Chasing Life Foundation

08/17/2026

Happy National Nonprofit Day!

Check out this NY Knicks themed cookie cake a really special boy got today as he was finally able to ring the bell and celebrate the completion of chemo!!

We’re looking for cake sponsors! $50 is all it takes to give them a well deserved celebration at the hospital with their doctors, family, friends and hospital staff! Want to donate? Visit our website at www.chasinglifefoundation.org 💙💛

Going through cancer treatment with Chase was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but starting this nonprofit was an easy decision. I️ know that God has purpose for Chase. While majority of his life has been really hard, I️ know that his story can serve as an inspiration to many, and while the pain and heartache has been loud in my life, being able to give back, offer help and hope, and a shoulder has been the most rewarding part of my entire parenting journey.

If you see Chasing Life Foundation flyer or Chase’s picture in a hospital or anywhere local, know that a very brave little boy and his mom went through a lot of hard times together just to be able to hopefully make your hard times just a smidge better. If we did that, and added just the smallest bit of brightness to your bad day, then it was all worth it for us!

Our mission is full of love. It’s full of celebration because we believe in never letting hard days win, and it’s full of life, because we are determined to give every single child a chance at Chasing Life to the absolute fullest. We love you all, each and every person who helps us support our bravest little fighters around! We couldn’t make them smile without you!

08/13/2026

Sent big boy Chase to THIRD grade today! It was hard withdrawing him from pre-k when he got diagnosed with cancer, and it was really hard not seeing him start school with his friends for kindergarten or first grade, and although he started school late due to fighting cancer those years, he worked so hard and was able to skip 2nd grade this year and be with kids closer to his age and he couldn’t have been happier to be back in the classroom today! We’re so proud of him!

Feel free to show us your warrior’s back to school photos 🥰

We wish them an amazing, safe and very healthy school year! Keep ! 💙💛

08/05/2026

Thank you Bucalo Family Foundation for supporting our mission, especially for those in the hospital and on treatment! Special needs friends and followers, this foundation was formed by a friend, who’s little boy and Chase are both extra chromie homies. The work they do for our special needs community is truly amazing, all from therapy assistance and funding to IEP help, etc. so please, reach out if you’re needing assistance and tell them you’re a friend of Chase. I️ know they will welcome you right away 🥰

🤝 Proud to Support Chasing Life Foundation!

We believe that when nonprofits work together, our entire community benefits.

The Bucalo Family Foundation is honored to support Chasing Life Foundation, Inc., whose mission is to provide hope, resources, and support to children and families facing pediatric cancer, medical complexities, and other life-threatening illnesses throughout the Tampa Bay area.

Thank you for the incredible work you do and for making a lasting impact on so many families. We're proud to stand beside you.

💙💛

07/26/2026

Chase’s photo for 2026 CureFest for Childhood Cancer Tribute Wall in DC in September!

💙 Children with Down syndrome have a significantly increased risk of developing leukemia, including both acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

💛 Approximately 2–3% of childhood ALL cases occur in children with Down syndrome.

💙 Children with Down syndrome have an estimated 20–30 times greater risk of developing ALL than children without Down syndrome.

💛 Children with Down syndrome and ALL can be more vulnerable to treatment-related complications and toxicities, including infections, mucositis, and seizures. This can make treatment particularly complex and may require careful adjustments and close monitoring.

💙 Research has shown that the biology of ALL in children with Down syndrome can be different from ALL in other children. Researchers continue to study these differences to develop treatments that are both effective against leukemia and safer for children with Down syndrome.

Our hearts are with every parent and child who are either on the fighter wall or angel wall this year. Childhood cancer is not rare, it’s unfair, and devastating in any circumstance to watch our kids battle such a horrific illness they should never have to battle. The more awareness, advocacy and support is what helps us push for additional funding, trials and resources so our kids have a fighting chance at life. 💙💛

07/21/2026

This month was truly something SPECIAL! most of you know Chase’s story, but for those who don’t, let me share.

Chase was born with Trisomy 21 aka Down syndrome. When you have a child with Down syndrome, a lot of their early childhood can be challenging. All the therapies, appointments, battling certain health issues and unfortunately, these precious angels are at risk for cancer, leukemia to be exact, and shortly after turning 4 years old, that’s exactly what happened to Chase. For over 3 years, I️ watched my son fight to live and overcome battles that almost took him from me. The days spent not knowing if he would make it, crying because he wasn’t verbal enough to tell me what he was feeling. All of the pain, heartache and anxiety we endured, all of the extra challenges just because of him having Down syndrome or other pre-existing health issues prior to cancer made treatment that much harder for him.

