I'm raising money for childhood cancer research through the Naperville Marathon. The son of a friend of mine was diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was five years old and died seven months later. I followed his treatment on Caringbridge and went to his funeral – my memories of his struggle have stayed with me these years as I do not know how I would handle the situation if it were one of my children in the same situation. I appreciate your help in raising money for this worthy cause. Below is Sam’s story but there are many other kids fighting cancer that need our help. Sam died from a brain stem tumor on Feb 2, 2006. He was at home with his family, as we were able to provide all the same support the Denver Children’s Hospital could have, but with more love. Sam was always a happy, healthy, fun-loving child. His favorite things included baseball, riding his bike, swimming, Legos, hitting golf balls and fishing with Papa, motorcycles, and playing with his sister Tara (4) and brother Luke (2). He even started skiing last winter. His most recent highlight was a family trip to Maui in May 2005, where he had the time of his life. Sam had an infectious laugh and a caring heart, that drew people to him. He was scheduled to start Kindergarten Aug. 22nd. Sam's life changed in July, 2005. He was diagnosed with a "Diffuse Pontine Glioma" July 26th, a tumor of the brain stem. This is an aggressive tumor, and the only treatment is radiation. As far as Sam knew, he had a foam marble in his head called a tumor that's not supposed to be there and we're going to try to get it to go away using medicine and radiation. His first reaction was "where was it supposed to be?" His initial symptoms included loss of motor skills, drooling, and slurred speech. They then progressed to difficulty eating, weakness on the right side, unable to walk unassisted, and poor eye focusing ability. He was put on the steroid, Decadron, and started a course of radiation 5 days a week for 6 weeks. He was very brave through all of this, and is truly our HERO! We have been blessed to have the support of so many family and friends, and it has helped us to get through this struggle.