By Robin Ruehlen SHELBY TOWNSHIP — When friends and neighbors of Eisenhower High School senior Cassie Hines organized a spaghetti dinner fundraiser to help offset the costs of her medical treatment, they’d hoped to get at least 1,000 attendees. Instead, nearly 3,000 people came to Eisenhower for the June 23 dinner and auction to show their support for the Shelby Township 17-year-old who is currently undergoing treatment for an aggressive form of renal cell carcinoma. Eisenhower math teacher and Hines’ neighbor Tom Antishin could only describe the event as “unbelievable”. “We super-exceeded our goals, and that’s what we were hoping to do,” he said. “There were so many friends and neighbors, as well as people who don’t even know Cassie, but wanted to support her. We were in awe.” Cassie, who was diagnosed with kidney cancer in March, has already had one kidney removed. After further tests showed the cancer had spread to a lymph node and pelvic bone last month, the family is in the process of finding the best treatment route to pursue. “Eisenhower was outstanding for providing us a place to cook, and the commons area for everyone to sit and eat, which was jam-packed all night long,” Antishin said. Eisenhower special education teacher John Morrison donated his time to DJ the event, and the school’s volleyball teams sold cotton candy. Antishin said volunteers worked from 9 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. the day of the event. “We had old and young alike who came out to have fun. It was a good mix and a good crowd,” he said. Dr. Jeffrey Margolis of the Rose Cancer Center at Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital said in a statement that Cassie has a rare form of the life-threatening disease. “Renal cell carcinoma is most often found in adults three times Cassie’s age, which makes this case very challenging,” he said. Future treatment will most likely call for out-of-state medical care and various forms of experimental treatment that may not be covered by insurance, and the Hines family is getting by on one income. Karen Hines recently quit her job in order to stay home and take care of Cassie full time, and said the family was relying on the help of friends to get through the rough patches. “We did very well, and hopefully, that will make all of this a bit easier on the entire family. I know they have hard times, but they’re good people and great friends,” Antishin said. “Our main goal was to show them they have our love and support. Cassie is in very good spirits — she has some tests coming up this week, and they’ll be making some decisions here soon. ” To donate, make checks payable to the Cassie Hines Donation Fund. Send checks to Strength for Cassie, P.O. Box 18312, Shelby Township, MI 48318-3124. You can reach Staff Writer Robin Ruehlen at rruehlen@candgnews.com or at (586) 279-1105. |
