2026 Recipients
This page contains stories of recipients this calendar year who have received KARE Funds . Please feel free to read the stories to understand the positive impact donor funds are having on so many families meeting the mission of the Foundation. THANK YOU DONORS!!!
Some families request anonymity and the KARE Foundation honors their wishes.
Meet Owen Clancy
In early March, the KARE Foundation received an email from a mother—one message among many, yet impossible to forget. Inside it was the story of her 5-year-old son, Owen.
Owen is currently at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where days blend into nights and time is measured not in hours, but in hope. Like a former KARE recipient, Melony Rivera, Owen is waiting for a life-saving heart transplant. For nearly a year, both children have been tethered to Berlin Heart Ventricular Assist Devices—machines that hum steadily beside them, doing the work their fragile hearts cannot.
For families living this reality, the hospital becomes more than a place of care—it becomes home. And within its walls, a unique bond forms between parents who share the same silent prayer: Let today be the day. Let the call come.
That bond brought Owen’s mom, Caitlin, and Melony’s mom, Ashley, together. Through late-night conversations and shared understanding, Caitlin opened up about the immense weight her family has been carrying. To stay by Owen’s side, she made the unimaginable decision to step away from work, sacrificing financial stability to be present for every moment of her son’s fight.
Ashley knew that weight—and she also knew help was possible. She told Caitlin about the support she had received from the KARE Foundation. That conversation changed everything.
When we heard Caitlin’s story, we didn’t hesitate. We knew we had to stand with her.
Caitlin now lives between two worlds. Most days, she is at the hospital with Owen. When she can, she makes the trip home to be with her other sons—Wyatt, Owen’s twin, and Cooper, his 8-year-old brother—doing everything in her power to remind them that their mom is still there, even in the midst of chaos.
But the road has been anything but easy. In addition to nearly losing Owen in September 2025, Caitlin has faced a series of overwhelming challenges: selling her home, navigating a divorce, losing insurance, and managing childcare and schooling across two households. The emotional, financial, and physical toll is immeasurable.
And yet—through it all—Owen fights on.
Since September, he has remained stable. The wait for a child’s heart transplant can stretch from a year to a year and a half, filled with uncertainty and fragile hope. Still, Caitlin says Owen remains “in good spirits most days.” Like any 5-year-old, he dreams of simple joys—jumping into Grandma’s pool, going for a car ride, running freely outside with his brothers… untethered from machines.
Watching him endure this with such resilience is both inspiring and heartbreaking.
The KARE Foundation is deeply honored to support Caitlin and her family during this unimaginable time. While we cannot shorten the wait, we can help carry the burden.
Please keep Owen in your thoughts and prayers—that soon, the call will come, and with it, the gift of a perfect heart.
To our donors: thank you. Your generosity makes stories like Owen’s not just stories of hardship—but stories of hope, compassion, and community.
Meet Malia Croley
Finding Malia through a simple social media post was nothing short of a blessing—not just for KARE, but for Malia, her mother Jerrica, and their entire family. A heartfelt request for prayers shared by another recipient caught my attention, and I knew I had to look deeper. After researching, it became clear that Malia and her family perfectly aligned with the mission of the KARE Foundation. Our board quickly reviewed their story, and without hesitation, we selected Jerrica and Malia Croley as our second recipients for February, honoring Heart Disease Awareness Month.
Malia, who just turned 6-years-old on March 21st, is from Kentucky. In 2023, she became critically ill. It was then the Dr’s thought he may have been born with an undetected genetic condition called restrictive cardiomyopathy, and they did not catch it until she was 3 years old, or she had viral myocarditis that caused her to go into heart failure. Either way, the prognosis was bleak, Malia needed a heart transplant. Malia and her mom Jerrica were in and out of hospitals for the next several years. Malia was required to be hooked up to ECMO and LVAD machines just to keep her alive. By June 2025, the only remaining option for Malia was a heart transplant.
Jerrica and Malia had to leave Kentucky, relocating to the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio to await the transplant that could save Malia’s life. For anyone who’s been through the agonizing wait for a transplant, the uncertainty, fear, and anxiety are unbearable. On top of it all, Jerrica hadn’t been able to work since she had to be by Malia’s side around the clock.
But then, on February 28th, 2026, they received the call—they had found a heart for Malia. At 10:00 p.m. on March 1st, Malia entered surgery, and for the next 14 hours, her life hung in the balance. The surgery was a success, and Malia is now on the road to recovery!!!
Just two weeks post-surgery, Malia is defying the odds. Her recovery has been remarkable—several tests have shown no signs of rejection, a huge milestone for any transplant recipient. But with every transplant, there’s a bittersweet truth: the family who gave this gift is mourning the loss of a loved one.
