All proceeds raised from the Hyde Park Blast are donated to The Wellness Community and Cancer-Free Kids. The Blast is dedicated to helping our community fight cancer!
This year the Blast named two women Ambassadors – Erin Picone and Jenna Pilipovich – both amazing young women to raise awareness among the Blast participants throughout the day-long event that the Hyde Park Blast is a fundraiser for cancer organizations.
Erin Picone is a resident of Sycamore Township. She first suspected something was not quite right while sitting in her cubicle in New York City. She was rubbing her neck and felt a walnut sized lump right above her left collar bone. It didn’t hurt, didn’t move, and was hard so she was concerned but thought it was due to stress. She was about to leave her job to attend nursing school in Cincinnati and convinced herself it was definitely due to stress. However, after two months it still didn’t go away. She decided to go see her doctor who then referred her to a general surgeon. Her surgeon sent her for a CAT scan which revealed a rather large tumor in her chest. Following a biopsy, her doctor’s suspicions were confirmed. She was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. She was immediately referred to Oncology Hematology in Blue Ash for treatment.
For Erin, being diagnosed with cancer was very overwhelming. She had a ton of questions and was concerned that she was asking the right ones. She had some initial problems following her treatment and felt that the more research she did, the more questions she had. Fortunately, her mother volunteers at The Wellness Community in Blue Ash and suggested that Erin start to participate in some of their programs. Erin was most interested in attending a weekly support group for cancer patients who are actively undergoing treatment. The Wellness Community has been a great source of support and comfort to Eric during this difficult time. Every week she looks forward to attending her support group. The wisdom and knowledge as well as the comfort she receives is immeasurable. For Erin the biggest comfort is knowing that she is not alone in this. Before her diagnosis, she had no idea how valuable the Wellness Community would become to her. Erin will be forever grateful for their support during her illness.
A portion of the proceeds from the 2010 Hyde Park Blast will be donated to The Wellness Community in Erin's name.
Jenna Pilipovich is a strong, courageous young woman with a bright future. At the age of 16, Jenna received the devastating diagnosis that she had osteosarcoma (a form of bone cancer). She spent the better part of the next two years fighting for her life. Instead of attending classes, hanging out with her friends, attending football games or playing for her high school’s volleyball team, Jenna spent her days, hours, weeks and months in chemotherapy treatments, and an endless itinerary of doctors’ appointments. She’s fought through several surgeries and ten months of chemotherapy. Throughout it all, Jenna remained strong and confident that she would beat this dreaded disease.
Earlier this year, Jenna got the miraculous news that she was cancer-free! Since that day, this amazing young woman has been an advocate for other kids suffering from cancer – and has served tirelessly to raise money for much needed childhood cancer research by volunteering her time for CancerFree KIDS. She even started her own fundraising event at her school called “Ace out Cancer.” She combined her love for volleyball with her passion for doing her part to find a cure for childhood cancer. In just two years, Jenna has raised over $5,000 for CFK. Jenna continues to excel in school, sports and in life. She is an avid volleyball player and also enjoys coaching grade school volleyball as well. This summer she’ll be working as a lifeguard at Blue Ash Recreation Center and this fall she’ll be attending Miami University.
A portion of the proceeds from the 2010 Hyde Park Blast will be donated to CancerFree Kids in Jenna's name.