2027 RECIPIENTS
Burn Survivor Recipient: James Hosman
James Hosman threw gas onto a fire pit after it had rained all night. The result was a fireball that basically engulfed his right side.
Scares That Care is honored to offer $10,000 to Hosman towards his treatment and recovery.
2026 RECIPIENTS
Breast Cancer Recipient: Mindy Rhone
Being a military wife and raising three kids is tough enough, but on top of that, Mindy Rhone has been diagnosed with Stage IV Breast Cancer that has gone into her lymph nodes. We know, though, that Mindy's got this, and she is our 2026 Scares That Care gift recipient so that she doesn’t fight this battle alone.
Scares That Care was honored to offer $10,000 to Rhone towards her treatment. The board presented her with a check for $10,000 at Author Con VI on February 28, 2026.
Uncle Sid's Kid for 2026: Breanna Neveri
Breanna Neveri is 11 years old. She has late infantile batten disease (also known as cln2). Children with this disease, lose their ability to walk, talk, and to eat. They go blind and form dementia. They have seizures, and eventually the seizures become more difficult to control. This disease is fatal, and there is currently no cure.
Breanna receives a bi-weekly Infusion of Brineura at Rush in Chicago. This is enzyme replacement therapy that is administered directly to the brain. This has slowed down progression of the disease a little bit, and helps tremendously with seizures.
Scares That Care is honored to offer $10,000 to the Neveri family towards Breanna's care.
Burn Survivor Recipient: Michelle Morley
Michelle, her husband Tom, and their neighbor Carolyn were hanging out on the patio like many other nights. Towards the end of the evening, Tom went in and Carolyn was going home. Michelle got up and turned around to pick up her phone. She backed up, not realizing how close she was to the fire, and fell backwards over the wall and into the fire pit. Fortunately, Carolyn heard her scream, and came running back to pull her out. She suffered second and third degree burns on her back, legs, and buttocks, as well as her hands and arms. The local hospital gave her emergency care, but it was not equipped to handle burn injuries, so she was airlifted to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, where she has remained since Friday, May 8. Although there have been fits and starts, she's generally recovering well after three surgeries.
Scares That Care is honored to offer $10,000 to Morley towards her treatment and recovery.
2025 RECIPIENTS
Uncle Sid's Kid for 2025: Joycelyn Thigpen
Our 2025 Uncle Sid's Kid recipient is Joycelyn Thigpen.
Joycelyn is a 13-year-old girl who loves horses, oldies music, and a good poop joke. She also has a life-limiting rare genetic disorder, Nonketotic Hyperglycinemia, or NKH. NKH is a terminal illness that causes severe neurological issues leading to weak muscle tone, respiratory issues, seizures, and developmental delay. There is currently no cure and only a limited number of treatments that are thought to possibly improve daily life.
Scares That Care is honored to offer $10,000 to the Thigpen family towards Joycelyn's care.
Breast Cancer Recipient: Josephine Ziegler
In 2014, Josephine Ziegler was diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer. After treatment and a double mastectomy, the cancer went into remission. Ten years later, in July of 2024, Josephine started experiencing breathing issues and pain in her rib area. The doctors performed an MRI and discovered that she had lesions on her bone and water around her heart, indicating the return of the cancer coupled with heart failure. They followed up with a full body scan and a bone marrow biopsy, the results of which revealed that Josephine had tumors in her thoracic vertebrae, skull, pelvis and upper neck area. She was subsequently diagnosed with Stage 4 metastatic breast cancer.
Scares That Care is honored to offer $10,000 to Ziegler towards her treatment.
Burn Survivor Recipient: Zach Lancaster
Our 2025 Burn Survivor Recipient is Zach Lancaster.
Zach lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. In March of 2025, he was on his was to work when his vape pen suddenly exploded in his front pants pocket, catching his clothing on fire. This caused third degree burns to his left leg and hands. Although he's doing much better, the bills are now coming in...and the ambulance ride alone was $3,000.
Scares That Care is proud to donate $10,000 towards Zach's care.
2024 RECIPIENTS
Uncle Sid's Kid for 2024: Kylie Sainz
Our 2024 Uncle Sid's Kid recipient is Kylie Sainz.
Kylie is a 17-year-old girl who was born with Down Syndrome. In most situations, Kylie was like any other typical teenager. She loved to dance in her room, enjoyed making TikTok’s, being with friends at school and was even a cheerleader.
