Some families the KARE Foundation meets along our journey have endured the unimaginable. The Morrissey family is one of them.

We first learned about their story through a social media community that connects families of children battling life-threatening illnesses. It was there, on the page Elijah’s Big Journey, (now Hazel and Elijah’s Big Journey), that we discovered the incredible courage of Samantha and Timothy Morrissey — and the heartbreaking chapters their family has lived through.

Their beloved son, Elijah, was just eight years old when he passed away on Christmas Eve 2021 after a long and courageous battle with neuroblastoma — a rare and aggressive cancer of the nervous system. During Elijah’s treatment, the family traveled countless times from their home in Ohio to Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City. Samantha spent more time in NYC than at home, clinging to hope that her little boy would beat the odds. His passing left an unimaginable void.

But the family’s nightmare did not end there.

In February 2025, only a few short years after losing Elijah, their baby daughter Hazel, just five months old, was diagnosed with an even more aggressive form of neuroblastoma. In that moment, the Morrissey’s’ world shattered once again.

Since Hazel’s diagnosis, Samantha has lived in New York City almost full-time, enduring hospital stays, endless treatments, and brief visits home that end all too soon. Hazel’s cancer has spread throughout her tiny body — even reaching her brain and spine. A second opinion at CHOP in Philadelphia confirmed what no parent ever wants to hear: Hazel’s prognosis was grim.

Yet through every hardship, Samantha and Timothy’s faith has never wavered. Their love, their strength, and their belief in God’s plan sustain them through every heartbreak. And recently — a glimmer of hope. Tests showed that the cancer cells in Hazel’s brain are no longer present, offering renewed strength and gratitude for each new day.

The Morrissey’s are a large, close-knit family with seven other children — TJ, Gavin, Ian, Emmalyn, Micah, Silas and Titus. While Samantha remains in New York with Hazel, Timothy holds things together back home in Ohio, caring for their other children and traveling whenever possible to be by their sides. The emotional, physical, and financial toll of living between two worlds has been immense.

In New York, Samantha moves from hospital rooms to temporary housing — from hotels to the Ronald McDonald House where space is available — often hauling suitcases, supplies, and Hazel’s stroller across the city streets. Her days are long and heavy, yet filled with unrelenting love for her daughter.

Thanks to your generous support, the KARE Foundation can stand beside families like the Morrissey’s — providing relief, compassion, and tangible help in their darkest moments.

Because of you, they never have to face this journey alone. Blessings all!