Who We Are

Brothers Torry and Terrence Holt are two NC State football stars who went on to enjoy successful careers in the NFL. But their early years were not easy ones. When the boys were just 10 and 6 years old, and their older sister Tosah was 14, their mother, Ojetta, was diagnosed with lymphoma. Ojetta passed away ten years after her initial diagnosis, and her long battle profoundly impacted the entire family. 

Looking back, the Holt brothers realized that many kids have similar experiences to their own; children of parents facing cancer are often overlooked because of their age and are left out of tough conversations around their parents’ diagnosis. 

As adults, Torry and Terrence have used the formative experience of their mother’s cancer journey to help new generations of youth through a similar experience. They made it their life’s work to support children of parents or primary caregivers with cancer by offering emotional support, memory-making experiences, and scholarships for program alumni. They’re motivated by the belief that a kid’s experience of a joyful childhood shouldn’t end with a parent’s cancer diagnosis. 

Today, Holt Brothers Foundation’s primary program, KidsCAN!, provides education, emotional support, peer empathy, and inspiration. The foundation coordinates with local hospitals to help kids understand their parents’ disease, find community with other children, and learn to cope in healthy ways. The organization also supports other organizations that share its mission. Driven by their personal experience, the Holt brothers now work to ensure that no child feels alone in navigating their parent’s cancer diagnosis.