Dozens of families and children turned out for the 2024 Candlelighters New York City Childhood Cancer Foundation Christmas Party looking for some much-needed solace and joy. That included a visit from none other than St. Nick himself.
On Sunday morning, the NYPD's 86th Precinct was transformed into a winter wonderland for the event, with Christmas carols filling the air and festive decorations adorning it.
Children's faces lit up like Christmas trees and members of the FDNY dressed up in superhero costumes to the delight of children as NYPD motorcycle patrolmen circled Central Park in sidecars.
For most of the families and children involved, many of whom are currently battling or have previously battled cancer, the Foundation has been a lifeline both before and after treatment.
Among them was 17-year-old Joseph Maroney, a cancer survivor who was diagnosed with leukemia at the age of six.
“The treatment was definitely difficult. It was completely sudden,” the teenager told the Post.
The disease severely affected the teenager's motor skills, forcing him to use a walker, then a wheelchair, and eventually learn to walk again. He underwent a bone marrow transplant at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and went into remission in March 2014.
Maloney, currently an 11th grade student at Wellington C. Mepham High School on Long Island, said he wants to become a police officer someday.
“The Candlelighters have always been a huge support…it's like another family,” he said.
His parents agreed. They said they found the candle lighter online after he was diagnosed.
Joseph's mother, teacher Gemma Maloney, 40, said: “We are so grateful for what Candlelighters has done for our family…We are fortunate that our child has been in remission for 11 years. “Christmas parties are an opportunity to help give something to children,” he said. Go back to other families who are still going through what they did.
Rachel Wilson, 44, and her husband Ryan, 47, also attended with their daughters Juliana, 13, and Giovanna, nine.
In 2016, at eight and a half months old, Giovanna was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that develops in immature nerve cells. She went into remission in 2019 and has been cancer-free for about five years.
Originally from the Kansas City suburbs, the Wilsons moved to the Upper East Side in 2021, in part because of its proximity to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
“We were first treated in Kansas City, and then they said there was nothing more they could do,” Rachel said, adding that she refused to accept bad news quietly. Ta.
“I said, 'This is not acceptable.'” So a week and a half later we were treated at MSK. “We’ve been here ever since,” she said.
Mr. Wilson later moved to New York to join the Candelighters and currently serves as vice president of the organization. She led the effort to coordinate the day's activities.
Her husband, Ryan, said the candlelighters had helped their family get through some of the worst times in their lives.
“They welcomed us right away and immediately made New York a second home. They changed everything for us.”
Giovanna, a third-grader looking forward to summer vacation, said she wanted a pug for Christmas. The young man said it was “lovely” to spend the afternoon with other kids like him and that his favorite part of the Christmas party was riding through Central Park in the sidecar of an NYPD motorcycle.
“There was something like a go-kart outside, a little thing attached to a bike, and we all rode on it,” she said.
“And there was a magician there. There was food outside, you could ride in an ambulance, you could see police officers coming in on motorcycles, Santa in a police car. .”
Children lined up in the parking lot in preparation for the main event: a visit from Santa. Santa arrived in an NYPD squad car, led by a motorcade of Highway Patrol motorcycles.
For law enforcement, this event is a great way to spread the magic of the holidays to families who are going through a hard time during a time of year that is usually marked by happiness and fun.
“What we want to do is give the kids the opportunity to have a Christmas,” said Community Officer Luis Moreira.
“Many of these people are going through a lot of hardship and pain. But this gives us an opportunity to say: We've got a real Christmas this year. And that's our goal.”
Barbara Zobian founded Candlelighters 17 years ago and has since helped families across the country come to New York for cancer treatment.
“They come to Candlelighters New York City and we become their family,” Zobian said.
