Cops for Kids With Cancer Donates to Whitman Family at Braintree Police Station

Over the last five years, Cops for Kids With Cancer has donated $1 million to 200 families affected by cancer.

On Wednesday, Tricia and Dan Raymondi, of Whitman, accepted a check for $5,000 from the nonprofit to help support their family as their daughter Jessica fights optic cancer.

The Raymondi's, accompanied by their son Tom, grandparents and an aunt and uncle, received the donation at the Braintree Police Station. Organization chair Robert P. Faherty and president Helena Findlen spoke about the growth of Cops for Kids With Cancer from an annual cross-Atlantic golf tournament to an all-volunteer effort that sends tens of thousands of dollars in donations each year to families and local hospitals.

"When your child has cancer the world doesn't stop," Findlen said. "We can't make the cancer go away. But we can definitely help the families breathe a little easier."

Like many families touched by cancer, the Raymondi's have financial difficulties. Tricia works at an auto body shop in Pembroke, but just this past Monday Dan was laid off from his job at a printing shop.

"It was a blessing in disguise," Tricia said of the donation. "It's been a long 10 years."

Jessica was diagnosed with cancer in 2003, when she was one year old. She has since undergone surgery and three rounds of chemotherapy. Her tumor remains, but she has been off treatment now for a year and a half, Tricia said.

"We greatly appreciate any support we can get," she said.

For more information, visit www.copsforkidswithcancer.org.