Fundraiser to help Roselle teen fighting cancer

A fundraiser in Roselle Sunday afternoon aims to help a high school senior and his family in his battle with a rare form of cancer as well as raise awareness of the disease.

Kevin Boeckenhauer, a student at Lake Park High School, has been fighting Ewing’s Sarcoma for the past year — a form of bone cancer that usually strikes children or adolescents and is twice as likely to affect boys.

The good news: Boeckenhauer had his last chemotherapy session a week ago. But the family still is struggling with medical bills and other expenses related to his long fight.

Kickin’ It For Kevin will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 11, at the Seasons Four Clubhouse at 921 Springfield Drive, Roselle.

“The community is rallying around him,” said Robin Mauro, treasurer of the Love for Lucy Foundation, which is co-sponsoring the fundraiser with the Seasons Four Homeowners Assocation. “There have been 140 volunteers for this event.”

Admission is $10, which includes $4 worth of tickets for food and activities at the event that will feature raffles, a silent auction, desserts, games and swimming.

Boeckenhauer, a competitive swimmer, was sorry to have to miss taking part in last year’s season. But when he began to lose his hair to chemotherapy, many of his friends shaved their heads in solidarity, Mauro said.

The Love for Lucy Foundation was founded in 2007 to support of Bloomingdale resident Lucy Pierri, who was fighting cancer herself at the time.

Though Pierri lost her fight, the foundation organized in her honor has gone on to help four other families so far, Mauro said.

For more information, visit freewebs.com/loveforlucy.