Ryker is a kindergartener at East Rochester who was diagnosed with Leukemia at the end of January. The past few months have been hard on the Heitsman family, between the diagnosis, being out of work as Ryker receives treatment and the ongoing pandemic on top of everything else.
When the Class of 2020 Senior Advisor Hannah Cicero-Ramsey saw a post on Facebook from Christine Heitsman, talking about her son Ryker’s battle with cancer, she suggested to the class officers that they consider donating their senior funds - a total of $4,114.25 - to the family.
The Class of 2020 was polled on how they would like to use their senior funds, with a resounding majority selecting the option to donate all funds to Ryker.
“It blew me away,” said Mrs. Cicero-Ramsey. “I couldn’t believe the generosity of the seniors. The students have gone through loss after loss [because of COVID-19], and they still chose to give to this family.”
“We were leaving and he was just starting out and we thought this would help him out and help him push through his high school experience,” explained Class of 2020 Vice President Cameron Lombard.
Class advisor and class officers will present Ryker and his family with the check when Ryker gets out of the hospital. There will be a small parade of seniors and community members celebrating ahead of the check presentation.
“We feel beyond blessed that our community, especially our young adults, are so selfless,” says Christine.
Christine worked with Mrs. Cicero-Ramsey to plan the parade and donation.