"Pie in the face humor" keeps spirits up for Lancaster family as 9-year-old fights cancer

LANCASTER — Nora Meek and her family had only just moved to Lancaster in June of 2021. A move can be a big change in any 9-year old's life, but she was about to get another life-shattering update in September.

Nora was diagnosed with a glioblastoma, a brain cancer tumor, in September. She had started school at Mt Pleasant Elementary that fall and had told her mom she'd had a headache a week before the diagnosis.

Luckily, after the diagnosis, Nora began receiving treatment, and the cancer is stable at the moment. A local non-profit organization dedicated to helping the families of children with cancer has been assisting the Meeks with the medical bills associated with Nora's treatment, and it's meant the world to her mom, Drew.

"This is every parents' worst nightmare. You pray it never happens to your child. When Nora was diagnosed, I was worried it was genetic since my grandfather had lung cancer when I was four," Drew said. "But the doctors assured me it wasn't, but the news is still devastating. I pray every day, and I have to be strong for Nora."

"Nora is so resilient though, and she's such a comedian. She knows she has cancer, she's even named the tumor 'Harold.'"

The diagnosis came after Nora was complaining about headaches and migraines in the morning.

And while the fight with Harold is progressing, Drew said it's still been difficult to adapt. Nora's diet has been changed, and she's been doing remote learning since she completed treatment in October. They recently found out the trial drug Nora is taking affects her skeletal-muscular system, meaning her bones have been impacted, and that will likely require a booster to balance that out.

"It's so unbelievable how tough she is. I tried to picture myself as a 9-year-old dealing with this, and I think I'd just be bawling my eyes out all the time. She's taking it like a champ, and I'm so proud of her," Drew said.

Drew has been taking care of Nora and her 7-year-old daughter Lila. Working from home because of the coronavirus pandemic has been a blessing in disguise, so she can stay close to her daughter. But one thing that crept up on her is the medical bills for Nora's treatment.

"We moved to Lancaster to get closer to my family. We have their support when we need it, but we've also relied on the American Pie Party, who has been able to help us immensely with our bills," Drew said.

Her cousin met the APP's Board President Kim McKeand at a fundraiser, and after hearing about their mission to assist families of children with cancer, he asked if Drew and Nora qualified, before passing her contact info onto Drew.

"It sat there for a while. I told myself I could handle the bills, but after a while, I swallowed my pride and reached out to her. We agreed to meet and had a chat about Nora. I laid out the bills that needed paid and asked if they could just pay what they could," Drew said. "She took them all. It was such a huge relief."

McKeand said that's what the American Pie Party is all about. Based in Pickerington, it was started as a way to raise awareness about cancer, focusing on adults and acting as a third-party fundraiser.

"When I joined a few years ago, we shifted our focus to make our mission more personal. We felt it would benefit families more to help them take care of their children, especially because cancer can be such a horrible situation," she said. "It's a direct impact we can provide, and we're looking to grow to help more families."

She added they helped around eight families in 2021. And while there is generally a cap on the amount the organization will give, the more they raise, "the more we can help."

"Our board is entirely voluntary, we're here because we care about families and their children. Two of our board members have had children with cancer, so we know what it takes and what they have to endure," McKeand said. "However we can alleviate any burden or pressures, that's what we're going to help with. Even if it means helping enough so they can go do something fun as a family, that's what we're looking to help with."

"We want those families to focus beyond the sickness, beyond having to pay bills. We want them to be a family together."

Founded by Tony Sobony, the American Pie Party works to fight cancer with "pie in the face humor," literally. Supporters can host parties and commit to getting hit in the face with a pie for a donation amount. According to its website, Sobony, a cancer survivor himself, has officially accepted 56,045 Pies in the Face and 69,971 overall in 40 years of service to the cause.

"It's quintessential humor. It's one of our biggest fundraisers, and it's a pretty good time, because who can resist laughing at a pie to the face," McKeand said. "We also host other events, such as a dinner coming up on Feb. 12. Drew will be a guest speaker."

She added more information about the organization and its upcoming events and donation opportunities can be found at their website www.theamericanpieparty.org/ or their Facebook page.

For the Meek family, the help from the Pie Party has been huge. Drew said the family has been able to do fun things now.

"It's not something you think about when your kids are healthy, that $25 or so to take them to the movies. Then, when you're faced with medical bills, it comes out of nowhere," she said. "And I have insurance, but reaching that deductible is just so hard to do. I had no idea there were organizations like this out there, but I never expected to need them."

"It's crazy how much the community has stepped in. Our neighbors have helped around the house, the American Pie Party covered quite a lot of the expenses, and we were able to do a Make-A-Wish trip with Nora and Lila."

The family took a trip to the Mall of America, even though Nora had told her mom she'd have been fine with a shopping trip in Lancaster.

"It was a fun trip, I liked everything about it. I also like staying home from school, I don't think I'm ready to go back. I like being close to my mom," Nora said. "I'm also glad the people at the American Pie Party have been helping us."

Drew said she's already looking at ways to give back to the American Pie Party.

"I love to help out. I think if you get help, you need to turn around and give it back to someone else who needs it. I asked Kim what I could do, and offered to volunteer since finances are tight. But she told me I just need to help get the word out there about the pie party," she said. "This whole experience has been insane. We've just felt bombarded from the start, but knowing there's help from a group like the pie party, one that's genuine, is just so nice."

All for Love Benefit Dinner information

The American Pie Party will be hosting its first All for Love Benefit Dinner from 7 to 11 p.m. on Feb. 12 at the Boat House in Confluence Park in Columbus. The event will include live music from The William Brady Project, a silent and live auction, bourbon tasting, and more. To reserve a table, visit https://www.theamericanpieparty.org/events.

Barrett Lawlis is a reporter with the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette. You can share story ideas or comments with him at 740-681-4342 or send an e-mail to blawlis@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @BarrettLawlis

This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: Organization helps Lancaster family with medical bills with pie humor