That all changed in the spring time of her junior year of high school. Kylie was beginning to get sick all the time. After weeks of sickness, Kylie was too weak to go to school. A blood test revealed that Kylie had leukemia.
Kylie's parents were devastated upon hearing the news that their baby will have to endure a long journey on the road to recovery. With many obstacles on her cancer journey. she tries to keep a smile. It hasn’t been easy for her, but she takes it one day at a time.
Scares That Care is proud to offer $10,000 to the Sainz family towards Kylie's treatment.
Breast Cancer Recipient: Christy Aviles
Christy Aviles is our 2024 Breast Cancer Recipient.
Christy's story:
"I was diagnosed with HER 2+ breast cancer that had spread to my lymph nodes in March 2023. This was a complete surprise to me. I had no breast cancer in my family. It had been three years since my last mammogram, Covid really threw things out of whack and I didn't realize I had gone that long without one. HER 2+ is a very aggressive and fast growing cancer in three years I went from nothing detectable to stage 2 already in my lymph nodes. I began TCHP chemotherapy in April. I did 6 rounds and then had a single mastectomy and lymph node removal. During the surgery my cancer had shrunk but was still there. My oncologist prescribed 16 more rounds of chemotherapy on a different drug called Kadcyla which my insurance company denied. Luckily my oncologist worked extremely hard to get the drug covered by the company that made it. It was a terrifying experience to think that my life was in the hands of my insurance company. That I had the right treatments available and the best care but they could say no to this life saving treatment. I have had 3 rounds of the Kadcyla so far with 13 more to go. I receive the infusions every three weeks. I have just finished 30 rounds of Radiation. This treatment was everyday Monday through Friday and 50 miles away in each direction. I had a a rough time with the exhaustion and even developed a skin infection. I'm very glad to have rung the bell and have radiation behind me. In approximately 6 months I will undergo the first part of my reconstruction."
Scares That Care is proud to offer Christy Aviles $10,000 towards her treatment.
Burn Survivor Recipient: Jack Roberts
Meet Jack Roberts, our 2024 burn survivor recipient for “Scares That Care.
On March 16, one-year-old Jack Roberts pulled the cord on a clothes steamer, and boiling water poured all over his neck, shoulder, arm, and chest. He was immediately rushed to the hospital in Columbia, South Carolina, where he was given pain medication and then transported to a burn center in Augusta, Georgia. They diagnosed him with second-degree burns and scheduled him for an operation the following morning. He underwent a surgical debridement to remove damaged tissue and was administered an allograft, a combination of cadaver skin and stem cells.
To minimize permanent scarring, he needs six daily lotion treatments and massages and has to avoid direct sunlight for up to a year. He will also maintain routine appointments at the burn center in Georgia until completely released from care. Throughout the entire ordeal, Jack has remained strong and never lost his smile.
Although Jack is healing nicely, the bills are starting to come due. Scares That Care is proud to offer $10,000 towards Jack's treatment.
2023 RECIPIENTS
Uncle Sid's Kid for 2023: Lucius Whatley
Our 2023 Uncle Sid's Kid recipient is Lucius Whatley.
Lucius was taken to the emergency room February 28th, 2023. He was taken by helicopter to Wolfsons Children's Hospital. Lucius spent seven days in the ICU. There, he was diagnosed with Stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma, with a tumor in his chest cavity more than 1/3 the size of his chest. He will be doing 5 rounds of chemo and likely radiation.
Lucius loves video games, skateboarding, animals, is witty and a little sassy, but most of all he’s a kid trying to live a normal life doing normal kid things while trying to battle through both the good days and the bad days.
His family is struggling - physically, emotionally, and financially, and we are giving his family $10,000 towards his care.
2023 Breast Cancer Gift Recipient: Dannielle Williams
Our 2023 Breast Cancer Gift Recipient is Dannielle Williams.
Dannielle Williams was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Carcinoma and Aggressive Breast Cancer on October 11, 2022. She says of her diagnosis, "I felt my whole world crashing in on me and couldn't believe this was happening to me. I've always done regular self-breast exam checks. I was already dealing with Fibromyalgia for the last 21 years."
Dannielle started a Chemotherapy treatment plan for 6 months in November 2022. She finished her chemotherapy treatments and rang the chemo bell on April 4, 2023. She's been in a lot of pain due to neuropathy and pain over her entire body. She's currently doing immunotherapy infusions every three weeks. She had a double mastectomy with reconstructive surgery in May, for which she had to take a leave of absence from work.
