Malia Dakota Jusczyk never gave up.

Neither are her heartbroken parents.

Malia died on June 14, 2023, just 14 years old, after a courageous battle against the cancer neuroblastoma. Her parents, including father Glen Jusczyk, a promo pro who co-owns supplier Global Sourcing Group (GSG, asi/57593), have spearheaded a range of initiatives to keep her legacy alive and to help other families experiencing the nightmare of pediatric cancer.

Malia Jusczyk

Now, the promotional products industry has an opportunity to support the latest effort in Malia’s name.

GSG has launched a new line of products in honor of Malia. Called the Malia Line, it consists of short- and long-sleeve T-shirts, a trucker cap, hoodies and crewneck sweatshirts, all customizable in specific Pantone colors, custom-printed and with private-label neck tags.

GSG intends to donate 1% of sales from the line to For Kids’ Sake Foundation, a nonprofit that works to raise awareness for and to improve the lives of children with pediatric cancer. Jusczyk noted shirt samples will be on offer for distributors at the upcoming ASI Show Chicago in July.

“We are hoping the line will be well-received and we can donate a lot of funds to much-needed pediatric cancer research and families battling in Malia’s memory,” Jusczyk told ASI Media. “We have done our first run of tie-dye design shirts for Malia’s Celebration of Life to show people the material we think Malia will be proud of.”

This T-shirt celebrating the life of Malia Jusczyk is made from a special fabric Global Sourcing Group (asi/57593) developed for the Malia Line.

Speaking of material: GSG said it sourced a special fabric specifically for the Malia Line. Together with GSG business partner Mike Carpenter, Jusczyk traveled overseas and visited many fabric manufacturers to find a material solution that would, in his words, be “totally Malia.” That’s just what GSG got with the line’s blend of spandex, polyester and rayon, in which prints can be embedded into the fabric.

“As a supplier, we can help distributors provide their clients with a fabric that is super comfortable and super inspiring at the same time,” Jusczyk said.

For him, building the line held deep meaning.

“As a bereaved parent, with only our daughter’s memory left, creating the line was the most excitement I have had in the time since she passed,” Jusczyk told ASI Media. “This is a great way to remember Malia in a way that can bring something comfortable to wear daily with her energy as part of the fabric.”

A Legacy of Strength & Light

Despite the cancer, Malia lived life to the fullest – though unquestionably she had a harrowing road to walk.

She was only 2 years old when she began suffering from severe abdominal pain that ultimately led to a diagnosis of neuroblastoma, a cancer that affects the nervous system. Due in part to an initial misdiagnosis, the cancer advanced aggressively, causing a large tumor in her kidney while spreading to her spinal cord, bone marrow, femur and spine.

Glen and Malia Jusczyk

Still, she kept fighting, enduring six rounds of chemotherapy, 10-hour tumor resection surgery to remove her adrenal gland and kidney, and a stem cell transplant. She won this first battle with neuroblastoma and remained cancer-free for nearly nine years. Tragically, the cancer returned in 2021.

“She never quit,” Jusczyk said. “She fought nonstop.”

While Malia would pass two years later, she left behind a legacy of activism and accomplishments. She engaged in advocacy on behalf of For Kids’ Sake Foundation, helping to raise awareness and donations for pediatric cancer.

During her treatment as a teenager, she developed an interest in baking – and won the online competition The Greatest Baker, taking home a $20,000 prize, as her brown butter toffee chocolate cookies were a hit. She used the money to start a business, Malia’s Sweet Treats, and to support pediatric cancer research.

“The Malia Line is a vehicle to share about Malia and hopefully help less kids suffer as she did. Anything to fight for my girl, in life and death.” Glen Jusczysk, Global Sourcing Group (asi/57593)

So driven and strong was Malia that she played sports even with metastatic cancer. Like her father, she was especially fond of soccer. In 2021, the New England Revolution of Major League Soccer named her honorary captain during its Kick Childhood Cancer game. She took a ceremonial lap around the field with Goalie Matt Turner.

Jusczyk doesn’t hide his emotion – he said it’s incredibly difficult to speak about his daughter. Still, he draws on her strength to do so.

“Malia was perfect,” he said. “We are broken, and the grief or her loss is the hardest possible life lesson we are learning. But with Global Sourcing Group, we have a method of keeping her name alive.”

Jusczyk hopes the line will prove an ongoing source of financial support to For Kids’ Sake Foundation and serve as a catalyst to encourage people to learn Malia’s story and to live with the positivity and vibrancy with which she did, even in the face of mortality at such a tender age.

Said Malia’s dad: “Empathy is the most underrated superpower there is. Malia had it, and we are trying to teach people that through her short life. The Malia Line is a vehicle to share Malia and hopefully help less kids suffer as she did. Anything to fight for my girl, in life and death.”