Woodlands Online talks with founder of Cancer Kiss My Cooley

THE WOODLANDS, TX – For more than a decade, Anthony Martin has placed others before him in every way possible to give those with the bleakest outlooks rays of hope. He is the current president of Cancer Kiss My Cooley, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to create special moments and lasting memories for families living with pediatric brain tumors through its ‘Kiss of Hope’ program. Additionally, for the past six years they expanded their mission to include funding of brain cancer clinical research trials.

“The organization was first founded in 2010 based on interactions with Carter Kettner,” Martin told Woodlands Online in an exclusive interview. “Carter was a kindergartener in the Chicago area who had been diagnosed with inoperable brain cancer.” In 2011, the nonprofit went ‘live’ with its services of providing special events, occurrences, and situations that bring a smile and a brighter day to children with brain cancer.

Martin was first introduced to the organization when he participated in a half-marathon and met Joe Kettner, Carter’s father. Inspired by Carter’s story and CKMC’s mission, Martin donated his photography services to the organization for its events, eventually joining the board of directors in 2013.

“In 2019, me and my family moved to The Woodlands and I became a virtual board member,” he told Woodlands Online. “Unfortunately, Covid severely curtailed fundraising efforts, and by the end of 2022 Joe was making plans to shut the organization down.”

Martin wanted to keep the mission of the organization going, and asked if he could relocate it to Texas; more specifically The Woodlands area. “Joe said, ‘I completely trust you,’ and by October of last year we had it set up down here,” said Martin.

Woodlands Online asked Martin about the curious name of the organization. “Carter called his backside his ‘cooley,’ which is Italian slang for ‘rear end.’ He would sing, “Cancer kiss my cooley!” while pointing to his backside.” The organization was named after Carter’s catchphrase. After he passed away from his illness, that phrase took on a new meaning. To the members of the organization, it means to live a life with cancer, but fight, make memories, and keep hope.

The ‘Kiss of Hope’ program is, according to Martin, more intimate than similar programs such as done by the Make a Wish Foundation. “We’re a smaller outfit, so we can maintain contact with the children and families we do our Kisses of Hope for,” said Martin. “They become part of our family, and we become part of theirs. We use portions of our funds to maintain these relationships far beyond the action Kiss of Hope event.”

Martin and the board members at CKMC are thrilled with the success rate of their ‘kisses’ to date, which include a meeting with Shark Tank business phenomenon Robert Herjavec, encounters with idols such as Justin Timberlake and the Jonas Brothers, meeting the number one Brazilian jiu jitsu fighter in the world, being sent to Ohio to become zookeeper for a day, meeting the creator of the comic strip Heathcliff, enjoying a family helicopter ride along the coast to a special dinner, trips to baseball games and car shows, visits from Star Wars characters, and much, much more.

“I love interacting with the medical personnel up here, including the CEOs of Texas Children’s Hospital, Memorial Hermann, TIRR, and more,” said Martin. “We learn about these families – too many of them – of children with brain cancer.”

To date, the organization has helped well over 100 children who have received a Kiss of Hope. Currently, six children ranging from age 3 through 17, and residing all throughout the region, have benefited from Martin and his board members and the organization’s mission locally. A partnership with Canopy Cancer Survivorship Center, situated within Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center, assures that bereavement and other counseling to families are available.

“We have several events to help raise funds that we want the community to know about and come to,” said Martin. “We’ll be holding a costume-driven 5K race in late October in Tomball, along with our Superhero Dash. There will also be a fundraising event with the participation of the current Mrs. Texas, Deb Arnold.”

When asked about the needs of Cancer Kiss My Cooley that the community could provide, Martin didn’t hesitate. “We need more board members. This is an unpaid, volunteer board, and we particularly need people with a marketing background to help us reach as many people as possible.” Additionally, the organization is in need of cash donations to fund the necessary expenses for the Kiss of Hope program and events. CKMC is a Texas-based 501(c)(3) charitable organization to whom donations are tax-deductible.

To learn more about Cancer Kiss My Cooley, you can visit their website at https://ckmc.org/, or their Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn pages.

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