Local nonprofit gives kids with life-threatening diseases a chance to have fun

INDIANAPOLIS — Oftentimes when kids with life threatening diseases are going through treatment, being a kid is the last thing on their mind.

The national non-profit "A Kid Again" provides an opportunity for them to forget about their illness and just be a kid.

Nine-year-old Marley Ohmer and her family are just one of the over 1,000 served by "A Kid Again." At two-and-a-half years old, she was diagnosed with a cancer called Neuroblastoma.

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"She did four rounds of chemo and had a 10 hour surgery when I was 38 weeks pregnant with her little sister,” Lindsay Ohmer, Marley's mom, said. “That got her entire tumor. "

Marley is now cancer free. But because of the kind of cancer she had, it's something she will have to deal with for the rest of her life.

Marley says taking part in what the non-profit calls adventures helped her be strong when she was sick.

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"Well, it's just that I got to be, hence the name, a kid again,” Marley said. “I didn't have to feel the treatment that I was actually in. I still had all the pokey stuff in my body and cords hanging from, but I got to do normal stuff that normal kids would do.”

"A Kid Again" says that is their goal is for the whole family to take a time out from illness and have some fun.

"The families get to connect with other families who are going through very similar situations," Katie Demas, the Development Coordinator at A Kid Again, said. “Make a memory and create a smile when they are going through some tough times. It's really meaningful for them."

Creating connections for the whole family, including the siblings of the child dealing with an illness.

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"For those siblings in particular, no matter what we try to do with them, they are always going to be different,” Lindsay said. “So, A Kid Again in particular really makes it their mission to not let them be different. I think that it is the best thing that they do."

The adventures are also free, which "A Kid Again" says is the only way some of these families can have an outing with their kids because the medical cost for their sick child is so high.

"It's definitely very expensive to raise a child with a life-threatening condition. I believe that stat is about $400-600 thousand a year,” Demas said. “So, with those costs some of our families don't always, or can't always, afford to come to the children’s museum or other adventures we do."

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That's why kids like Marley hope everyone knows how special the non-profit is.

"Adventures are so amazing, you think they did it all for you,” Marley said.

"A Kid Again" says they estimate there are around 10,000 families in the state of Indiana the would qualify for their services. They encourage any family that does to sign up on their website.