March 5, 2025 — When Evelynn was born in the spring of 2021, her parents had no idea that seven short months later their daughter’s doctors would find a tumor sitting inside her spine, shaped like a dumbbell with large masses protruding from each end. And shortly after, the family would receive a devastating diagnosis – neuroblastoma, a form of childhood cancer.
Evelynn is the daughter of Jilynn, a PEF member who works at the Western New York Children’s Psychiatric Center (PEF Division 167). She is also this year’s Celebrity Child for the 63rd Annual Variety Kids Telethon. She and her family will be part of the 6 to 11 pm. March 8 program on WGRZ, Channel 2, in Buffalo, and the 10 a.m. to 8 a.m. March 9, with labor hour from 1 to 4, on WBBZ, Channel 5 and streaming online.
“She is a spitfire, she is amazing,” said PEF Division 167 Council Leader Patricia Moran. “She’s funny. She’s kind. She’s loving. She’s modest. And she loves her baby brother!”
Evelynn was treated at Oishei Children’s Hospital and Roswell Park Pediatric Clinic. She successfully completed eight rounds of chemotherapy and has been in remission for more than two years.
With the tumor’s location, Evelynn has a spinal cord injury and partial paralysis, but she doesn’t let it stop her. She continues to push forward, participating in physical therapy four times per week through the Robert Warner Center, The Motion Project, and school-based physical therapy. She has made a tremendous amount of progress, including being able to walk for short periods of time with assistive equipment.
If Jilynn had to describe her daughter with one word – it would be resilient.
“Her ability to overcome the major obstacle of beating cancer and then continuing to overcome all the obstacles of her spinal cord injury just amazed us,” Jilynn said.
The family hopes the telethon helps them share Evellynn’s story and raise money for other children facing illness or disability.
“It has been a privilege and an honor to be able to share Evelynn’s story in an effort to raise funds for multiple agencies that have helped us on our journey of hope,” Jilynn said. “Evelynn has been the face and the voice of the telethon. It’s been amazing to be a part of that. Being able to turn around something horrible that happened to our daughter to something good has given all this some purpose.”
For Jilynn, the telethon is also an opportunity to instill good values in her daughter.
“I think one of the reasons we wanted to do this is for Evelynn to be part of something bigger than herself,” she said. “Using our story to advocate and help others is a way of hoping and moving forward.”
The telethon, the longest running, locally produced telethon in the nation, has been serving the needs of Western New York’s sick, disabled, and disadvantaged children for more than 80 years.
“We are really lucky we have the best cancer institution in the country, Roswell Park; the best children’s hospital, Oishei; and the best psychiatric center, Western New York Children’s Psychiatric Center,” Moran said.
Anyone can donate to the telethon. Just visit the Variety Kids Telethon website to get started.