Community Rallies Together At St. Christopher's Hospital For A Superhero-Themed Parade For Children Battling Cancer
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. On Saturday morning, the community came together to support children battling cancer at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children.
A superhero-themed parade to take the worry away from kids battling cancer.
"Even though this might not seem like it's a big deal to anybody, this means so much to the kids who cannot get out," Cierra Butler said.
Butler knows it well. She spent nearly nine months at St. Christopher's while her son, Ahmad, was battling brain cancer
"It was Ependymoma. It was a tumor on his brain and he did so many brain surgeries and radiation and he just didn't make it," she said.
Ahmad died in November 2015 at just 6 years old.
"My grandson called himself 'Captain Poodaman' because that was the way he fought cancer," Latanya Morrison, Ahmad's grandmother, said. "His mom and dad would say, 'are you afraid?' He would say, 'that's OK, Captain Poodaman is going to be with me.'"
After his death, Ahmad's family started the Forever Captain Poodaman The Ahmad Butler Foundation.
Their goal is to support the needs of children who are battling cancer.
They say they're doing this to honor Ahmad and to support other children who are battling cancer and their education
"We just want to make sure that we come together as a community and make sure it's effortless for these kids that no matter where they are, they can continue with their schooling and feel normal," Gina Conallen said.
The foundation is raising money to buy kids in the hospital laptops so they can continue their education.
Click here to learn more about the Ahmad Butler Foundation.