Cancer survivor will ride in Rose Parade





Calabasas-area resident Emily Buelow was 4 years old when she was diagnosed with leukemia. Three years after her initial treatment, her cancer returned and she underwent additional rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant.

Less than one year later, Emily’s younger brother, Max, relied on his big sister to support him during his diagnosis with Ewings Sarcoma, a form of nonhereditary bone cancer. In March this year, Max, 11 years old, died after a five-year bout with cancer.

To honor her brother and celebrate her cancer remission, Emily will ride on the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southern California float during the 118th annual Tournament of Roses Parade on Jan 1. She will ride the five-mile route alongside five other children facing lifethreatening illnesses who have benefited from the services of the charity.

“Emily loves and misses her brother very much,” said Tracey Buelow, the children’s mother. “The opportunity to ride on the float is her special way of remembering Max and celebrating his life.”

Emily is now 13 years old and an eighth-grader at A.E. Wright Middle School in Calabasas.

Emily and Max both spent time at Camp Ronald McDonald for Good Times in Idyllwild in Riverside County. The camp provides free, medicallysupervised sleepaway camp experiences for children with cancer and other serious illnesses. A volunteer staff of medical and other professionals runs the week-long sessions.

Since 1982, the camp has hosted thousands of campers from across the United States and around the world.


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