Jerrica expressed her gratitude in a touching post on social media after Malia’s surgery:
“I can’t thank the donor family enough for the incredible gift they’ve given. In the midst of their own grief, they chose to give hope and life to someone else, and that kind of selflessness is truly beyond words. Because of their generosity, I’ve been given another chance—more time, more moments, and more opportunities that I will never take for granted. Their loved one’s legacy lives on through this gift, and I will carry deep gratitude for their family every single day.”
When I reached out to Jerrica, her gratitude overwhelmed me. She was down to the last dollars in her account, fearing she wouldn’t be able to pay rent to bring Malia back to the only home she knows. The KARE Foundation offering her financial assistance made all the difference, and Malia WILL go back to her home!!!
For now, Malia and Jerrica are living the next 3 months at the Ronald McDonald house in Cincinnati to continue tests to ensure there are no signs of rejection. At RMH, she is on her way to a new life—free from the machines, free from hospitals, free from the uncertainty of if and when a heart would come.
The Croley family’s journey is far from over, but they’re finally starting to see the light at the end of a very long, dark tunnel. Let’s continue to keep Malia, Jerrica, and their family in our prayers as they embrace this new chapter in their lives.
Thank you again donors for your support. Paul would be so honored and proud!!
Meet the Quiller Family
February is Heart Awareness Month. It is also the month of Paul’s birthday.
So, this month, we felt called to support a heart warrior battling the very same disease that has shaped so much of our own family’s journey — Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM).
Through the Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association (HCMA), we were introduced to the Quiller family. Their son, Declan, is just seven years old. For the past seven months, Declan has been living at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota — waiting for a new heart.
Last June, his family left their home in Los Angeles so Declan could undergo a septal myectomy and have an ICD placed by Dr. Dearani. It is the very same hospital, the very same procedure, and the very same surgeon who operated on Allie at ages 9 and 19. The parallels are impossible to ignore.
But Declan’s journey took an unexpected and devastating turn.
Following surgery, complications required him to be placed on ECMO — an advanced life-support system that acts as an artificial heart and lungs, circulating blood outside the body so his own heart can rest. ECMO is typically used for days to sometimes weeks. Declan has now been on ECMO for more than seven months.
That reality is almost unimaginable.
Every single day on ECMO carries enormous risk. And yet — by the grace of God and the extraordinary team at Mayo — Declan continues to fight. He is in active rehabilitation and the staff has him walking a couple times a day if possible.
Yes, while waiting for a heart, this brave little boy has:
Lost his first tooth
Celebrated Halloween
Given thanks at Thanksgiving
Opened presents at Christmas
Shared Valentine’s Day with his family — all from a hospital setting
The Quiller’s have completely uprooted their lives. They now live in Rochester, staying at the Ronald McDonald House, where staff and other long-term families have become their extended family. Their older son, Rhys, attends a local elementary school just steps from the hospital — navigating childhood in the shadow of uncertainty.
Everything changed in an instant for them. And yet they remain grounded in gratitude.
They are grateful Mayo is one of the only hospitals where ECMO patients are not confined to a bed.
Grateful Declan is stable.
Grateful for each ordinary moment that now feels extraordinary.
But every day, they wait for the call. The call that a heart has been found. The call that will change everything.
Many of you also know that Allie was recently admitted to the hospital in Boston to wait for her own heart. That this is unfolding during Heart Awareness Month — and Paul’s birthday month — feels deeply personal to us.
We believe Paul is up there, cheering for his baby girl. And we believe he is cheering just as loudly for Declan.
The Dostie family is profoundly grateful to the HCMA, whose guidance and advocacy have supported Allie since infancy. Their work has transformed the landscape for HCM patients and families through research, awareness, and unwavering community support.
Today, we ask you to please keep the Quiller family in your prayers.
Pray for strength.
Pray for peace in the waiting.
Pray that February brings Declan his perfect match — so this brave seven-year-old can trade hospital hallways for playgrounds and finally go home.
If you haven’t already, please consider becoming an organ donor. It’s a powerful way to live on — and give someone else the priceless gift of life.
Meet the Jacob Family
Sometimes our connection to a KARE recipient runs especially deep—and the Jacob family is one of those moments.
Dee and Bob Jacob are deeply rooted in the Guilford, Connecticut community. Dee served as President of the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce and was instrumental in helping establish the KARE Foundation within the Connecticut shoreline community back in 2021. She generously shared her time, guidance, and influence, becoming a strong supporter of the Foundation and a passionate advocate for our mission. On a more personal level, Dee also taught CCD to Paul’s twin daughters during their high school years, and the Jacob and Dostie families remained connected throughout the years. Bob and Dee are parents to five children—one of whom is the same age as Paul’s twins—making this connection feel even more personal.
