The 2026 Heroes Ball Stories of Hope

Meet Charlie

Seventeen-year-old Charlie was diagnosed with mild hemophilia at the age of three. But thanks to the care he receives at Hasbro Children’s Tomorrow Fund Clinic, he is living the life of a typical teenager, chasing his dreams and playing baseball.

Lucky indeed. Charlie doesn’t need regular transfusions, but the hospital and pharmacy are ready when they need him, going above and beyond to have his medication, which is not always readily available, compounded when he has a bleed and needs it.

“My dad also had hemophilia, but he had a very different experience than Charlie,” says Sara. “We credit Charlie’s hematology team and Hasbro Children’s for his positive experience and outstanding care.”

“There have been some ED visits – after a baseball to the face, and some joint injuries – but he’s been very lucky,” says his mom, Sara.

Meet Layla

Layla is a spunky and sweet four-year-old who was diagnosed with lymphoma in July 2025. Her diagnosis came out of left field. She had no symptoms, but her parents noticed a lump in her groin. From day one, Layla has faced everything with incredible bravery.

“Hearing that diagnosis is indescribable. At first, you think you just have to get through this season,” says her mom, Chanthy. “But learning that treatment would last two years was tough to hear. Layla, though, is handling it like a champ. She even reminds us about her medications and checking her temperature. We’re so grateful that her side effects have been mild. I can’t say enough about the team at the Tomorrow Fund Clinic—not only for the medical care they provide, but for the wraparound supports and all the ways they’ve helped our family.”

Along with standard chemotherapy, Layla is receiving a new immunotherapy, blinatumomab, delivered continuously through a small backpack pump for 28 days at a time. After a landmark trial of the therapy showed promising results, it moved into frontline care and now benefits kids like Layla. It helps her immune system find and destroy cancer cells.

When asked what she wants to be when she grows up, Layla doesn’t hesitate. “A doctor,” she says. “Because they’re really helpful!”

Meet Avril

Avril met the Tomorrow Fund Clinic team soon after moving to Rhode Island from the Dominican Republic. She was six and experiencing a sickle cell pain crisis. Diagnosed with the disease at just nine months, her mother, Maria, came here for “a better life and better medical care.”

As part of her care in the months that followed, an MRI revealed Avril had experienced silent mini strokes (TIAs), leading to a diagnosis of moyamoya syndrome. Seen in less than 10% of people with sickle cell disease, the condition is a narrowing of brain arteries that limits blood flow. The recommended treatment was an immediate blood transfusion.

During her May 2023 hospitalization and transfusion, Avril suffered a stroke and several more TIAs. Thankfully, doctors acted quickly, intubating her so her body could heal. When Avril woke two days later, speaking was difficult and she had left hand weakness.

Today, after nearly three years of monthly transfusions to remove the sickled cells from her blood, months of physical and occupational therapy, and countless appointments, Avril, is a resilient nine-year-old managing her medical conditions.

“She’s my warrior. Every day she smiles, despite all she goes through,” says her mom. “I don’t know what would have happened without her Hasbro Children’s care team.”