Imagine Dragons to honor Utah kids with cancer before concert


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SALT LAKE CITY — Imagine Dragons will honor three local kids who have cancer right before its concert Tuesday evening.

The band will personally meet with the kids and their families, who have been working with the Utah-based nonprofit organization Tyler Robinson Foundation to ease their financial burdens.

The Tyler Robinson Foundation (TRF) started two years ago after a Utah teen died from cancer. Tyler had the opportunity to meet with Imagine Dragons at one of their concerts, and after he died the band wanted to start the foundation with his family, according to Jesse Robinson, Tyler's brother and TRF grants and strategy director.

Robinson said the organization financially assists these families by giving them a grant and providing them with a volunteer financial adviser who assesses their financial situation and helps determine where the foundation can best allocate the grant money.

The foundation also allots a certain amount of fun money each month, which can go toward vacations, shopping sprees or whatever else the family chooses to spend it on to create memories.

Stacia Hernandez just after her last round of chemotherapy. (Photo: Rebecca Hernandez)

Stacia Hernandez, 11, one of the three children being honored, was diagnosed with synovial sarcoma in March after experiencing foot pain.

Stacia's mother, Rebecca, said she didn't think her daughter's foot had more than a bruise until she woke up screaming from the pain in the middle of the night. After consulting with multiple doctors, they learned of the diagnosis.

Rebecca Hernandez said Stacia has done really well with the cancer, all things considering. When she learned of the disease, she said, 'Well, does that mean I get a wish?'"

Though Stacia is still waiting to hear if she does get a wish, Rebecca Hernandez said her daughter is excited for the concert and likes a lot of Imagine Dragons' songs.

"I'm hoping it's going to just be uplifting for her and get her through the next surgery that she's going through," Hernandez said. "That she'll be able to look back and remember about how many people care about her and are thinking about her so that she'll be able to work through this."

Stacia has completed six rounds of chemotherapy, but she will need to have her foot amputated Aug. 3 to fully get rid of the cancer. Most of the time, this completely cures the cancer, Rebecca Hernandez said, which is what they are hoping for.

Two of Rebecca Hernandez' seven other children also have medical issues. Her oldest, 15-year-old Audriena, has type 1 diabetes; and her youngest, 2-year-old Jocelyn has a condition called OEIS complex, meaning her body didn't form correctly from the waist down.

To learn more about Stacia and Jocelyn, follow their Facebook page.

Learn more about the Tyler Robinson Foundation:
The mission of The Tyler Robinson Foundation is to strengthen families financially and emotionally as they cope with the tragedy of a pediatric cancer diagnosis by providing hope, information, and relief through financial services, caring volunteers, and monetary grants. Learn more at www.trf.org.

The Hernandezes have been working with TRF, which Hernandez called "a really good support group," adding that they brought a present to Stacia for her birthday and have helped their family with basic needs.

TRF partners with hospitals and social workers across North America to find families in need of its service, which is how it has connected with the three Utah families, which also include the families of Kate Pierson and Lota Ward.

The nonprofit group is currently helping 11 families, and most of them have been able to see the band on their tour.

"After experiencing this with my brother and seeing all the families locally that were impacted by pediatric cancer, it was an easy cause to get involved in," Robinson said of the nonprofit. "A lot of people that are involved in Tyler Robinson Foundation see that we're not just throwing money at something, we're really trying to utilize money to put families in a better situation, and it really is making a difference."

The Imagine Dragons concert will take place Tuesday at 7 p.m. at EnergySolutions Arena.

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Megan Marsden Christensen

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