Cancer Article, Book: A Case For Adventures by Katie Kerr

Janine Perkett, Lola Perkett, Cary Pallin, Bruce Perkett, and Eric Pallin

The woman in the blue is Cary Pallin, a Radiologist from Kenosha, Wisconsin.  What great person!  I have always admired her strength, intelligence, love of life, and sense of humor. Our kids used to play together when they were young. She's always been an inspiration, but I've been thinking about her more lately because of the recent article I did for the Evansville Courier & Press on a program called ConKerr Cancer.  It made me reflect on her job--what important work she (and her husband) take on!   One of their kids plans on following in their footsteps-- that child had an interesting internship in Tanzania.  I can't imagine...

The article I wrote was the cover article for the Warrick (the county I live in) Tab in the Courier.  The boy pictured, Ryan Kerr,  had bone cancer.  His mother started making cheery pillow cases for her son and others in the hospital when he had to be there for treatment. He has passed on, but people like Shirley Stephan, the local woman pictured above, continue to sew for other children with cancer and life threatening diseases, keeping his memory alive.  To find out more about how the program was inspired and has spread, go to http://www.conkerrcancer.com/.

The young woman holding the book is Ryan Kerr's sister, Katie.  She wrote a book A Case For Adventures to help children understand what it's like for a classmate or friend to go back to school after having treatment.  I haven't read it, but I do want  to order that book and encourage people to donate her book to hospitals with children facing this problem.