In January of 2025, life changed abruptly for the Jacob family. Bob began experiencing troubling cognitive symptoms, and Dee immediately knew something wasn’t right. She brought him to the emergency room, where an MRI revealed a brain tumor. After a brain biopsy, they received devastating news: Bob was diagnosed with a highly aggressive Stage 4 small cell Glioblastoma. A Glioblastoma diagnosis alone is overwhelming—but learning it was the rare and even more aggressive mutation made it even more devastating. Bob underwent a resection of the tumor five days later.
Shortly after Bob’s diagnosis, Dee reached out to the KARE Foundation—not for help, but for guidance. She wanted to talk through Bob’s diagnosis, treatment options, and what the road ahead might look like. At that time, Dee was still working and the family was doing everything possible to navigate treatments while hoping for stability.
In September, Dee contacted KARE again with heartbreaking news—Bob had experienced a recurrence of the tumor, requiring a second resection surgery. With the recurrence, Dee made the decision to accelerate her retirement from the Shoreline Chamber of Commerce, so she would be available to be by his side.
Following his second surgery, Bob was unable to return home for over four months. During a transition from acute rehabilitation to skilled rehab, he suffered a fall that resulted in a brain bleed and hygromas. After three weeks and the placement of a brain shunt, he returned again to acute care and then back to skilled rehab. After Christmas, it became clear that Bob was no longer making progress. He showed increasing signs of decline—sleeping more, responding more slowly, his voice growing softer, and experiencing more frequent episodes of delirium.
After consultations with Bob’s Neuro-Oncologist and Geriatric physician, the family was faced with the most heartbreaking decision of all: shifting the focus of care to keeping Bob comfortable and bringing him home.
This stage of the journey is beyond devastating. When KARE received word from Dee that Bob was entering this phase, we immediately understood the emotional toll—and the financial strain families face at this point, when so many necessary expenses are no longer covered by insurance. Without hesitation, the KARE Board unanimously approved support for the Jacob family.
We are honored, humbled, and profoundly grateful to stand beside a family fighting this horrific disease—one with such deep connections to our foundation, our family, and our hometown.
Please keep Dee, Bob, and the entire Jacob family in your thoughts and prayers.
Meet Our January Recipient
Our next KARE Foundation recipient found us the same way so many families do—out of desperation, hope, and an urgent need to help someone they love. The person reached out after discovering KARE through our public Facebook page and visiting our website. She is the sister-in-law to her brother’s wife in Connecticut who was recently diagnosed with Glioblastoma. We are keeping the names out of the story since the family does want anonymity.
The sister was searching endlessly for answers—trying to understand this devastating disease, explore treatment options, and find any possible financial assistance for her brother’s family. Her message immediately brought me back to the early days of Paul’s diagnosis… the fear, the confusion, and the overwhelming anxiety of not fully understanding what Glioblastoma meant—while simultaneously facing an uncertain future that would impact our family physically, emotionally, and financially.
When Paul was diagnosed, our community rallied around us. A medical fundraiser and the incredible generosity of others allowed our family to focus on what truly mattered—Paul and his treatments—especially during the added challenges of COVID. Those memories made this story deeply personal.
After connecting with the sister, I learned just how suddenly life changed for the family. Her sister-in-law, just 50 years old, lost function on the left side of her body in November 2025. Knowing something was terribly wrong, she was rushed to the emergency room—where the family received the devastating diagnosis of Glioblastoma. Even more heartbreaking was learning the tumor is located in an inoperable area of her brain.
She is now undergoing the standard treatment protocol of radiation and chemotherapy in hopes of shrinking the tumor. If these treatments are not effective, there are no additional options available given the tumor’s location and pathology. Despite this unimaginable reality, the family is determined to do everything possible to extend their sister-in-law/wife/mother’s life and cherish every moment they have together.
The family has three children – 27, 23 and 16. The family has also been required to renovate their home to make it handicap accessible. During the renovations, their local fire department stepped in twice a day to help her get safely in and out of the home for treatments—a powerful reminder of both the family’s need and the compassion of their community.
The financial burden, however, is overwhelming. Between home renovations, in-home care not covered by insurance, and loss of income to care for her, the stress on this family is immense.
When the KARE Board reviewed their situation, there was no question—we needed to help. The family deserves the time and space to focus on her and the moments they have together, without the crushing weight of financial worry. We truly believe Paul continues to guide our connections to families in need, and we are so grateful that the sister reached out to us.
Supporting the family is exactly why the KARE Foundation exists—and we are honored to stand beside them during this incredibly difficult journey.
Blessings all!