Their little brother diagnosed with cancer, two Englewood boys raise money for others

NorthJersey

Gila Burgida says the hardest conversation of her life was telling her 10-year-old son he had cancer.

The second-hardest was telling his two brothers, ages 12 and 14, what was wrong with Bennett.

The Englewood family has come through a lot since that day last winter when a surgeon conveyed the surprising news that Bennett had non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, an uncommon form of cancer in children.

There were Bennett's nine spinal taps. His five hospitalizations — a week for each round of intensive chemotherapy. Days of CT scans, PET scans and MRIs to see where the cancer was located and whether it had spread. All of it after an operation to remove a mass from his intestine.

Bennett Burgida, center, jumps on the trampoline with his brothers Aidan, left, and Max, right, in their backyard. When Bennett, 10, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in February, his brothers decided to raise money to buy him gifts to lift his spirits. But $30,000 dollars later, they decided to donate it to HackensackUMC's Tackle Kids Cancer Fund.

While Bennett fought his illness at Hackensack University Medical Center's Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital, his two older brothers – Max, 14, and Aidan, 12 – thought about how to help him.

At first, Max thought it would be nice to raise some money to buy gifts for Bennett. He raised $307 so easily that he and Aidan decided to do something bigger.

One afternoon after school, Aidan set up a page on GoFundMe, a crowdsourced fundraising site. The goal, the boys decided, was to raise money to research a cure for children's cancer. They decided to donate the funds to Tackle Kids Cancer, a philanthropy that benefits the Children's Cancer Institute at Hackensack.

Their father heard about the fundraiser when the website requested information about his bank account, as he was to be the "responsible party" for the brothers' campaign. Their mother learned about it when a friend in California received a Facebook notification and called in alarm to ask her about it.

The parents quickly pressed "pause" to work out the details that evening.

Then they launched the campaign.

"I thought we were only going to raise a little bit, like a few hundred [dollars]," Aidan said. "Then the money just started flowing in."

Bennett Burgida, 10, far right, with his brothers Aidan, center, and Max, left, laugh as they talk about how much money they raised for Tackle Kids Cancer Fund at HackensackUMC. When Bennett was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in February, his brothers decided to raise money to buy him gifts to lift his spirits. But $30,000 dollars later, they decide to donate it for cancer research.

In 24 hours, they had raised $10,000, Gila Burgida said. Each time Aidan refreshed the page, the total grew by $500 or $1,000. Max spread the word via Facebook.

Soon the community was joining the cause. Bennett's fourth-grade class at the Moriah School in Englewood held a bake sale that raised $4,000, which they gave to Chai Lifeline, another charity that helps pediatric patients with serious illnesses and their families.

Local fifth-graders also held a bake sale, to benefit Tackle Kids Cancer. The family of Bennett's friend donated "warrior bracelets" to be sold to raise money. A local gym, Underground Training NJ in Tenafly, held a "strongman throw-down team competition."

In all, the boys raised nearly $40,000. At a ceremony Wednesday at Hackensack University Medical Center, they presented a check for $30,000 to Tackle Kids Cancer. They've already donated $6,500 to Chai Lifeline.

The best news, however, is this:

Bennett finished four months of intensive treatment in May. In early June, he had another set of scans. "Everything looked great," said Dr. Burton Appel, the pediatric oncologist who treated him. "Bennett is in remission."

Doctors will monitor him carefully for the next few years. Generally, however, more than 90 percent of children with Burkitt lymphoma – Bennett's disease – are cured by the right treatment.

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"We are elated to let you all know that Bennett's scans came back showing that he is cancer-free," the Burgidas wrote on their fundraising page. "We obviously couldn't be happier to share this great news. Thanks for your support through this difficult journey."

The boys say they've learned a lot from this experience about the meaning of community. "People are open to help," said Aidan.

There is "power from everyone sticking together," said Max.

"If I can beat cancer," added Bennett, "I can beat anything."

Bennett, right, plays on the trampoline with his brothers Aidan, left, and Max (not pictured) in their backyard. When Bennett, 10, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in February, his brothers decided to raise money to buy him gifts to lift his spirits. But $30,000 dollars later, they decided to donate it to Tackle Kids Cancer fund at HackensackUMC.