Rusty Fund

 

Michelle “Rusty Pierce” Oaks

 

In The Net Soccer Academy, family and friends, have raised over $15,000 for Michelle and the Rusty Fund!  Thank you to those who have helped with this great cause!

 

Please click here to read an article published March 23, 2006 in the Neighborhood News section of The Goffstown News.

Where did the name Rusty come from you might ask?  Here is an explanation from Michelle's mom.

Everyone at the In The Net started calling her Rusty and from there it stuck. She has earned the nick-name "Rusty" by Patrick and all of the coaches because of her unbelievable ability to not let anyone get by her, regardless of age, and her great desire to compete and work hard (just like Rusty Pierce from the NE Revolution). There's a little more to the story that you can see by going to www.inthenetsoccer.com and clicking on the red box in the upper left corner, that says "Rusty Fund". Our family has really been blessed by all that Patrick has done to help us through all this with Michelle. He has a great big heart for kids. So if any of you are considering summer camp and like soccer, check out the rest of Patrick's site while you are there. Michelle loves his camps and would be at one every week of the summer if she could. I think we got in 4 weeks last summer. It would have been more, but she had a heel injury that she had to let rest. She will miss it this year, but we are keeping summer of 2007 as a return-date goal. (no pun intended).

 

In The Net Soccer Academy is proud to announce the beginning of the Rusty Fund on 11/28/05. The Rusty Fund is based on good friend, Michelle "Rusty Pierce" Oaks, who is a long time In The Net Soccer Academy player. Michelle, age 10, has been coming to In The Net for several years through the various team clinics as well as summer camps. Michelle is an unbelievable soccer player but more importantly, an unbelievable little girl that always wants a soccer ball around, and always has a smile on her cute, adorable face.

Unfortunately, Michelle was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Neuroblastoma, which is a cancerous tumor (Stage 4 Cancer), in Oct. of 2005 and continues to have several tumors growing throughout her body.  She has been receiving a highly aggressive form of chemotherapy, that could last up to 12 months at children's hospital in Boston.  Her day-to-day activities are very limited as she is having trouble eating, moving around, and tires easily.  She is currently receiving Chemo treatment at the Children’s Hospital in Boston from the areas best doctors.  Despite being in great hands, this 9-12 month process has Michelle and her family fighting every day to get through this rough time and need as much support as possible.

 In The Net Soccer Academy has promised $1 from every In The Net participant starting Jan. 1, 2006, regardless of program, to go into the Rusty Fund to help the Oaks family cope with this very difficult time.  In The Net will also be hosting several tournaments, events and clinics throughout the year to help raise money for Michelle and her family.  Please be on the lookout for these upcoming events and please help, donate, and/or participate as much as possible to raise money for the Rusty Project.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Michelle and her family because we all know if there is someone that will beat this, it is Rusty.  We love you, pray for you and think of you every day!
 

Find out how you can help:

Whether you’re a coach, parent, child or fan, harness your love of soccer into this great cause.  The Rusty Fund and In The Net Soccer Academy will do everything in its power to help beat Cancer, especially with kids, and hopes to team up the American Cancer Society and the National Soccer Coaches of America Association to win this fight.  We also plan on approaching business leaders from across the country to explore new and innovative ways to fund the fight against cancer and send the powerful message that we can win. 

To donate directly, find out more information, or become a sponsor of the Rusty fund, please contact Patrick at Patrick@inthenetsoccer.com

We need as many people as possible to rally around this by making a contribution. Make a special gift to support our lifesaving cause and let us know you’re on the In The Net Rusty Fund team.

One example of what a team is doing to help raise money:

Parents pledge between 1 and 5 dollars per goal your team scores during the winter, spring, and / or 1+ year(s). For example: a winter indoor 8 week session, we scored 9 goals so if you pledged a 2 dollar amount, your donation would be 18 dollars. Any pledge amounts, large or small would be very helpful. You would then present a check in the amount raised by your players and parents to Patrick Mulcahy from In The Net Soccer on behalf of your team. This would be a team effort but you could also combine pledge amounts from other teams and clubs as well as anything and everything will help.