Dannielle adds, "I have an amazing support system!! My loving husband has been awesome working tiresomely to take care of me. My family and friends have been so supportive throughout this devastating time in my life. I'm making it a point to keep a positive outlook even though sometimes its gets a little challenging. I'm a fighter and I plan on beating this."
Scares That Care is adding to that support system with a gift of $10,000.
2023 Burn Victim Recipient: Mid-Atlantic Burn Camp
Our 2023 Burn Victim Recipient is the Mid-Atlantic Burn Camp.
From their website: "The mission of the Mid-Atlantic Burn Camp Fund is to assist young burn survivors from the Mid-Atlantic region and their families in their adjustment to injury by providing an annual therapeutic residential summer camp and other year-round activities that support their physical, psychological, and social needs."
2022 RECIPIENTS
2022 Burn Survivor Recipient: Jordan Mestres
After catching Covid-19, Jordan Mestres was taking a shower to try and feel better, when he passed out. This caused him to accidentally turn the hot water to a scalding 155 degrees. This caused severe burn injuries. Although he is doing better, there’s still a long way to go. But now he has us. Please welcome Jordan to the Scares That Care family!
Uncle Sid’s Kid for 2022: Ryan
In 2019, Ryan was diagnosed with a brain tumor (Diffuse leptomeningeal glioneuronal tumor, or “DL-GNT.”) Ryan has endured several brain surgeries over the last two years. As a result, re-learning how to eat, walk and other age milestones have become routine. While more surgeries are likely in the future, he is always ready to fight. So are we. Please welcome Ryan to the Scares That Care family!
2022 Breast Cancer gift recipient: Dawn Fugate
Our 2022 Breast Cancer gift recipient - Dawn Fugate - was utterly shocked and surprised to find out that she had been nominated by our Board of Directors. She didn’t know of her nomination until our Holiday dinner and dance. Additionally, she was even MORE surprised to find out that instead of waiting until the end of 2022 to receive her check - she received it that very same night! Pictured with her sister Donna Thew, her disease has progressed to the point where her voice box needed to be removed. Still a long way to go, but the help from you has been invaluable!
2021 RECIPIENTS
Tre
Tre, the first Uncle Sid's Kid for 2021, was born at 23 weeks premature and wound up spending 252 days in the NICU. He is currently trach/ventilator dependent, and also has a feeding tube. If that’s not enough for this little warrior to go through, he was recently diagnosed with stage 3 liver cancer, and is currently receiving chemotherapy to assist in shrinking the tumor inside his little liver.
Shannon Walter
Diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019, which has metastasized to her brain and spinal fluid. She’s on oral chemotherapy and needs all of our love and support.
Our Brest Cancer Warrior for 2021, please welcome Shannon to our family!
Efrain
Efrain Negron Jr., and his family lost everything in a fire. We are happy and proud to introduce you to Efrain and the entire Negron family, our "I Helped Kane" burn survivor recipient!
Lewis
As STC continues to grow, so must our mission. 2021 is the first year we set out to help four families in need.
Lewis is the second "Uncle Sid's Kid" for 2021! Lewis, like any other boy, loves to play and have fun.
Unfortunately, what you can’t see is that on the inside, he suffers from Cystic Fibrosis. Commonly referred to as “Sixty-Five Roses” by smaller children because it’s easier to say.
2020 RECIPIENTS
Natalya
As COVID-19 raged on, we shifted the annual charity weekend online and invited Natalya's Mom to the event to talk about her and Uncle Sid's Kid Natalya's challenges with Brian Keene and Joe Ripple. What she didn't know is her check presentation was ready too!
Laura
Sometimes we surprise our sponsored families at their homes. Volunteer Stephanie Weston-Rothfus was able present to travel to Laura's home for this presentation!
Patricia
A simple request to meet for a family dinner to share updates turns into a check presentation opportunity for Patricia from Volunteer Scott Perry as part of the I Helped Kane program.
Sid Haig - 1939 to 2019
While Sid was not a recipient of Scares That Care, he was certainly one of our champions. His faith and generosity in our work, along with being a regular to the Charity Weekend conventions, he donated his time and money to our mission and was a constant delight to his fans.
After his passing, we received permission to use "Uncle Sid's Kid" as the new title for the sick child program.