For our September recipient, we were blessed to find a little boy named Rowan Schnurr, affectionately known as “Row Row.” Rowan was just four years old when his family’s world was turned upside down by a diagnosis of Medulloblastoma, a rare and life-threatening form of pediatric brain cancer.

There is something especially meaningful about our connection with Rowan and his family. September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, and as I searched websites, social media pages, and GoFundMe stories looking for a family KARE could help, I came across Rowan’s story and his family’s “Let’s Go Row Row” Facebook page.

The more I learned about this beautiful family, the more this connection was not a coincidence. It was a blessing. After sharing Rowan’s story with the KARE Board, we knew we wanted to stand beside the Schnurr family and provide support during this incredibly difficult journey.

Rowan’s father, Caleb, is a pastor at a church in New Hartford, Connecticut, and he and his wife, Jennifer, are the parents of five children — all with names beginning with the letter “R,” including twin brothers and two sisters. They are a beautiful family, deeply rooted in faith, love, and their commitment to one another.

But in early June, their lives changed in an instant.

Rowan, their second-youngest child, began experiencing headaches and occasional vomiting. At first, they thought he might have a stomach bug or that the change of seasons was causing some of his symptoms. But after several weeks, Rowan wasn’t getting better. His symptoms were becoming worse.

On June 9th, Caleb and Jennifer took their little boy to the emergency room.

The next day, on June 10th, doctors asked Caleb and Jennifer to speak with them privately. That was when they received the news no parent should ever have to hear: Their baby boy had a large tumor in his brain, and surgery was needed immediately.

On June 11th, Rowan underwent surgery to remove the tumor. The family held onto hope when doctors told them they had been able to remove the entire tumor!! Now came the waiting…

They prayed. They hoped. They trusted.

Then, on June 15th, everything changed again.

The pathology results confirmed that Rowan’s tumor was cancer — Medulloblastoma. It was devastating news, but the medical team had an extremely aggressive chemotherapy treatment plan in place for him to start after 4 weeks post-surgery. However, on July 6th, additional testing for the type of Medulloblastoma revealed it was group 3, one of the most aggressive brain cancers. That required a completely different treatment plan. The family was literally minutes away from beginning the original plan since the medical team was trying to avoid radiation due to his age.

When the Group 3 results came back, they stopped everything before chemotherapy began and changed the plan to radiation first. The family was transferred to New York City, where Rowan would receive proton radiation only, five days a week for six weeks.

The logistics alone were overwhelming — caring for four other children, managing Caleb’s responsibilities as a pastor, traveling back and forth, and watching their precious little boy endure treatment.

If their faith had ever been tested, this was the moment they needed it more than ever. A long and difficult road was suddenly ahead of them, and telling their other children that their little brother had cancer was heartbreaking. These children had to face the reality of something no child should ever have to experience.

Yet through it all, the Schnurr family continued to lean on their faith and on the promise that they would never walk this road alone.

An incredible army surrounded the Schnurr family. Family. Friends. Their church community. Their neighbors. And people they may never have even met before Rowan’s diagnosis.

• People praying.

• People helping.

• People encouraging.

• People reminding them that they were not alone.

And now, there is reason to celebrate and to keep praying. Rowan completed all 31 radiation treatments on August 31. Caleb and Jennifer are incredibly grateful to finally be home with all five of their children again.

On September 5th, sweet Rowan and his family celebrated his fifth birthday. He was able to celebrate his golden birthday by throwing out the first pitch at a minor league baseball game, which was incredibly special for him. He has a month’s reprieve before the next phase of chemotherapy begins. While this month brings a much-needed breath of air, it is still filled with doctors’ appointments, procedures, and preparations for what lies ahead.

On September 28th, his seven months of chemotherapy will hopefully begin in Connecticut after the MRI. The KARE Foundation and Schnurr family are asking to:

• Pray for a clear MRI.

• Pray for strength for Rowan’s little body.

• Pray for wisdom for his doctors.

• Pray for Caleb and Jennifer as they continue to carry the weight of this journey.

• And pray for Rowan’s brothers and sisters, who love their Row Row so very much.

• Most importantly, pray for healing.

And that is where faith becomes most powerful — not when everything is easy, but when the road ahead is uncertain and we choose to believe that God is already there.

The KARE Foundation is beyond honored and grateful that our paths crossed with the Schnurr family during Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month. Sadly, pediatric cancer remains desperately underfunded, particularly pediatric brain cancers. Too many children and families are forced to face unimaginable battles, and there is so much more that needs to be done.

But today, we choose to focus on hope.

• Hope for Rowan.

• Hope for his family.

• Hope for a clear MRI.

• Hope for healing.

• And hope in a God who walks beside us even when we cannot understand the path He has placed before us.

 We ask all of our KARE supporters to please keep the Schnurr family in your prayers. Let’s surround this family with love, faith, and hope and lift little Row Row up in prayer.

May the healing hands of the Lord rest upon this precious little boy, give strength to his body, comfort to his family, and guide every doctor, nurse, and caregiver who is fighting alongside him.

Let’s Go, Row Row!

• Keep fighting, sweet boy.

• Keep believing.

• Keep praying.

We are praying for a CLEAR MRI on September 28th — and believing in the power of hope, faith, and God’s healing hands.