A Brighter Future for Kids
March 25, 2025
Mya Lin Terry was little but mighty.
“She was larger than life – always cheerful and always worried about everyone else first,” says her mother, Kelly Lin Terry.
Tragically, Mya Lin died at age 10 after a five-year fight against non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and secondary acute myeloid leukemia. In her memory, Kelly and her family created The Mya Lin Terry Foundation.
“We wanted to help other families because we were swarmed with assistance over the course of Mya’s battle,” Kelly says.
The foundation generously donated $50,000 in honor of Jessica Scerbo, M.D., Mya Lin’s pediatric hematologist-oncologist, who’s now at K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital. The gift will support Tackle Kids Cancer, a fundraising initiative of Hackensack Meridian Health Foundation that supports care, research, survivorship and patient programs at K. Hovnanian and Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital.
The donation will fund programs Dr. Scerbo is helping to grow: fertility preservation and behavioral health services. The two areas struck a chord with Kelly, the foundation’s president. Mya Lin showed clear signs of mental distress during her cancer battle. And the little girl, diagnosed at age five, “always wanted to be a mommy,” recalls Kelly.
Fighting for Brighter Futures
Fighting cancer can give you tunnel vision. You don’t always think about other health priorities because you’re so focused on treating the disease, Kelly says. That can leave mental health and fertility underserved.
Cancer treatment can affect children’s fertility later in life. So, the hospital offers a process to remove and store a child’s ovary. When they reach adulthood, they can choose to harvest eggs for in vitro fertilization. Meanwhile, the behavioral health program focuses on the psychological challenges of cancer care.
“Kelly took this awful experience and turned it into something incredible,” Dr. Scerbo says. “She took this as an opportunity to make it Mya’s legacy.”
At K. Hovnanian Children’s Hospital, the foundation supports many of “Mya’s warriors”—children battling cancer—with monetary grants and other gifts.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the Mya Lin Terry Foundation and their support,” says Ellen Hahn, director of development at the Children’s Hospital. “Donations like this are a powerful reminder that we’re not just fighting cancer, but fighting for a brighter, more fulfilling future for these children.”
Next Steps & Resources:
- To learn more about Tackle Kids Cancer, or to make a gift today, visit TackleKidsCancer.org or contact Ellen Hahn, director of development at ellen.hahn@hmhn.org.
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