Saint Peter's Hosts Holiday Party For Kids Whose Parent Died Of Cancer

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — It can be devastating for children to lose a mother or father to cancer.

That's why every December, Saint Peter's University Hospital hosts what they call the "Oncology Kids' Holiday Party."

The idea originated from several Saint Peter's oncology nurses who cared for patients who died of cancer. When Christmas season arrived, those nurses remembered the surviving children. The nurses also wanted all the "oncology kids," as they nicknamed them, to meet each other.

The first party was in 2006. The Catholic hospital, located in New Brunswick, has held the party every December since. More than 100 kids and teenagers attended this year's party on Dec. 8. It includes not only those who recently lost a mother or father to cancer, but college and high school teens who return year after year.

Carla Evans is one of them. Her father, C. David Evans, died of cancer when she was 4 years old; he had been a patient at Saint Peter's.

Now a college senior in her 20s, Carla has attended the party every year since his death. In fact, she said it's because of this party "that I look forward to the holiday season with joy rather than sadness."

"The event has become so much more than a holiday party. We've built a 'family' that delivers hope, resilience and lifelong friendships," said event organizer Avril Keldo, director of professional practice, clinical education and nursing research at Saint Peter's.

The older teens serve as role models and talk to younger children who just recently lost a parent. One family with nine children whose father died within three months of getting a pancreatic cancer diagnosis has attended the party every year since it began.

The hospital also has a college scholarship program, and recipients are announced during the party.

The inspiration for the scholarship was a woman with breast cancer whose daughter had recently finished high school. While battling her cancer at Saint Peter's, she told the staff how much she wanted to live just to see her daughter graduate from college.

Tragically, that woman died six months later.

After her death, the hospital created a scholarship so the child could fulfill her dying mother's wish. Since 2012, Carla's mother, Celeste Evans, has been solely responsible for the scholarship.

At the time of his passing, her husband was the family's main breadwinner. Celeste said she remembered what it felt like to suddenly become a single mother, and she wants to help others who have been financially impacted by a death in the family.

"We can't replace a loved one, but we can let people dream," said Celeste. "It's so easy and selfless to give back. I've learned that no matter how small the gesture, the rewards come back many-fold. To see so many familiar faces returning year after year means I've had the privilege of watching many of these kids grow up before my eyes."

"I was so young when my father passed that I have very few memories of him, but the scholarship program has allowed me to really get to know him and his love of lifelong learning," said her daughter Carla.

The 2023 C. David Evans Scholarship recipients are:

• Helmetta teen Nicholas Mercado — Nick has been attending the Saint Peter's Oncology Kid's Party since he was 8. This scholarship will help him pay for classes at Middlesex County Community College.
• Sisters Kaitlyn and Kelsey Hart of Howell, both who attend Brookdale Community College.

"The C. David Evans Scholarship has had a huge impact on my life. The scholarship provided me the opportunity to attend Raritan Valley Community College and later Montclair State University," said past scholarship recipients Gavin Grandison.

He is currently employed by Church & Dwight as an associate chemist.

"I'm super grateful there were individuals willing to lend me a hand when I needed it most," he said. "I've learned first-hand how the goodness of others can affect the lives of strangers."

For more information or to donate to the scholarship fund, visit www.cdavidevansscholarship.org