McGuffey students raising funds to help 7-year-old with cancer

YOUNGSTOWN

William Holmes McGuffey Elementary students celebrated a young hero fighting blood cancer Friday afternoon.

“When we are brave, we change cancer,” students chanted, cheering on Landen Fitzgerald-Green, 7.

Landen was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2015 after he fell down the stairs, he said.

“After Landen fell, he couldn’t walk anymore and for weeks no one knew what was wrong,” said Landen’s mother, Lisa Green. “After a few weeks, the doctors ran blood tests which showed Landen had cancer in his blood.”

Landen is through 21⁄2 years of chemotherapy with one year to go.

Green said despite the long road ahead of them, Landen is in high spirits, thanks to those supporting them.

Erin Zaranec, student series campaign specialist for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Northern Ohio, helped the McGuffey family kick off Pennies for Patients, a program that helps raise money for research into life-saving treatments for blood-cancer patients.

After Zaranec gave an easy-to-understand presentation about Landen’s illness, students were encouraged to take home collection boxes to fill with change as part of the fundraiser.

The fundraiser runs at McGuffey from Nov. 27 through Dec. 15.

Read more about Landen and the fundraiser in Saturday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.