Meet Eloise. The inspiration.
Caryn’s daughter Eloise was diagnosed with cancer at the beginning of the pandemic, just shy of 2 years old, weeks before becoming a big sister. Overnight her life was changed forever when several surgeries, long hospital stays, and chemotherapy rounds ensued. For her family, laughing and playing together again felt unimaginable.
Eloise is one of the lucky ones, she has been cancer free since Thanksgiving 2020. We are so incredibly grateful for the sacrifices families before us made so that Eloise’s treatment was possible, and for the exceptional care she received at Memorial Sloan Kettering Kids Hospital.
Eloise carries forward a fascination of hospitals, doctors, and nurses. She looks forward to seeing her oncologist, Dr Ortiz, and at the mere age of 4 is excited to help him help more children in the hospital feel better.
MSK will monitor Eloise for the rest of her life for reoccurrence and long-term side effects from the treatments administered to save her life.
Abigail Smith, Eloise, Skylar Goodstadt, and Ashley Richard
Eloise’s mom, a former Infiniti Elite and Brown University Gymnast, is on a mission.
Caryn is on a mission to help children with cancer live longer healthier lives.
When she started fundraising for Memorial Sloan Kettering Kids, the hospital that saved Eloise’s life, that treats more children and young adults for cancer than any other hospital in the US, she was blown away by the support she received from friends and family.
Handstand Walk for Kids was born when her childhood coach asked how her gymnasts could help her fundraise. That is when they decided to flip the concept of kids walking in New York City’s Central Park, for MSK Kids, upside down!
These three athletes transformed the concept into reality. The first challenge was an Infiniti Elite team party that honored Eloise. The team raised $31,000 in support of pediatric cancer research and a movement was born.
Pediatric cancer research is grossly underfunded.
All pediatric cancers are considered rare, even though in the U.S. it is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age 19. Pharmaceutical companies spend minimal dollars researching drugs for children because they lack the ability to reap large profits. This leaves the funding of new research and drugs largely up to philanthropic efforts, such as Handstand Walk for Kids, where 100% of donations go directly to doctors and researchers.
