Air Date: October 11, 2018
When Molly Reeser was a student at Michigan State, she worked at a nearby farm to earn extra school money. That’s where she met a young girl named Casey.
Molly: I noticed this young girl who was evidently going through cancer treatment when she was at the barn she was there to experience you know (Mitch: Being a child) normalcy exactly. So Casey passed away about a year and a half after I got to know her we all got together and said lets do something to honor Casey’s life and we will call it Camp Casey.
Camp Casey was a day full of horseback riding, crafts and fun for children going through cancer treatment.
Molly: It was supposed to be a one time thing but about a week later I received a letter from a little boy that said thank you for the best day of my life and he was 4 and I remember thinking oh well we have to do this again.
Camp Casey became a weekly event. But bringing a group of immune suppressed children to a farm became an issue, so Molly found a solution – Horsey House Calls.
Mitch: You literally bring the horse to the house.
Molly: Yes we have been to apartments we have been to condos we have been to trailer parks you name it if a child is living there we will show up. Seeing the look of utter shock surprise and sometimes fear that we help them conquer I think that’s where parents would be able to witness their child not as a cancer patient but as a child again. I think that’s where my battery gets recharged and I’m really proud of the work.
Through Camp Casey and Horsey House Calls, Molly Reeser is honoring her friend Casey, right here in the heart of Detroit.
