Callendar lewis

My father, Walter Callander, had an extraordinary genetic cancer condition called Li Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS). It is a very rare inherited gene, and those family members affected with the gene have a propensity to develop a variety of cancers, also called Sarcomas.

This gene which my father carried, took his life at the early age of 30, one year after running in the Olympics in 1974. My sister, Tiffany, died at the age of 20. She was diagnosed after having her wisdom teeth removed, while still a 12th grade student at St. Augustine’s College. I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer in 2005 at the age of 35. I was considered healthy. I ran 2 and 1/2 miles, 5 days a week. My daughter Treazure was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma of the left thigh at the age of 8, three months after I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Treazure and I sometimes had chemotherapy treatments simultaneously. She would attend Jackson Memorial Hospital for four days, while I was at Mt. Sinai. Unfortunately, after three months of chemotherapy, Treazure passed away.

The story continues: In 2015, I was diagnosed with fibrosarcoma. It was removed. In 2016, four months later, the fibrosarcoma had returned. It was bigger, and a more serious surgery was required. In 2017, I was diagnosed with a myxofibrosarcoma. It was confirmed that more chemotherapy would be required, and this time, much stronger drugs were used. I would be in hospital having chemo administered for six days, and an even more intricate surgery performed in February 2018, which lasted approximately 15 hours.

During my lowest point in the hospital, while taking chemotherapy, I began thinking of how can I give back. As a result of this desire, The Tiffany Treazure Hope Foundation was birthed. The foundation is a non-profit organization whose focus is on children with Cancer. The foundation is about giving hope to children with Cancer and child cancer survivors. We raise money to host these children at colorful, fun-filled and spirited social events