Whip Pediatric Cancer Of LI Commemorates 10 Years: 'Very Emotional'

HAUPPAUGE, NY — Whip Pediatric Cancer started in 2015 with the goal of bringing happiness to a young girl named Tessa Prothero, who was battling neuroblastoma at the age of 7.

Jordan Belous, then 16, was still very much a child herself. The Long Islander befriended Tessa, a resident of Royal Oak, Michigan, bonding through performing the "Watch Me (Whip / Nae Nae)" dance.

Belous supported Tessa for two more years until she died of stage 4 neuroblastoma in 2017 at the age of 9. Belous, heartbroken, resolved to help more children like Tessa through her charity.

Ten years later, and Belous's work has seen her land a fundraising partnership for cancer research at Memorial Sloan Kettering and support dozens of families with a child fighting cancer.

Belous, now 26, said she cannot believe that Whip Pediatric Cancer is 10 years old.

"It was a very emotional day," Belous told Patch.

While Belous started Whip Pediatric Cancer in honor of her mother, who survived Ewing's sarcoma, a form of pediatric cancer, Tessa was the first child she helped.

"I think she was the catalyst for a lot of the amazing things Whip has been able to do," Belous said. "In her honor, I’ve continued to fight for the kids. I knew how much better [Tessa's] life was because of Whip. I was like, 'How could I keep helping fulfilling wishlists, fulfilling gifts, dreams, helping families financially who are out of work, funding research?'"

That all started with Tessa, Belous said.

"They say, 'Don’t let someone’s death be in vain,' or 'Turn pain into purpose,'" Belous said. "[Tessa] really is the driving factor behind what I do. It’s emotional to think about how long it’s been. We’re going through pictures and stuff. How many people have we were touched? It’s further than the patient. It’s their whole family, cousins and friends. Everyone who’s been touched by Whip, I can’t even wrap my head around it. It’s crazy, crazy. The impact. It’s a lot."

Karin Prothero, Tessa's mother, said she tears up when she thinks about Belous calling Tessa her "why."

"[Belous] is such an inspiration," Prothero said. "She is such a unique individual. She says that Tessa is one of her many inspirations, but in return, what she gave to us is so special and irreplaceable. She gave something for Tessa to look forward to and a reason to be happy, which is huge when you're a 9-year-old girl fighting cancer."

Belous has been a leading voice for calling for pediatric cancer research receiving more than 4 percent of the National Institutes of Health's federal $47.1 billion budget and childhood cancer awareness in general.

Whip Pediatric Cancer has evolved over the past decade as Belous looks for new ways to expand it.

The charity has recently started fundraising to financially aid families who have a child who has been diagnosed with cancer. Belous shares the story of a pediatric cancer warrior with her roughly 143,000 followers on Facebook and adds a donation button to the post. Whip Pediatric Cancer supporters raise hundreds, if not thousands, for each family.

Last month, a fundraiser for a young boy fighting cancer raised more than $4,000. His mother messaged Belous saying, "You literally paid our mortgage for the month," Belous said.

"That’s something I didn’t realize I had the power to do," she said. "I’ve been using that more and trying to help more families financially."

Belous still tries to provide fun, quality-of-life gifts and experiences for children with cancer. She purchased a PS5 for a girl battling cancer this past Christmas and then bought tickets for her and her family for a Savannah Bananas game when she beat the disease.

Charlee Citera, the girl who Whip Pediatric Cancer bought a PS5 for, played "Roblox" and "Spider-Man" while in treatment. She got to meet Belous a couple of weeks ago.

"She's very nice and she's very pretty," Charlee said.

Charlee said "thank you and congratulations" to Belous on 10 years of Whip Pediatric Cancer.

"You make me smile, so I'm sure you make plenty of other people smile," she said. "It's just a great thing to do that for other people."

She brought another young girl, Aubrey, to a Taylor Swift concert, where they met Taylor Swift's mother. She helped yet another young girl by arranging for them to travel to Disney World.

"These big projects, I never thought I’d be able to do those things," Belous said. "I’d always see other foundations doing those things, and I was like, 'I wish I could.' I think there’s always room to grow and help more families and take on more families. Trying to help as many people as I can. Unfortunately kids are diagnosed every single day. As long as they’re being diagnosed, we’ll be there to help and support in whatever way we can."

Prothero said the bond that Belous and Tessa had was "unlike anything" she had seen before.

"We met Jordan in the middle of Times Square," Prothero said. "Her and Tessa had this magnetic force with each other. Ever since that day, there was no going back. Jordan likes to call them soul sisters. Honestly, there is not a better way to describe them."

Whip Pediatric Cancer donates the money it raises for cancer research to Memorial Sloan Kettering. Most of the proceeds of the charity's Heart of Gold program — which encourages schools to have students decorate golden hearts and collect money for cancer research — go to the hospital.

Increased cancer research funding is a major goal of Belous's over the next 10 years of Whip Pediatric Cancer, as well as continuing to provide financial aid to cancer families.

Belous called the 10-year anniversary a "very bittersweet feeling."

"Looking back on 10 years, looking at the people I’ve really, truly loved and had a very strong relationship with not being here anymore, I think that’s a really hard pill to swallow; that somebody who you cared for, took care of and loved so much didn’t get to live their life," she said. "That’s definitely the hardest, saddest part about Whip."

There are also happy memories, however.

"Parents will send first day of school pictures, and the kid’s hair has grown out, they’re starting basketball, they’re the top of their grade in academics or sports," Belous said. "It’s very bittersweet. It’s a true split of success stories that you want to feel happy about and you feel like you’re making a mark on the world. And you’re making a mark on the world by giving kids who aren’t here anymore these once-in-a-lifetime experiences and friendship during their fight. In either case, it’s a very fulfilling mission. It’s sometimes very heartbreaking but very empowering."

Belous said running Whip Pediatric Cancer is her passion, even when people liken it to her running into a burning building given the stress and sadness of helping children who are suffering.

"I'm constantly running into fire, playing with fire and hoping for the best outcome," Belous said. "If not, you’re just trying to save people while they’re in it and help them get out by either curing them or giving them a better day. I definitely feel very good about the impact that we’ve made over the last 10 years."

Prothero called Belous an "inspiration."

"How amazing and special it has been to watch her grow from being a teenager to helping these kids and to now being an adult and still helping these kids," Prothero said. "Having even more passion. The further along she goes, the more passion she gets for it. It's just remarkable to me."