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Press Release

Meet the St. Baldrick’s Foundation 2024 Ambassadors

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January 3, 2024

Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Jo Anne Avelar
joanne.avelar@stbaldricks.org

The St. Baldrick’s Foundation introduces its 2024 Ambassadors to raise awareness about the need to fund childhood cancer research to find cures and better treatments.

LOS ANGELES, CA (January 3, 2024) – The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest charity funder of childhood cancer research grants, is proud to introduce its 2024 Ambassadors who along with their families, will share their unique journey and experiences associated with childhood cancer.

St. Baldrick’s selects five kids who are among the 400,000 kids worldwide diagnosed with cancer each year to serve as Ambassadors and educate the public about why funding research is critical to making advancements in childhood cancer treatments that will save lives.

The St. Baldrick’s 2024 Ambassadors are:

Scott – Scott was just 3 years old when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). He endured 31/2 years of countless spinal taps and blood transfusions, received 40 bitter nebulized antibiotic treatments for immunosuppression, and spent more than half of his life on chemo.  Now 12 years in remission, Scott is enjoying the 9th grade and is a passionate advocate for childhood cancer research.

Aaron – Aaron suddenly stopped walking at 4 years old and an MRI showed he had Ewing sarcoma, a rare bone and soft tissue cancer. Aaron endured more than any child should – two surgeries and physical therapy, he underwent 14 rounds of chemotherapy and 28 rounds of proton beam radiation. Years since his diagnosis, Aaron is now an accomplished guitar player and athlete.

Julianna “Juju” – The Jack Sparrow loving 5-year-old Julianna, who also enjoys swimming, dancing, and baby dolls, was diagnosed with stage L2 neuroblastoma in January 2022. Over the course of treatment, chemotherapy was able to reduce the tumor by more than 96%. Early the next year, the same week Juju received her initial diagnosis, she relapsed with stage 3 neuroblastoma. Determined and headstrong, Juju endured additional chemotherapy, radiation, a 12-hour surgery, and a stem cell harvest. Through it all, Juju maintained her kindness and beautiful heart.

Sam – Sam is an accomplished musician, pilot and philanthropist who had fundraised for St. Baldrick’s prior to his acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) diagnosis as a teen. His treatment caused dangerous bleeds and resulted in him being paralyzed from the waist down. Thanks in large part to the treatments of a clinical trial partly funded by St. Baldrick’s, Sam is now a sophomore at San Diego State University where he excels as a musician and continues to give back to fund childhood cancer research.

Cam – Cam was 3 years old and in preschool when he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in February 2017. He was later diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), which was likely caused by the chemotherapy used to treat his initial diagnosis. Cam faced four challenging years of rigorous treatments but it wasn’t enough. Forever 9 years old, Cam’s legacy lives on.

St. Baldrick’s Ambassadors serve as a reminder that childhood cancers don’t discriminate and that one in five kids diagnosed in the U.S. will not survive. Continue following the St. Baldrick’s 2024 Ambassadors’ heroic stories on the St. Baldrick’s blog and social media channels: Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube, Tik Tok and LinkedIn. To learn how to get involved, visit StBaldricks.org.

About St. Baldrick’s Foundation
Every 2 minutes, a child somewhere in the world is diagnosed with cancer. In the U.S., 1 in 5 will not survive. The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest charity funder of childhood cancer research grants, is on a mission to Conquer Kids’ Cancer by supporting the most promising research to find cures and better treatments for all childhood cancers. When you give to St. Baldrick’s, you don’t just give to one hospital – you support virtually every institution with the expertise to treat kids with cancer across the U.S. St. Baldrick’s ensures that children fighting cancer now — and those diagnosed in the future — will have access to the most cutting-edge treatment, by supporting every stage of research, from new ideas in the lab to the training of the next generation of researchers, to lifesaving clinical trials. Visit StBaldricks.org and help #ConquerKidsCancer.