Meet 2024 Ambassador Aaron: A Huge Fan of Queen, Guitar, Lionel Messi, and Giving Back
Aaron and his guitar.
Resilient, positive, and determined are a few words that describe 16-year-old Aaron. These traits served him well through his battle with cancer and continue to guide his life today.
When he was 4, Aaron stopped walking. An MRI revealed the cause – a tumor on his spine. His mom, Beth, recalls, “They didn’t wake him up between the MRI and surgery. I remember whispering in his ear that if he made it though, he would get a puppy.” Surgery successfully removed 90% of the tumor. A few days later, his family received the official diagnosis – Ewing sarcoma, a rare bone and soft tissue cancer.
Meet the 2024 St. Baldrick’s Ambassadors!
St. Baldrick’s Ambassadors represent the more than 400,000 kids worldwide who are diagnosed with cancer each year. Ambassadors come from diverse geographic areas, ages, diseases, and treatment statuses. Their stories highlight the importance of supporting the best childhood cancer research so all kids diagnosed can live long, healthy, productive, and happy lives.
Every child is so much more than a cancer diagnosis. Each has their own unique personality, gifts, and talents. Read on to learn more about these remarkable kids.
Research Outcomes: Inspiring Hope
Our St. Baldrick’s Foundation Research Outcomes blogs highlight examples of the progress your donations are supporting. This quarterly edition focuses on promising new treatments for two types of pediatric sarcoma, protecting kids’ brains while treating brain tumors, and the ease of treating retinoblastoma with chemotherapy.
Thank you for making this research possible.
Meet Ford: A Feisty and Fierce Little Warrior
Ford is a commanding force, in all senses of the word. As a Leo born in August, he truly encompasses all traits of the fierce lion – courageous, fearless, and brave. Not only does he light up a room with his infectious smile, laughter and captivating voice, he draws everyone in like a magnet.
Ford smiling from ear to ear in his lion ears.
What Is Sarcoma?
What are childhood sarcomas?
A sarcoma is a tumor that grows in the bone or soft tissue (muscles, nerves and fat) anywhere in the body. Sarcomas are rare, especially in young children, accounting for less than 15% of childhood cancers.
Pediatric sarcomas are classified into two major categories: bone sarcomas and soft tissue sarcomas.
Bone sarcomas can appear in any bone, but are most often seen in the leg, arm, pelvis or rib. The most common bone sarcomas are Ewing sarcoma and osteosarcoma.
Soft-tissue sarcomas can occur in any soft tissue, anywhere in the body. The most common soft-tissue sarcomas are embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma and alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma.
Within these two umbrella categories, there are many different types of sarcomas that can develop in children.
Sarcomas can start off being tiny lumps that you can’t feel. They can spread through the body, or metastasize, before they grow big enough to be seen.
What Is Ewing Sarcoma?
Jason Yustein, M.D., Ph.D., a St. Baldrick’s Foundation Board Member and Scientific Program Committee Member, at Emory University School of Medicine, Georgia, explains Ewing sarcoma symptoms, treatment options, and research opportunities.
What is Ewing sarcoma?
Ewing sarcoma is a type of childhood cancer that is most frequently found in children and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 20 years old.
Ewing sarcoma — the second most common bone cancer after osteosarcoma — often originates in the long, large bones of the body, including the hip, thigh, shin, chest, and arm bones.
A Quest for the BEST Ewing Sarcoma Therapy
A generous $1 million donation from an anonymous donor in 2019 allowed St. Baldrick’s to put out a call for fresh ideas to tackle Ewing sarcoma, emphasizing the urgency of improving patient outcomes. This gift established the Martha’s Better Ewing Sarcoma Treatment (BEST) Grant for All, named after a remarkable teenager who was fighting Ewing sarcoma and passed away in 2022.
Forever Martha Strong
Announcing the 2023 St. Baldrick’s Fellows
The hope for better futures for kids with cancer relies on childhood cancer research. And that research relies — not only today but for decades to come — on the training of the next generation of childhood cancer researchers. This new investment of over $1.2 million puts these young researchers on that path to finding new cures.
Read more below about what this new investment is supporting.
Meet 2023 Ambassador Martha: A Legacy of Courage, Compassion, and Conviction
For seven years, #TeamMartha was the rallying cry of a devoted community — family, friends, teammates, caregivers and even those who learned of her story from afar — who supported Martha Riedel in her battle with cancer. It symbolizes a life lived with courage, determination, and relentless zeal for all that she loved. It’s who Martha was.
“Fierce Face” Martha
 Older Posts »