This month, TWO special ladies and their supporters came through for us in ways they don’t know. We received a very kind grant from the Bucalo Family Foundation, a family foundation and friend who also has a little boy with Down syndrome, who fund an array of services to children with special needs. Their donation was sent for us to use towards our hospital endeavors and what better way to do that, then help support a little boy who just happens to be 4 years old, has Down syndrome too and is battling leukemia right now.

And tonight, we just got another check from TKO Mobile Café - Sips 4 Cancer whose friendship has formed from our boys battling leukemia at the same hospital. He is still battling and they are a family giving to others even in their hardest times. If that doesn’t show the heart they have, I’m not sure what else will. They have a mobile cafe and every month 10% of their earnings go to a child/family battling cancer, or foundations that help them.

What an amazing feeling to be able to use these donations towards another little boy just like Chase! We are so incredibly thankful and in awe of how the universe works sometimes. I️ can’t thank them enough!!

Please help me show them love and please follow their pages, get to know their stories, and help support their missions. Blessed to call them friends, but to also share a partnership in how we’re making the Tampa area a better place for really special kids, who have a lot of living left to do! That is what is all about 💙💛

07/08/2026

🔔 Bell ringing day for this beautiful girl! Her cake request was Barbie and lots of pink 💕

We are so grateful to those who donate towards bell ringing celebrations for the oncology kids at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital. We can’t thank you enough! The fact that we can play a part in such a big day for them is an incredible feeling. Help us congratulate this beauty on a her tremendous victory. We are so happy for her and wish her a lifetime of blessings and good health.

Keep Chasing Life!! 💙💛

If you would like to donate towards bell ringing celebrations, please visit our website at www.chasinglifefoundation.org

06/21/2026

Happy Father’s Day to some of the toughest dads around! We know some days feel impossible, especially on the journey you’re on with your child, but you never fail to show up and give your family your all.

We want you to know that on Father’s Day and every day, we send our love and support to you and hope you know you can always count on us to be there for you.

Wishing you a day of love, comfort and some relaxation. And if you’re at St. Joseph's Children's Hospital grab some yummy lunch that was dropped off for you. Happy Father’s Day from all of us at Chasing Life Foundation 💙💛

05/29/2026

Congrats to our very own Chase! He was awarded the “Super Worker” award, and not only that, but Chase was promoted from 1st grade all the way to 3rd grade! 🎉 he started school late (at 7 years old) due to battling cancer from 4-7, but he has worked SOOOO incredibly hard to make up for it and it shows. Chase has made tremendous improvements and strides academically, especially this year, and has remained his very outgoing, happy self, and a very kind friend.

To our friends who are not in school this year, or maybe doing hospital home bound, or home schooling, please do not lose hope. I️ was once there too, and it was a very heavy time. I️ say this to say, life after cancer CAN and will be better. To our friends who are celebrating graduations, milestones and achievements, we are so happy for you and proud of you! This is Chasing Life — keep doing just that!

Congrats to our Bubba. Bring on summer! 💙💛

05/26/2026

Today makes 3 years since Chase rang the bell! 🔔

This is just SOME of what Chase went through over 2.5 years of treatment to be able to ring a bell:
834 days of chemo, 3 bone marrow biopsies, a bunch of blood and platelet transfusions, over 20 lumbar puncture’s inserting chemo in his spine, dozens of days in ICU, hundreds and hundreds of days admitted to the hospital, 10+ rounds of pneumonia, two liver biopsies, months of fighting an invasive fungal infection on his liver, kidney, spleen, lungs and heart and so many other horrible things he’s courageously overcome to beat leukemia and make it that far.

Ringing the bell doesn’t just mean they finished chemo. It means they overcame horrific things just to get to that point… and when they do, they deserve to be celebrated. We’re so thankful we get to play a part in that, even just by sponsoring their bell ringing cake/celebration. What a full circle moment!

Here are some throwbacks of Chase’s special day. He was very sick still in these photos. He had lost a lot of weight, he was battling pneumonia and had many admissions even after chemo stopped, but he’s a different boy now, and thankfully a healthy one! Better days do come! Keep fighting friends 🫶🏼

If you would like to sponsor a cake for a child who rings the bell, visit our website here: https://www.chasinglifefoundation.org/blank-4

💛💙🎗️💪🏼