Hoops for Liam: How Tiverton is rallying around this 7-year-old with cancer
TIVERTON – It's the perfect fundraiser for Liam Chapman.
The 7-year-old Tiverton resident likes basketball. No, he loves basketball. The shooting. The dribbling. Everything. He's a member of the Tiverton Junior Basketball League's Rec Division and its travel team.
One of Liam's favorite places on Earth is his driveway, equipped, of course, with a basketball hoop. He and brother Sam, 10, another hoops junkie, can get lost in time playing hoops there.
Another favorite spot is the Pocasset School, in town. That's headquarters for the Tiverton Junior Basketball League. And on Saturday, April 6, Pocasset will be a beehive of basketball activity in support of Liam and his family, which also includes mom Stacie and dad Lincoln. The event is called “Hoops For #LiamStrong7.”
Back on Nov. 19, Liam, a second-grader at St. Philomena School in Portsmouth, was diagnosed with leukemia. He had been bothered by a persistent stomachache. He subsequently tested positive for COVID, but with the stomach discomfort continuing, Stacie brought him to the emergency room at Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence.
Hasbro at first wanted to send Liam home, but when Stacie emphasized that the stomach issue predated the COVID, blood tests were ordered. When the results came back showing leukemia, Lincoln said, Liam was immediately admitted.
His initial stay was 26 days. After that, it's been back and forth with two or three visits per week to Hasbro's Tomorrow Fund Clinic. “We're sort of at that end now,” Lincoln said.
Last week, Liam underwent what is scheduled to be the last spinal tap of this phase of the treatment. Hasbro has laid out a two-year treatment game plan. “The end date is Dec. 29, 2025, if we're on track,” Lincoln said.
Though not at full strength, Liam is gung-ho to get back to school. With the next phase of treatment requiring once-a-week visits, Liam is determined to attend school four days a week soon.
Liam loves school, his father said, so he's extra excited about seeing his pals and teachers again. Late last year, just before Christmas, Liam and his family joined in St. Philomena's annual Christmas car line parade on campus. The Chapmans were the last car in line, and Liam, the unofficial grand marshal, stood up through the sun roof, while other students displayed homemade signs in his honor. “The school's just been a phenomenal support system,” said Lincoln, “making sure he's still included.”
Upcoming basketball tournament will benefit Liam and his family
Liam is very excited about watching the upcoming co-ed basketball tournament, but his dad said his younger son probably doesn't realize how big an event it will be. It's a two-part format – 3-on-3 team competition (Grade K through adult) and a 3-point shooting contest (Grade 4 and older).
The Chapmans, Lincoln said, are a “huge basketball family.” Both boys play. Lincoln played for Somerset High School. They are big Celtics fans. Lincoln coaches his sons in both rec division and travel. “We live and die [basketball] on a regular basis,” he said.
TJBL president Bob Turcotte, a former Tiverton High basketball player, came up with the specifics, the 3-on-3 and 3-point contest. Turcotte's daughter, Samantha Turcotte, is hustling all over town to recruit business sponsors, looking to add to the list that already includes Little Willow child care, Famous Pizza, Patterson Guide Service, McCray's Seafood, and Viti Mercedes and Volvo.
Samantha and her husband, Brandon Golda, are very close friends with the Chapmans. Their children, Rylan (second grade) and Rowan (preschool), also attend St. Phil's.
How the community is supporting the Chapmans
The community is rallying around Liam. The police philanthropic organization Cops for Kids with Cancer gave the Chapmans a $5,000 grant, a big help since Lincoln had been laid off in August and had just started a new job when the diagnosis came. Stacie, a longtime employee at Blue Cross Blue Shield, Lincoln noted, has not worked since the diagnosis.
Cops for Kids with Cancer has also invited the Chapmans to ride on its float in the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in South Boston. Liam's pumped up for that treat. And he's even more excited about the prospects of less hospital time and more buddy time.
“Liam's doing real well,” Lincoln said. “The doctors are very happy with the progress he's making. His spirits are pretty good, all things considered. He's always been a happy-go-lucky kid. The last couple months have been challenging.
“Being with his buddies, that just lifts his spirits as much as that can. He's really sick of mom and dad and his brother.”
Hoops for #LiamStrong7 is scheduled to start at 8 a.m. on April 6, with Pocasset School doors opening at 7:45 a.m. Non-player entry costs $5. Team entry is $50, 3-point contest entry $10. T-shirts, sweatshirts, key chains and wrist bands will be sold and donations collected. Venmo donations may made be made @LiamSTRONG7. Samantha Turcotte emphasized that 100% of the money raised will go to the family.
For more event information, contact Samantha Turcotte at (401) 835-5012.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Tiverton 3-on-3 basketball tournament to raise money for Liam Chapman
