MONROE, CT — Laura and Steven Harbron’s son, Carter, was admitted to the Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital’s emergency room on February 8, 2024, when his pneumonia lingered for over a month and he started breathing too fast. Test results led to the sobering news of their little boy’s diagnosis of Stage 4 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. The cancer had spread to his liver, spleen, bone marrow, lymph nodes and above and below his diaphragm.
Thor the therapy dog and nonprofit organizations helped the Habron family rally as Carter completed five grueling rounds of chemotherapy. Now age 8, Carter is cancer-free and enrolled in the third grade at Fawn Hollow Elementary School.
Laura Harbron, a Monroe Farmers’ Market volunteer of three years, felt so much gratitude for the help her family received, that she approached Market Manager Kelly Plunkett about organizing the market’s first Hope Grows Here fundraiser.
Gold ribbons adorned booths on the town green during the event on Sept. 5 and donations wer
e raised through a golden lemonade fundraiser, benefiting the Tommy Fund, Circle of Care and the Masuk High School chapter of the of the Andrew McDonough B+ Foundation.
Monroe Farmers’ Market patrons were encouraged to sign a banner to pen heartfelTot wishes of hope and heath for young patients of the Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital. Harbron also held a toy drive for the children there.
The nonprofits had booths and farmers’ market volunteers wore yellow T-shirts with a hand on the back with heart and a ribbon in the palm, and the message “Hope Grows Here.”
Members of the Harbron family attending the market, included Laura and Steven and their children Claire, 14, Cooper, 13, and Carter.
Thor gets an invitation
Scott Weiss, of Monroe, trained his four-year-old golden retriever, Thor, to be a therapy dog, certified through the American Kennel Club.
“Thor works at the Yale Children’s Hospital and his first day on the job he saw Carter,” said Weiss, as Carter pet his dog on the grass during the farmers’ market.
“He saw 10,000 people for official visits, though he’s seen a lot more overall,” Weiss said of his dog.
Thor also participates in the Read to Thor program for children who are reluctant readers in grades K through five. Weiss said children feel more comfortable reading to therapy dogs and show improvement in their skills through the program.
Thor visits Edith Wheeler Memorial Library in Monroe, as well as public libraries in Easton, Trumbull and Newtown.
Thor also visits Masuk High School students, helping to lower their stress during midterms, as well as going to scheduled visits with families.
“We’re a therapy dog team, but I know who the star is,” Weiss said, smiling at Thor.
Team Impact
The Sacred Heart University football team adopted Carter as an honorary captain after Team Impact, a nonprofit, connected the Harbron family with the school.
Laura Harbron said the nonprofit works to lift the spirits of children suffering from life-threatening illnesses by forming relationships with college sports teams.
“We go to all the home games,” she said.
A few athletes from Sacred Heart attended the Hope Grows fundraiser, including junior linebacker Alex Torres, sophomore linebacker Tommy Costigan, junior safety Peter Costigan and Jaxon Torres, a junior on the SHU wrestling team.
Circle of Care
Harbron said Circle of Care, a nonprofit based in Wilton, supported her family and got her in touch with another Monroe mother who went through the same thing years ago when her son was diagnosed with stage three Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
“We met at Last Drop Coffee Shop,” Harbron recalled. “At least two other Monroe families are currently affected.”
Circle of Care’s booth had a colorful spinning wheel for prizes and literature about the nonprofit.
“We help with practical, emotional and financial support — all non-medical, supporting the families and helping them get through,” said Heather Stabinsky, the marketing and communications manager at Circle of Care.
In addition to providing financial assistance and peer support, Circle of Care gives families care packages called Bags of Love, and Dream Room Makeovers for young cancer patients’ bedrooms.
On Sept. 5, the Circle of Care booth was also staffed by Jason Magalnick, a volunteer on the Teen Leadership Board, and development associate, Spencer Overbeeke, who was dressed as a sneaker to promote the Circle of Care Make Tracks for Kids with Cancer 5K.
The walk/run will be held at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport on Sunday, Sept. 28. For information on the event, click here.
Tommy Fund
Harbron said the Tommy Fund for Childhood Cancer helps with back to school drives and does a Christmas bags event.
On Sep. 5, Rebecca M. Santoli, executive director of the Tommy Fund, stood at the nonprofit’s booth. She said one of its biggest fundraisers is Hats for Hope, in which children donate one dollar for the privilege of wearing a hat to school.
Schools that raise the most money receive a visit from the University of Connecticut basketball team on the nonprofit’s behalf, according to Santoli.
“The money supports patients’ and families in Connecticut that receive care at Yale New Haven Children’s Hospital,” Santoli said. “It is used for bills that aren’t covered or for household needs. We try to support the families emotionally, do something for the holidays and back to school.”
In June, National Cancer Survivor Month, the Tommy Fund hosts a big family fun day at the Sports Center of Connecticut in Shelton.
Since it was established in 1953, the Tommy Fund has distributed over $15 million for expenses like mortgage/rent, utilities, car expenses and more, according to the nonprofit.
Clean since June of 2024
Harbron said each of the five rounds of treatment for Carter included three days of chemo, a few days of rest, then one more shot of chemo.
“Usually by day 10 his immune system would drop and he would be in the hospital for seven-to-10 days,” Harbron said of febrile neutropenia, a life-threatening medical emergency defined by a fever combined with a low number of neutrophils, a type of white blood cell.
After the first two rounds, Carter was cancer free. But Harbron said they still did the other three rounds to complete the protocol. He has had clean scans in June of 2024 and February of 2025. His next scan is scheduled for the end of November.
“Looking back, it’s incredible to see how much Carter has overcome since last year,” Harbron said. “We are so deeply thankful.”
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