DDF makes dreams come true for patients and families through memorable experiences.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Sept. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Debbie’s Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer (DDF) successfully granted the wishes of four families through the 2022 Dream Makers Miracle Fund.
This year, Patty Fitzgerald and her family took a dream trip to Jersey Shore to celebrate life and create lasting memories for her children. Rachel Orth and her family were sent to Yosemite National Park as part of a longtime wish for adventure and exploring nature. Jessica Alcantar and her family vacationed in sunny Miami, Florida, as a longtime dream of her late mother, who passed away in 2020 from stomach cancer. In addition, stomach cancer survivor Lissette McKee had her dreams come true as she and her husband swam with dolphins in the Florida Keys.
Through the Dream Makers Miracle Fund, DDF aims to spread joy by providing bucket-list-inspired experiences to patients and families affected by stomach cancer. The 2022 recipients were selected based on specific criteria of having been directly affected by stomach cancer as a patient or caregiver and having financial needs. In addition, applicants were asked to share why having their dream come true would help make a difference along their journey. Applications for this year’s Dream Makers Miracle Fund were accepted from March 2022 through June 30, 2022. DDF is proud to have provided multiple families with experiences that will last a lifetime.
“Our Dream Makers Miracle Fund has been a source of hope for all of the recipients that were fortunate to have been selected,” said Andrea Eidelman, Chief Executive Officer of DDF. “DDF is proud to be in a position where we can help make a difference for the stomach cancer community in ways that matter most. The participants will forever cherish the memories created through each wish fulfilled.”
2022 recipient Jessica Alcantar was grateful to have been selected as the former caregiver of her late mother, who passed away during the height of the global pandemic. She dreamed of traveling to Miami with her husband and two sons, as she and her mother had always envisioned before stomach cancer rocked their lives.
“The opportunity to take part in the Dream Makers Miracle Fund is amazing because my boys had never been to Florida, and it’s kind of a little extension of grandma,” said Jessica Alcantar. “Being able to combine them with Debbie’s Dream Foundation is a blessing, and I’m very grateful.”
To learn more about the 2022 recipients and for updates about the 2023 Dream Makers Miracle Fund, visit www.DebbiesDream.org/miraclefund/.
DDF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about gastric cancer, advancing funding for research, and providing education and support internationally to patients, families, and caregivers. DDF seeks as its ultimate goal to make the cure for stomach cancer a reality. DDF was founded in 2009 by Debbie Zelman after she was diagnosed with stage IV incurable gastric cancer in 2008 and given only weeks to live. Debbie is considered a pioneer by many for bringing awareness to stomach cancer patients’ plight and the lack of federal funding for stomach cancer research. She did all of this while receiving hundreds of rounds of chemo, in addition to daily oral treatments. Debbie passed away on December 23, 2017, almost a decade later, at 50. As a result of her leadership, DDF now has a Scientific and Medical Advisory Board of world-renowned doctors and chapters throughout the United States, Canada, and Germany. DDF strives to continue Debbie’s mission and make her dream a reality. To learn more about DDF, please visit us at www.DebbiesDream.org.
Media Contact:
Brittnay Starks
Communications Director
Debbie’s Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer
(954) 475-1200
344133@email4pr.com
www.DebbiesDream.org
SOURCE Debbie’s Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer
