“Born to be Wild” – that’s how Ryder’s mom, Andrea, describes her two-year-old with Down Syndrome. But all of us at KTG believe his tee-shirt should actually read “Born to be a Fighter.”
What Andrea first thought was a glitch with her camera phone that caused a glow in photos of Ryder turned out to be a cancerous tumor. Thankfully, when they discovered it, the cancer had not spread to his brain. But at only four months old, Ryder began traveling from Scottsdale, AZ to New York for Intra Arterial Chemotherapy (targeted chemotherapy).
In what doctors called “a rare miracle,” after only eight months, Ryder was cancer free! Since then, Ryder gets checked every twelve weeks and has an MRI every six months to make sure that the cancer is contained. Despite losing peripheral vision in his left eye, he hasn’t slowed down!
This is why your support is so important – finding a diagnosis for Ryder’s glow at a young age saved his life! But Andrea was frustrated by the lack of information available on Down Syndrome and eye cancer. We can raise awareness – there are so many more children around the world who still need our help!
Your support at our annual fundraiser makes such a big difference! Here’s four reasons you should come:
1. We’re partnering with Jimmy Choo again!
We’re thrilled to partner with Jimmy Choo to provide you with an elegant evening of shopping, light bites, and cocktails on Wednesday, May 2nd for Know the Glow’s 5th Annual Fundraiser!
A percentage of all purchases will go directly to provide parents of children facing one or more of the 20 different sight-robbing diseases with critical sight-saving support and education.
2. For only $100, you could win one of 50 amazing raffle prizes!
As we do every year, we provide the very best prizes for our raffle. I think you’ll agree, this is our best year yet! For $100, you could win …
- 4 VIP Tickets to Universal Studios
- Stein Eriksen Summer Getaway in Deer Valley, Utah for 3 nights and 4 days
- $500 Neiman Marcus Gift Certificate
- Two Night Stay at Estancia La Jolla Hotel & Spa
- Or one of over 50 other amazing prizes!
100% of the raffle ticket sales go directly to Know the Glow!
See the full list of incredible prizes, and buy your raffle tickets here!
3. New this year, we are adding a silent auction!
We’ve never done this before, and we’re thrilled to offer you the chance to bid on and win …
- 2 Night Stay at The Heritage Resort and Spa (Days Subject to Availability) and Chateau Montelena Private Tour and Wine Tasting
- 2 VIP Tickets to the James Corden Late Late Show
- Dinner, Drinks, and Dessert Basket – value of more than $1,500!
Place your bids on those items and more on Wednesday, May 2nd at the fundraiser event at Jimmy Choo in Beverly Hills.
You need to present to win the silent auction items, but if you can’t make it to the event in person, remember that you can still participate in the raffle (mentioned above) for chances to win other great prizes!
4. Jake Olson will speak!
Jake Olson lost his sight at age 12, but went on to play football for USC. Jake has been part of Know the Glow from the very beginning and has been one of our biggest advocates. It has been his personal mission to inspire and educate families about glow-related diseases to prevent children from needlessly going blind.
5. Make a difference for more children like Ryder!
Know the Glow was privileged to be able to support Ryder’s family through his fight with cancer. But there are so many children in need of help. Roughly 1 in 80 children will display “the glow,” and their parents need the support and education we can provide.
For the last five years we’ve ensured that more and more parents “know the glow” and take action to save their child’s sight. With your support, we can give more sight-saving care to children and parents who desperately need it around the world.
On behalf of the families we’re privileged to serve, thank you for being part of this vital work! We can’t wait to SEE you on May 2nd!