AMHERST, N.Y. (WKBW) — Thirteen-year-old Tyler Kruse was diagnosed with leukemia in December 2022.
Tyler Kruse told 7 News' Pheben Kassahun, "It's ups and downs. I've had some really good and really bad months where I just don't really feel well."
Since his diagnosis, this tenacious 8th grader has been determined to beat the merciless disease by raising funds for Courage of Carly.
Kruse said, "Courage for Carly has helped out a lot of kids and it's helped me out. I just started this foundation to help give back for all they do, and so other kids can have a great experience."
His foundation is called Tyler Tough.
This year, he has helped raise more than $10,000 by selling shirts, sweatshirts and wine, in a matter of months.
In honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, with the help of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center and Ted's Hot Dogs, Kruse is continuing his effort.
This month, 20% of all kids meals sold at participating Ted's Hot Dog will go to Roswell's Courage of Carly fund.
"When they look around and see all the kids sitting in the dining room with their fun kitty hat and the stickers saying that they helped a kid today, just by ordering a kitty meal. It grows a sense of pride for everybody in the restaurant and beyond," Ted's Hot Dogs Store Operations director, Kathy Keiper said.
It is essentially a child helping out a child on their cancer journey.
Inside each kids meal is a raffle ticket.
Kids under 18 who fill out the raffle ticket have a chance to win 4 tickets to the November 10 Sabres game, Hockey Fights Cancer Game.
"The raffle ticket that each kid is getting in their kitty meal is going to go towards a drawing that some pediatric cancer patients will be doing on October 2nd," Keiper said.
This year, in the United States, about 10,000 new cases of cancer will be diagnosed among children from birth to 14 years.
For those still on this journey, Tyler has this to say:
"Keep going. Even though you feel really bad and feel really nauseous, just try your best to eat and try your best to stay positive because it will get better," Kruse said.
