Project CommUNITY: Super Drew’s Crew changing lives for families battling childhood cancer
Super Drew's Crew is helping families navigate the toughest days of childhood cancer
Super Drew's Crew is helping families navigate the toughest days of childhood cancer
Super Drew's Crew is helping families navigate the toughest days of childhood cancer
What began as a heartbreaking cancer diagnosis for one local family has grown into a powerful mission to lift up others facing the same fight.
"The doctor came in, the air left the room, said we had a three-centimeter tumor at the base of his brain, and that we needed to go to Norton Children's immediately," said Jeremy Esposito, founder of Super Drew's Crew.
It was Christmas Eve 2018 when the Esposito family's world changed forever.
Their son Drew had a 15-hour surgery to remove a tumor, followed by months of chemotherapy and bone marrow transplants.
"We spent about a year on Seven West, and it was one of the best years of our lives, as terrible as it sounds. We met some of the best people we've ever known, and it really gave us a passion to come back here and help serve," Esposito said.
That passion became "Super Drew's Crew," a nonprofit helping pediatric cancer patients and their families.
"We go up there once a month, feed the families, kind of interact with them, give them the moral support that so many of them need to keep going," Esposito said.
Drew's dad, Jeremy, said what families need most isn't always money; it's often connection that carries them through the toughest days.
"If we can connect families to other families, if we can help them make a mortgage payment, if we can help them with, you know, a car payment or gas cards to get to clinic. You know, those little things will help get them over the hump for a cure or even just, just to get in a better spot than where they were yesterday," Esposito said.
One of the families feeling the Super Drew support firsthand is the Lowmans.
"It's more than just the lunch that they provide to families. When we come together, it's an opportunity for us to connect. It's an opportunity for us to, you know, find a sense of community and others who know what we're going through personally and can truly relate," said Ebony Lowman.
Ebony Lowman's son, Trey, was diagnosed in 2023 with a rare and aggressive brain cancer. Despite treatment, it has since spread throughout his body.
"He's currently in hospice care, but still inspires everyone he meets to find joy, no matter how difficult the road is, he's still fighting every day, so our fight continues," Lowman said.
As the Lowmans continue to face an uncertain future, Ebony said they find comfort in knowing they're not alone thanks to "Super Drew's Crew."
"And that helps to give a lot of families a sense of hope, seeing where they are today, and for some of us who continue to fight even after treatment ends, you know, it just helps to have someone that can help be there for you and to put the of some of the toughest moments," Lowman said.
Super Drew's Crew is funded entirely through community donations and volunteer support.
