Try to eat well. A healthy diet helps your body  function at its best. This is even more important if you have cancer. You’ll go into treatment with reserves to help keep up your strength, your energy level, and your defenses against infection. A healthy diet can also prevent body tissue from breaking down and build new tissues. People who eat well are better able to cope with side effects of treatment. And you may even be able to handle higher doses of certain drugs. In fact, some cancer treatments work better in people who are well-nourished and are getting enough calories and protein.

Try these tips:

• Don’t be afraid to try new foods. Some things you never have liked before might taste good during treatment.
• Choose different plant-based foods. Try eating beans and peas instead of meat at a few meals each week.
• Try to eat at least 2½ cups of fruits and vegetables every day, including citrus fruits and dark-green and deep-yellow vegetables. Colorful vegetables and fruits and plant-based foods have many natural health-promoting substances.
• Limit high-fat foods, especially those from animal sources. Choose lower-fat milk and dairy products. Reduce the amount of fat in your meals by choosing a lower-fat cooking method like baking or broiling.
• Try to stay at a healthy weight, and stay physically active. Small weight changes during treatment are normal.
• Limit the amount of salt-cured, smoked, and pickled foods you eat.

If you can’t do any of the above during this time, don’t worry about it. Help is available if or when you need it. Tell your cancer care team about any problems you have. Sometimes diet changes are needed to get the extra fluids, protein, and calories you need.
Snack as needed

During cancer treatment your body often needs extra calories and protein to help you maintain your weight and heal as quickly as possible. If you’re losing weight, snacks can help you meet those needs, keep up your strength and energy level, and help you feel better. During treatment you may have to rely on snacks that are less healthy sources of calories to meet your needs. Keep in mind that this is just for a short while – once side effects go away you can return to a healthier diet.

Try these tips to make it easier to add snacks to your daily routine:

• Eat small snacks throughout the day.
• Keep a variety of protein-rich snacks on hand that are easy to prepare and eat. These include yogurt, cereal and milk, half a sandwich, a bowl of hearty soup, and cheese and crackers.
• Avoid snacks that might make any treatment-related side effects worse. If you have diarrhea, for example, avoid popcorn and raw fruits and vegetables. If you have a sore throat, do not eat dry, coarse snacks or acidic foods.

If you’re able to eat normally and maintain your weight without snacks, then don’t include them.

Why Volunteer?

Mascots for a Cure creates unique volunteer opportunities that allows you to make a difference not only in the lives of these children and their families, but in your own lives as well.

These volunteer opportunities vary from helping us at a Hillsboro Hops game to organizing a gala dinner, to helping other organizations plan events like the Knight Cancer Institute, to helping us organize a Guinness World Record attempt.  These are the types of volunteer opportunities that you will love telling your friends and family all about.  Heck, why not recruit them too! 
 
Top 5 Reasons To Volunteer

• Make A Difference
• Develop Job Skills
• Explore Other Interests
• Meet New Friends
• Enhance Your Education  

Be Courageous

Join Mascots for a Cure and “Be Courageous” in the Fight Against Childhood Cancer

Be Courageous

Layla was diagnosed with metastatic Ewing’s Sarcoma on February 4, 2016, after several months of unexplained abdominal pain and struggling to keep on weight. Layla had been tested for a host of diseases including Type 1 diabetes and Celiac Disease. By January, Layla was getting severe stomach and back pain that would wake her up in the middle of the night and was only relieved by heat.

The night before a scheduled ultrasound, while in the tub trying to relieve her pain, her mother noticed a lump on her back. At the ultrasound the following morning, images of the lump were taken. Less than an hour later, the nightmare began for Layla’s entire family. Her pediatrician called and said that Layla was being admitted immediately to AI DuPont Children’s Hospital’s oncology floor to have a CT scan and an MRI. By noon the next day, it was confirmed that Layla had a large cancerous tumor on her 9th, 10th, and 11th ribs as well as twelve spots in her lungs. They weren’t sure yet, but the oncologist was fairly certain that it was Ewing’s Sarcoma, a very rare and very aggressive form of bone cancer.

Her family was told not to look up any information about it until they knew for sure. When it was confirmed, and Layla was officially diagnosed, she was given a 30% chance of surviving five years. There is no cure for Ewing’s Sarcoma. There is a standard treatment that has a good response rate, but Ewing’s Sarcoma almost always comes back, and for relapse there is no protocol.

Through all that Layla has endured, however, she has remained the shining light in her family. Her positivity and smile has helped carry her family through this difficult time. While facing the unimaginable, Layla began to use the mantra “No biggie!”, and shared this with her friends in the oncology ward. She hopes to inspire other kids to be brave and keep smiling.

Mascots for a Cure means so much to our family. Not only do they fight tirelessly to raise awareness for Childhood Cancer, they bring so much joy to children and their families all around the country. They give so much hope and to the Childhood Cancer community, and I have no doubt that they will continue to make a huge impact in the fight against Childhood Cancer.

Read more about Layla and our other Courageous Knights here:
Courageous Knights

Help Mascots for a Cure provide hope, joy, and love to kids and families battling cancer, arming them with the courage and strength they need by registering for Mascot for a Cure 5K!

We encourage all participants to dress up like their favorite Delaware/Philadelphia mascot to run this fun event! Who knows... we might even reward you for it! 

- Beautiful 5K course
-1 free (Special Golden Ale Mascots for a Cure brew) provided by Stitch House Brewery
- Custom Pint Glass
- Celebrity Mascot appearances
- DJ
- Knighting Ceremony
- Prizes
- And more!!!

BECOME A FUNDRAISER AND WIN COOL SWAG

* Raise $50 or more and get a Mascots for a Cure T-Shirt at packet pick up.

* Raise $100 or more and get a Mascots for a Cure Hoodie at packet pick up.

* Raise $200 or more and get a Mascots for a Cure T-Shirt, Hoodie and have a Courage Pack donated to a child in yours or your family's name.
Our COURAGE PACKS are filled with items like: A Mascots for a Cure kids t-shirt, MFAC wristband, Hope Rock, MFAC bammie, MFAC drawstring bag.

We encourage our Courageous Knights to fill these COURAGE PACKS with what makes them feel STRONG...what makes them feel BRAVE...what makes them feel COURAGEOUS.

Sponsorship opportunities are available!
Email derek@mascotsforacure.org if interested.

Register here: 
Mascots for a Cure 5K