The Mercer Las Vegas Grand Opening Raises $21K for
StoryBook Homes Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic
The Mercer Las Vegas, which has redefined resort lifestyle apartment living in Southern Nevada, is also having an impact on the lives of childhood cancer survivors thanks to the generosity of attendees at The Mercer’s recent grand opening earlier this month.
More than $21,000 was raised through ticket sales and additional donations from attendees. The funds will directly benefit the StoryBook Homes Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic for childhood cancer survivors. Operated by Cure 4 The Kids Foundation, the clinic is the only one of its kind in the State of Nevada focused entirely on the medical, social and emotional needs of childhood cancer survivors.
The Mercer Las Vegas is a 175-unit resort lifestyle community located at the corner of Tropicana Avenue and Grand Canyon Drive, offering one and two bedroom apartments, as well as townhouse and penthouse units. All apartment homes come with a number of upgraded features and a long list of amenities.
The Mercer was developed by the principals of StoryBook Homes, Wayne and Catherine Laska, who wanted the grand opening event to benefit the StoryBook Homes Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic and Cure 4 The Kids Foundation.
The Laska family is well aware of the needs of childhood cancer survivors, as their son Collin was diagnosed as a young child with stage four cancer. Like many childhood cancer survivors, the treatments that saved Collin’s life now pose “late-effects” that can create medical, social or emotional issues as Collin enters early adulthood.
“When our son needed long-term follow-up services, they weren’t available locally. My wife, Catherine, had to seek out experts around the country to get help,” said Wayne Laska, Principal, Storybook Homes. “Knowing the strain this puts on families, Catherine and I vowed we would support the long-term follow-up clinic in Las Vegas now that it exists. We’re proud of the fact that all childhood cancer survivors have access to the clinic, including those without medical insurance and those unable to pay for treatment.”
The StoryBook Homes Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic educates patients about their future health risks based on the specific treatment they had. Patients will undergo annual exams and are also presented with a binder of information about the specific “late-effects” that could occur. These are based on the patient’s age at time of treatment, gender and specific treatment they received. The binder is also intended as a resource for future medical providers who will be aware of a patient’s specific health needs and concerns.
Every long-term follow-up patient is seen by a board-certified pediatric hematology/oncology physician, a pediatric neuropsychologist, a social worker and education specialist.
“As childhood cancer treatments continue to improve and more children — thankfully — survive cancer, there is much more emphasis on how to keep survivors healthy the rest of their lives,” said Annette Logan, President and CEO, Cure 4 The Kids Foundation. “The StoryBook Homes Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic is essential in helping patients become aware of their health risks, and provide them with a roadmap to stay healthy. The generous donations from The Mercer’s grand opening will help us support these efforts.”
Last year, StoryBook Homes donated $500,000 to the long-term follow-up clinic which was renamed the StoryBook Homes Long-Term Follow-Clinic in recognition of the generous donation.