To receive updates on Rusty and her progress from her family, please click here…..
http://www.carepages.com/ServeCarePage?cpn=chickwithkick&uniq=243867

On behalf of Michelle (“Rusty”), the Oaks family, Patrick Mulcahy and In The Net Soccer, we all thank you in advance for your time, generosity, and efforts with this project.  We are very grateful for any and all gifts, as we support Michelle through the course of her disease and treatment.

December 18, 2005……A day I will never forget, by Patrick Mulcahy

 

I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Michelle at her home before she went down to Boston for her second round of chemo treatment.  Let me tell you, you would have never known she was sick.  For the 2 hours I was there, time just flew by.  She was non stop smiles, totally up-beat w/ her pictures and wonderful presents from all her friends and teammates, full of energy (especially when I sat on the woopie chair), and truly amazing inside and out.  Despite what was going on, she acted as if nothing was wrong and just acted like a healthy, fun loving 10 year old girl. Michelle was so beautiful that day. 

Her mom and grandmother (dog too) were all there as well and they were amazing.  They were so loving, caring and generous to allow me to be in their home sharing those priceless moments with Michelle.   I will never forget that day!  Thank you!

Thank you Michelle for being the Rusty we all know and love and thank you Mrs. Oaks for allowing me to share that wonderful day with you and Michelle.

Please keep the daily thoughts and prayers coming from everyone as they are working, I could see it in Michelle’s eyes!

From Mrs. Oaks in Michelle’s Care Page…….

Good morning!
Hope this finds everyone well and enjoying the season. Is anyone done with all their shopping, wrapping and baking? You're making the rest of us look bad....Gift certificates were made for years like this.
Michelle is in her 3rd day of chemo and things are going very well. This morning she ate 3! waffles and loads of sugared strawberries. She has had very little nausea and lots of energy. She likes wheeling herself around in a wheelchair to help build some upper body strength. Yesterday she climbed up and down 7 flights of stairs and walked around the 1st floor a bit. She even jogged a short distance, but found that it made her stomach upset. So, no jogging for a while. The last several days before chemo were good ones at home. She went out for breakfast with Granma and I one morning. On Wednesday afternoon Kim brought Taylor and Michael over for a visit. They had gotten a small artificial tree for Michelle, and Taylor and Michael made lots of beautiful ornaments to decorate it. It is very pretty. On Thursday Patrick Mulcahy visited with Michelle for a couple of hours. She really enjoyed the visit. She got Patrick to sit on a leather ottoman that makes noises like a whoopee cushion when anyone sits on it. The kids get a lot of laughs out of that ottoman. Both Michelle and our dog Molly were sad to see Patrick leave. Molly nearly went into a coma getting her belly rubbed. She was so relaxed we thought she might start drooling! Later that afternoon Coach Kevin brought "T" and Brie over for a short visit. They brought over several DVDs of Windham and Tri-Town soccer games. Coach Bill or his wife Laurie tape the games. They made copies for Michelle to watch during some of her long car rides back and forth to Boston. Thank you Coach Bill, and thank you to the wonderful people who gave Michelle a portable mini-DVD player as an early Christmas present. She is enjoying it very much. Michelle, "T", and Brie enjoyed playing around with Michelle's new wig and the adjustable bed that Grandpa Oaks brought up from Connecticut for her. After they left, Ken, Michelle and I left for Boston, to avoid the bad weather on Friday morning. We stayed at the Ronald McDonald House that night. It was our first time there. It is very homey and they have thought about nearly everything to meet the needs of families with children fighting serious diseases.
If any one of you has donated to the Ronald McDonald House you made a good investment.
Please continue to pray for Michelle's recovery, and specifically for her to continue feeling well this week so that we can leave here on time to enjoy Derek's birthday and Christmas.

 

Love to all. 
The Oaks Family.