Kori Brown is a familiar face at the Kokomo American Cancer Society, as the 12-year-old has been on a fundraising mission to battle cancer.
She is personally invested in the fight against the disease.
Her best friend has it.
Watching her struggle with her friend’s cancer, you’d be surprised to learn she has a disease of her own.
That disease brought her to Clarian North Pediatric Center for Cancer and Blood Diseases at Riley Hospital for Children, where she met Alyssa Lewandowski, a Noblesville girl who was there being treated for leukemia.
A binding friendship was made, and a desire to help others ensued.
That compassion has led Kori to raise thousands of dollars for Relay for Life.
She joined the WWKI Relay for Life team, a group including the late “We Care” Jan Buechler. The two hit if off instantly, with Kori calling Buechler “her best grownup friend.”
To raise money for the team in 2006, the then 9-year-old started “Kori’s Cards for a Cure.” Children made the cards, which were then sold for ACS. Kori hoped to make $10,000.
That was a new goal for the kid who raised $3,660 for the 2005 Relay, earning her the title of top youth fundraiser.
In 2007, Kori was a driving force behind an auction to raise money for her Relay team. One of the items to be auctioned off included a T-shirt she designed to honor Buechler, who died in 2006.
Among items on the auction block were Jelly Belly treats. Kori’s mother, Heather Cowan, told the Tribune the family visited a Chicagoland Jelly Belly facility while on vacation.
Kori approached gift shop personnel, discussed her upcoming event, and got a candy dispenser donated for the auction.
Already a fixture at the annual events, the 10-year-old was asked to serve as entertainment chairperson for the 2008 Relay.
She might have just completed fourth grade at Maconaquah Elementary School, but she knew what the job entailed.
“To make sure that for the full 24 hours there is something going on,” Kori explained.
Kori has held the auctions for three years and has been involved in the Relay for six years. Meanwhile, she has struggled with a blood disorder for years.
“There’s no cure, but we’re managing it,” her mother said in a 2006 interview with the Kokomo Tribune.
While there are the similarly afflicted who might become embittered, “it’s actually made her more compassionate toward other people,” Cowan said of her daughter. “I think she’s been through a lot [and] can understand being scared or being in pain.”
Kori’s tenacity in the drive is what “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” producers say attracted them to rebuild the family’s Bunker Hill home.
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Local News
Who is Kori Brown?
Extreme Home Makeover recipient passionate about cancer
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