PORTLAND, Maine — Dairy Queens in Maine are teaming up with the Barbara Bush's Children Hospital (BBCH) on Thursday, July 25. If you buy a blizzard, of any size, at least one dollar will be donated to BBCH.
Participating Maine locations:
- Auburn
- Augusta (2 locations)
- Biddeford
- Hallowell
- Kennebunk
- Rockland
- Sanford
- Topsham
- Waterville (2 locations)
- Wells
- Westbrook
- Windham
- Woolwich
New Hampshire locations:
- Glen
- North Conway
Farther north, Northern Light Eastern Maine Medical Center is also taking part in the 'Miracle Treat Day' program.
Participating Maine locations in this region are:
- Bangor
- Belfast
- Brewer
- Ellsworth
- Old Town
The money helps kids like Karsyn Mann. Karsyn is crushing using her new wheelchair just like she is crushing cancer.
The 7-year-old from Oakland, Maine is mature beyond her years, dragged into serious topics by osteosarcoma, a cancer that shows up in bones. Karsyn's family found out she had cancer in her left leg in February after she complained about a pain in her leg, and her mom, Danielle Mann, took her to her pediatrician.
"By the end of the day, we were down here in Portland getting asked about family history of cancer and all sorts of things that we were not prepared for. It happened really quick and they took care of everything really fast," Mann remembers.
At the end of May, Karsyn's left foot was amputated at Boston's Children Hospital.
"I had a tumor in my leg that needed to be removed," Karsyn simply states. "It felt really painy and crappy," she explains. "I actually feel kind of good now that it is not bothering me."
Karsyn's mom says she is a sassy and fun young girl who likes a lot of "boy things" and has a sense of style all her own. Her walker and wheelchair are a testament to her colorful personality, decked out in bright rainbow colors, unicorns and small stuffed animals and trolls.
Karysn is on the upswing with more than half of her chemo behind her, and she is feeling good with her whole life in front of her.
"This is an amazing hospital. We would not be anywhere close to the type of recovery we are at without the doctors and nurses here they are absolutely fantastic and supporting them is really important to our family," Mann says with tears in her eyes.
Follow Karsyn's journey on Facebook.
BBCH sees more than 38,000 patients a year. Since Dairy Queen started partnered with BBCH in 2004, they have raised nearly $168,000 for the hospital.