Scott and Pammy Kramer endure after the loss of their daughter to cancer with community’s aid
In April 2017, Scott and Pammy Kramer’s two-and-a-half-year old daughter, Maddie, was diagnosed with a rare, cancerous tumor on her spinal cord. Days later, she underwent surgery to remove as much of the tumor as could be taken out due to its delicate position. Adding to the strain of this unexpected situation, the Kramers’ youngest daughter, Lily, was only 10 months old at the time.
Despite enduring rounds of chemotherapy that would sap the strength of the toughest adult, Maddie persevered with a positive attitude expressed through dancing: both her own and her requests that others around her do the same.
Around this time last year, the cancer had gone into remission and Maddie appeared the healthiest she had been since the start of the ordeal. At one point, Scott revealed, she spent 82 consecutive nights at home, sleeping in her own room rather than in a hospital bed. But things took a turn for the worse once the holidays passed. The tumor returned, and within two weeks, Maddie succumbed to its effects.
Although Pammy is a Cherry Hill native, the Kramers live near Chicago. To keep friends and family updated on Maddie’s struggle once she was diagnosed almost two years ago, Scott decided he’d create a blog. That turned into something of a daily journal of reflection, and ultimately, over time, became a collection of thoughts that transformed into the work, “Maddie’s Miracles, A Book of Life.”
On Dec. 4 at the Katz JCC, the Kramers, along with family, friends and benefactors from Cherry Hill and beyond, gathered for a fundraiser that benefitted Dancing While Cancering: The Maddie Kramer Foundation. Its mission is to provide a sense joy and increased positivity to the hospital experience for children suffering from cancer.
“Scott and Pammy have been through something no parents should ever have to go through. They inspire all of us to find our inner light and share it with everyone they can. There are over 150 people who showed up tonight out of love and inspiration, said Emily Gottschalk, trustee of the Mildred M. Soefer Foundation, and family friend to the Kramers. “We are honored to bring Maddie’s story back to our local community. She represents a beacon of hope for every family ever touched by cancer.”
The bulk of the evening was presented as a question-and-answer session between the Kramers and a moderator from the American Cancer Society, Donna Gulotta. Scott read extensively from his book, revealing to the audience the smaller, meaningful moments between father and daughter that he now draws from, to continue the fight in her name. Video clips were also shown of Maddie, in the midst of some of her many hospital stays, dancing joyfully and without the self-consciousness that sets in as we grow older. Amid the sadness and deep reflection that come with the pain of losing a child, he stressed the importance of having access to the memories made with Maddie long after she departed this life.
“I think, most importantly, my writing became a way to channel the positive. When I put pen to paper, it forced me to digest the events we experienced, and in that process, the choice to me, really felt simple, clear and apparent — focusing on all the beauty that these days were given with Maddie,” he said.
Perhaps the most genuinely affecting part of keeping their oldest child’s memory alive, is that the Kramers plan to make their youngest child fully aware of her sister’s impact on their lives as she grows up.
“We already incorporate Maddie into Lily’s daily life. We read stories about her, we show her pictures, and we hope that in time her vision grows to incorporate Maddie as a hero. She will always be Lily’s big sister and she will always be a hero to us, and we just hope Lily can grow up to appreciate what kind of person Maddie was,” Scott said.
At the end of the night, the Kramers were presented with a donation of $3,000 from the Jewish Federation of Southern New Jersey.
“It means the world to me and Scott, to know that all of the people that I grew up with, the family, the friends, were with us along this unthinkable journey,” Pammy acknowledged. “They supported us through emails, text messages, visits, and to know that they were behind us all the way, helped carry us through right on up to tonight.”
For more information about the Kramers’ charity in Maddie’s name, or to make a donation, visit dancingwhilecancering.org. “Maddie’s Miracles: A Book of Life is currently available at www.amazon.com.
