Young Cabot cancer survivor meets Mrs. Arkansas, Santa
4-year-old attends CARTI Kids Christmas Party
LITTLE ROCK — Zach Chamness, a 4-yearold cancer survivor from Cabot, was one of 50 pediatric cancer patients and families visited by Santa Claus at the annual CARTI Kids Christmas party, held Dec. 5 at the Scimitar Shrine Temple in Little Rock.
CARTI Kids attending the Christmas party ranged in age from 3-18 years old, coming from all across Arkansas and as far away as Mississippi and Texas for the celebration. Santa delivered presents to each CARTI Kid and his or her siblings with the assistance of his “elf for a day,” Mrs. Arkansas 2016 Andrea Poteete of Hot Springs.
Diagnosed with medulloblastoma at the age of 2, Zach is the son of Jill and Steve Chamness of Cabot.
“Having the opportunity to bring these young survivors together each year is the best gift we could ever hope to offer the families of those who are going through, or who have gone through, the cancer diagnosis of a child,” said Mary Machen, CARTI director of community outreach and CARTI Kids program director.
“We celebrate much more than the holidays at this party,” Machen said. “We celebrate survivorship, and we celebrate life.”
CARTI is a not-for-profit, multidisciplinary cancer-care provider offering medical and surgical oncology, diagnostic radiology and radiation oncology at locations throughout the state to provide convenient access for cancer patients. Chemotherapy is offered in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Benton, Clinton, Conway, El Dorado, Heber Springs, Russellville and Stuttgart. Radiation therapy is offered in Little Rock, North Little Rock, Conway, Mountain Home and Searcy.
The CARTI Foundation was incorporated in 1983 as a nonprofit organization to assist CARTI in meeting the current and future needs of Arkansas cancer patients and their families.
For more information, visit www.carti.com.