TeamNEGU Blog

When 4-year-old Aryia receives a package in the mail, she is super excited when she sees the box and knows exactly what it is – a boost of JOY from the Jessie Rees Foundation!

JoyJars® are delivered to Aryia as part of ClubNEGU, the Jessie Rees Foundation’s free program for kids fighting cancer and their families. Aryia was diagnosed in 2018 with neuroblastoma.

Despite her cancer diagnosis, Aryia is a smart, vibrant 4-year-old little girl with a kind heart and a huge imagination. Whether it’s fighting crime as a superhero, playing princess, or digging up dinosaur bones, Aryia is always ready for life’s next adventure. Her kindness shows as she selflessly shares all the toys in her JoyJars with her brother – their favorite toy being a whoopie cushion.

Aryia has endured 6 rounds of chemotherapy, a surgery to remove most of her tumor, and other procedures including a round of stem cell transplants. Her mom says, “Aryia is our little warrior. On February 11, we were told she was NED (No evidence of disease). As a part of her treatment, she is now going through a 2nd stem cell transplant.”

To Aryia and her family, NEGU means to “Keep fighting even when you’re having the worst day and you feel like you don’t want to do anything; you keep going.”

Her mom says, “The JoyJars help make a bad day into a good day. We also received a Christmas donation that helped us have family fun together, which is very important to us. It’s hard when you have to factor in all the new expenses, especially with our work schedule changed from full time to part-time.”

Aryia’s family has the iNEGU app on their cell phone for daily encouragement and loves the inspirational messages from everyone each day. Aryia is just one of the thousands of ClubNEGU kids we at the Jessie Rees Foundation are honored to support. As kids and their families battle cancer together, we know that sending love, hope, and a little fun can help create lasting memories and bring a smile to a child on a difficult day.  We NEGU for Aryia!