SCRANTON, Pa. -- More than 7,000 filled tables and take out containers at the seventh annual McAndrew Family Cookies for Kids' Cancer Bake Sale. The bake sale was held at the Lackawanna County Career Technology Center.
“The proceeds from this bake sale goes to pediatric cancer research to develop less toxic drugs for the children. But for the past two years, including this one, we've decided to give half the proceeds to a local child,” culinary instructor at the Career Technology Center Mark McAndrew said.
This year, that local child, a special one to the McAndrew family. Three-year-old Vivienne Budzyn.
“Markie was actually, when she was going through the hard chemo, Markie was the one that was cutting her hair and dying it for her, so she was having fun with it while it was falling out,” Vivienne’s mother Marissa Budzyn said.
Markie McAndrew works at Studio Rd in Scranton. When Vivienne was diagnosed with a form of leukemia last year, she helped make her feel beautiful while going through treatment.
“She is the cutest, sweetest, most energized girl I know,” Markie McAndrew said.
Now, Vivienne is in remission, the best Christmas gift the Budzyn's could ask for.
“She was diagnosed last year, December 21st, right before Christmas. So, for just everyone to come together for an event like this for the holidays you know all the families, it's starting the holidays off right this year, and we're very thankful for this,” Vivienne’s father Vincent Budzyn said.
Although Vivienne is in remission, she still has many treatments left to go, and her parents say they are so thankful for the community support.
“Mr. McAndrew, the amount of work and time he put into this, it's incredible. And to do it for our Vivienne and for pediatric cancer is awesome,” Vincent said.
The McAndrew family bake sale raised over $7,000.