you can visit the Nova Family Cancer Journey Fun GoFundMe page or their Nova’s Neuroblastoma Journey Facebook group.