FORT JENNINGS, OH (WLIO) - Most people look for help in the face of hard times. But one Fort Jennings family is using their medical journey as motivation to help others like them.
The Korte family caught the attention of their community because they have not one but two children diagnosed with serious diseases.
The Korte family caught the attention of their community because they have not one but two children diagnosed with serious diseases. 2-year-old Boston has a congenital heart defect, and 9-year-old Layla has leukemia. Both situations are hard for the Kortes, but they noticed a strange difference between the two.
"The resources for cancer families just came flooding in, and we realized the inequity. There was nothing for heart families; not a single resource was available to us, and then for cancer patients, there's just mounds of paperwork to fill out for assistance," stated Tiffany Korte, mother of Layla and Boston.
The contents of these care packages are things that brought Layla comfort during her own hospital stays. The girls' boxes are especially close to her heart.
This realization led the Kortes to start "Boston's Brigade" to send essentials like toiletries and money for food to families facing unexpected hospital stays for heart conditions. In the future, they hope to raise enough money to provide rent assistance too.
Inspired, Layla insisted on having her own charity to send items to cancer kids, and "Layla's Cancer Care Club" was born.
Layla insisted on having her own charity to send items to cancer kids, and "Layla's Cancer Care Club" was born.
"In the girls' box, there's makeup or nail polish, a wig or a hat, a blanket, socks, a stuffed animal, and a game or toy. And in the boys, there's a hat, a blanket, socks, a stuffed animal, and a game or a toy," said Layla Korte, Layla's Cancer Care.
The contents of these care packages are things that brought Layla comfort during her own hospital stays. The girls' boxes are especially close to her heart.
To show your support or follow her and Boston's stories, you can find "Boston's Brigade & Layla Strong" on Facebook.
"She struggled a lot when she lost her hair, and so she did her nails and makeup just to kind of feel girly since she didn't have her hair anymore. So, she thought maybe she could help other girls who are losing their hair. Just kind of remind them that there's other ways other than hair that they can still feel like a girl," added Tiffany.
Right now, Layla's Cancer Care is selling gun raffle tickets to raise money. To show your support or follow her and Boston's stories, you can find "Boston's Brigade & Layla Strong" on Facebook.
