Marzillo Family Gives Back to Treasure Chest Foundation

Chicago IL

22 February, 2022

2:13 PM

Description

The Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation received an enormous donation of toys, gifts and $200 in gift cards thanks to the thoughtfulness and generosity of an Elmwood Park Family whose granddaughter had benefitted from services provided by the Foundation. Six years ago, three-year-old Stella was diagnosed with cancer. Young Stella received many toys from the Treasure Chest at Lurie Children's Hospital as part of the Foundation's ongoing program to provide comfort and distraction from painful procedures to children diagnosed with cancer. Throughout the ordeal, her family noted how receiving a toy had helped Stella endure countless painful treatments and in 2016 the Marzillo Family started the Stella's Stars family toy drive. Since the inception of the Stella's Stars toy drive over 1,000 toys have been donated along with $900 in gift cards for teens. The Marzillo Family requested that the Treasure Chest Foundation ship the Stella's Stars toys to Lurie Children's Hospital treasure chest program. Each toy was labeled indicating the gift was generously donated in honor of Stella Marzillo and Stella's Stars by means of the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation. As fate would have it little Stella has picked out her own Stella's Stars toys. Eight-year-old Stella said, "After my treatment, I would pick out a toy and show it to my friends. I like the treasure chest." Elmwood Park grandmother Dale Marzillo said, "This brings smiles to all the kids' faces and Stella enjoys the toy drive too." The POTCF is a unique organization whose services impact more than 15,300 young cancer patients in 64 cancer treatment centers in 21 states across the nation and in the District of Columbia. Nowhere else in the nation does such a program exist. Colleen Kisel founded the organization in 1996 after her then seven-year-old son Martin had been diagnosed with leukemia in 1993. Ms. Kisel discovered that giving her son a toy after each procedure provided a calming distraction from his pain, noting that when children are diagnosed with cancer their world soon becomes filled with doctors, nurses, chemotherapy drugs, surgeries and seemingly endless painful procedures. Martin celebrated his 28th anniversary of remission from the disease in March of 2021. If you would like further information about the Treasure Chest Foundation, please contact Colleen Kisel at 1-708-687-TOYS (8697) or visit the Foundation's website at www.treasurechest.org.