Stories

When I heard about BounceBack Kids I was very unsure about participating. My self-esteem was very low as I would try to attempt age-level sports and I would be mocked or teased. There would be times during gym class where I would just want to curl up into a ball and hide. Then I found out that in BounceBack Kids, we would learn tricks and skills and maybe even meet some famous basketball players. I was hooked. I had never been so excited in my life! By the end of thee first lesson, I was doing things I never thought possible, like dribbling two balls at once. I know I am gaining strength and confidence every day. I can’t wait for the next practice!”
a participant – Erica, participant

“A positive part of the BounceBack Kids experience has been the networking that has occurred within the families. Finding ways to pay for expensive medical treatment is always a challenge, so sharing our successes with each other has been very helpful.”
-Phil, a parent of a participant

“I joined BounceBack Kids when I was 14, and have loved it ever since. It gives me a low-pressure, personalized, supportive environment in which I can exercise at my own pace, without having to worry about keeping up with the other participants or being graded according to my athletic ability. This program has helped me improve my stamina, hand-eye coordination and self-esteem, in addition to giving me an outlet in which I have been able to form life-long friendships with other kids who have had medical issues similar to those that I’ve had. For me, BounceBack Kids really is a dream come true!”
- Kate, participant

Meet Shango

Shango joined BounceBack Kids in August of 2008, only a couple months after he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The Child Life Specialist at Duke University Medical Center where Shango was receiving treatment gave his mother information about BounceBack Kids, a local non-profit organization serving children with serious illnesses by providing free social, recreational and physical activities in a medically safe environment. She decided to let him try it out. “It seemed to be a good opportunity for Shango to stay active and enjoy things while going through treatments,” said his mom.

In the time that they have been involved in the program, BounceBack Kids has provided great benefits for both Shango and his family. “Bounce Back Kids has broken the monotony of hospital and clinic visits,” says his mom. For many like Shango and his family, BounceBack Kids provides a welcome respite from the hardships of time-consuming and high-cost medical treatments. “We can just really get away and have fun, which has become a real need since Shango was diagnosed,” says his mom.

Her favorite part of BounceBack Kids is the wide array of physical, social and recreational activities that BounceBack Kids makes available to kids and families who may not have access to such opportunities otherwise.  “I like that BounceBack Kids offers a variety of opportunities to attend events as well as participate in physical activities that Shanog would not have been privy to while going through treatments.” For many parents who are dealing with the financial and emotional challenge of caring for a child in need of extensive medical care, much of their resources and energy is focused on providing the necessary treatments. BounceBack Kids eases the burden on parents and helps bring balance to families’ lives by providing for the physical, social, and emotional needs of children through a number of opportunities to participate in fun and creative activities. In addition to group basketball practice and group fitness classes, BounceBack Kids participants are also given opportunities to attend college and pro sporting events, visit local museums, attend cooking classes, play drama games and do arts and crafts.

Shango truly enjoys participating in these activities and events. He recently attended a Harlem Globetrotters game with other BounceBack Kids participants and had a great time. With all of the variety of activities offered, he always has something to look forward to. Each week, Shango asks his mom, “Do we have anything with BounceBack this week?”

And it is not only Shango who looks forward to the weekly activities. His two sisters and his mother also attend all of the activities with him, because BounceBack Kids is committed to serving entire families by providing services free of charge for siblings of the children involved. “We just enjoy the time we have together as well as with the folks like Jeff and Mike who work with BounceBack Kids,” says Shango’s mom. “We [all] look forward to receiving the monthly calendars.”

The activities of BounceBack Kids have meant so much more to Shango’s family than simple opportunities for recreation. In the words of his mother, “BounceBack Kids has been a bright light in the midst of sickness and pain.”

To see more pictures of Shango, please visit our picture gallery.

Meet Kate

Kate, age 21, has been participating in BounceBack Kids for seven years and was one of the first four participants in the program. As a fourteen year old undergoing treatment for brain cancer, she was a part of a brain tumor support group at Duke University Medical Center. When the support group was discontinued, she joined Hoop Dreams Basketball Academy, a newly formed group which provided free and safe basketball instruction to children with cancer. Since that time, the program has come to be known as BounceBack Kids and has expanded its activities to include not only basketball, but other athletic, recreational and social activities for children with various serious illnesses. Throughout all of the changes the program has undergone, Kate has remained a faithful participant.

Kate has been known to refer to herself as “a walking medical textbook.” She has suffered from four brain tumors, diabetes, ADD, low bone density and double vision, among other medical problems. “Pre Hoop Dreams, exercise was loathsome for me,” Kate says, “but I love to come to Hoop Dreams [BounceBack Kids] to play basketball and learn different tricks.” Kate enjoys the fact that she can feel comfortable and safe while participating in physical activities through the program. “BounceBack Kids gives me a low-pressure, personalized, supportive environment in which I can exercise at my own pace, without having to worry about keeping up with the other participants or being graded according to my athletic ability,” says Kate. Participation in the program has helped Kate to improve her stamina and hand-eye coordination as well as her self-esteem.

In addition to the physical benefits of the program, Kate has also benefited from the social interactions she has had with understanding peers and coaches during her time at BounceBack Kids. “My favorite part of the program is having the opportunity to exercise in a stress-free, pressure-free environment with peers who have experienced similar medical hurdles and coaches who are patient, understanding, accommodating, and encouraging.” Kate has had the opportunity through BounceBack Kids to build meaningful relationships with other kids who have medical issues similar to hers and can understand her experiences. These are friendships that will last for the rest of their lives. “For me, BounceBack Kids really is a dream come true!” says Kate.

As Kate has grown up in the program, she has been eager to give back. She worked with other volunteers to compose a college guide designed to specifically address the needs of cancer patients and their families. Kate also helps out regularly with group basketball practices. “I help the little kids, not officially or anything, but just because,” says Kate. “I love BounceBack Kids and want to help in any way that I can.” More recently Kate served by singing a beautiful rendition of “I Believe I Can Fly” as entertainment during a benefit auction for BounceBack Kids put on by the Duke-UNC Student Basketball Marathon. With her many talents, outgoing personality and infectious enthusiasm, there is no doubt that Kate will continue to make a difference in the community for the lives of others.

To see more pictures of Kate, please visit our picture gallery.

Meet Jake

Jake, age 7, has been a participant in BounceBack Kids since spring of 2005. Jake has a brain tumor and was only three when he first joined the program. For the past three years he has participated in group basketball, group fitness and a number of BounceBack Kids recreational activities.

Jake became involved with BounceBack Kids because his parents were looking for a way for him to be able to participate in sports. “We wanted Jake to be involved in a sport that was tailored to his needs and abilities,” says Rachel, Jake’s mother, on why she and her husband were attracted to the program. For the past four years, BounceBack Kid’s has given Jake the opportunity to engage socially while learning basketball skills in a non-competitive environment. “Jake is such a social kid, but sometimes other children just don’t understand him,” says Rachel. “He loves the attention he gets from adults and children at BounceBack Kids.”

BounceBack Kids has been important not only in Jake’s life but also in the lives of the rest of his family. Jake has two siblings, neither of whom suffer from serious illnesses, but who, like many others siblings of children with serious illnesses, are affected by the strains and stresses that such illnesses tend to put on family systems. It was important to Jake’s parents in selecting a program that all three children get the attention they need and deserve. “We were attracted to BounceBack Kids because it was something our three children could do together,” says Rachel. “The volunteers treat our affected child and siblings as equals, which is wonderful because so much affects the siblings and so often they are overlooked.”

Through BounceBack Kids, all three of their children can choose from a wide variety of recreational, social and physical activities. “They love the different activities that BounceBack Kids offers,” says Rachel, “everything from exercise to cooking classes, plays, parties, sporting events, and more.” These fun activities are all provided free of charge for all of the children and siblings who participate in the program. “BounceBack Kids gives our family and others like us the chance to do fun things together by providing opportunities free of charge,” says Rachel. “So much of our income is spent on medical related needs that there isn’t much extra for fun things. The volunteers are wonderful about giving each child individual time and attention that they might not necessarily get.”

As a parent, Rachel’s favorite part of the program is the interaction she gets with other parents who are going through similar situations. “It was a pleasant surprise,” says Rachel, “that talking to the other parents has almost become a support group. They can relate to what our family is going through, share their experiences, give information about resources, and so can we.” Jake’s family, through their active participation in BounceBack Kids, has not only reaped the benefits of services provided directly to their child, but has also demonstrated that to participate in BounceBack Kids is truly to engage in a community of care and support for the entire family.

If you’d like to support Shango, Jake and Kate, and other children like them, please make a donation.