Editor’s Note: We’re delighted to give the floor to Rebekah, who is our guest blogger and a leader of the 46 Mommas. In this blog post, she shares what she has learned about helping kids with cancer, and keeping her own sisterhood strong.
Ellie is just like every other Mom in that she juggles all sorts of things, from kids’ schedules to work/life balance. Except she does it all while caring for a child with cancer. On her own blog, she tells stories of her family’s day-to-day with style, grace, and compassion.
Today, as we celebrate Mother’s Day, and especially the Moms who have the added complexity of pediatric cancer, we’ve decided to let her tell a Mother’s Day story on the St. Baldrick’s blog.
“Same old, same old … doesn’t count.” Bob Arceci didn’t think that old methods were going to tackle pediatric cancers. As you can hear him talk about in this video, he was looking for new ideas, for thinking that wasn’t just “out of the box,” but never really in the box in the first place.
Drs. Shlien and Daugaard accept the Robert J. Arceci Innovation Award.
It’s a lofty goal that’s right below the St. Baldrick’s logo for all to see: Conquer Childhood Cancers. And it’s a goal that takes a multi-faceted approach, a robust network of hospitals and researchers, and labs with professionals from throughout the age and experience spectrum.
As we learned recently when we interviewed Dr. Jeff Lipton, there’s real value in building a “pipeline” of researchers; and one way this pipeline grows is by funding the training of new researchers at hospitals and research organizations throughout North America.
At St. Baldrick’s head-shaving events, shavees℠ raise money for childhood cancer research by pledging to shave their heads in support of cancer patients, who often lose their hair during treatment.
We don’t collect hair donations, but volunteers are welcome to shave their heads at St. Baldrick’s events and donate their hair to another organization. It’s a great way to help two charities at once, and you can do it all in five easy steps!
Not ready to rock a bald head? You can still donate your hair AND help find cures for kids with cancer with a Do What You Want fundraiser.
The
Alliance for Childhood Cancer Action Days in Washington, D.C., is an
opportunity for members of the childhood cancer community – from kids and their
families to health care professionals and volunteers – to advocate for
childhood cancer issues before Congress.
St. Baldrick’s Honored Kid, Scott, a 10-year-old whose cancer is in remission, attended Action Days with his mom Nancy and has provided us with the following report on his experiences in Washington.
Scott (left) attended Childhood Cancer Action Days in Washington, D.C., in late March.
Dr. Jeffrey Lipton claims that the St. Baldrick’s Foundation doesn’t receive all the credit it deserves for developing a pipeline of young cancer researchers.
“Without the Foundation, many of today’s experts would never have embarked on basic, translational or clinical research on pediatric cancers,” he said. But, you could just as easily argue that St. Baldrick’s wouldn’t be where it is today without Dr. Lipton’s efforts.
As we wrap up National Volunteer Week, today we’ll meet two more volunteers with very different stories: one is the mom of a child diagnosed with cancer; the other, a researcher who’s devoted her career to early detection of childhood cancers.
Both will show us that it doesn’t matter how you get involved – just that your involvement is crucial to the work of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation.
Jessica’s daughter, Mya, and friend Brendan are the faces of “Two Tiny Heroes”.
Grassroots, individual fundraising and volunteering have been vital to the success of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. But corporations are also key supporters – as we continue spotlighting volunteer efforts for National Volunteer Week, let’s meet a corporate giving professional with a passion for helping kids and getting his company and colleagues on board, too.
National Volunteer Week is a special time for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a donor- and volunteer-powered charity. So much of St. Baldrick’s success depends on the many people who give their time and energy raising money for the fight against childhood cancers. At St. Baldrick’s, we recognize that, without our many determined volunteers, we could never fund lifesaving research and clinical trials to help save kids’ lives.
That’s why we’re taking a few moments this National Volunteer Week to recognize some of our incredible volunteers. These people have shown remarkable passion for St. Baldrick’s and its mission of conquering childhood cancers once and for all. This week, we’ll be introducing you to a few people who represent many of the amazing volunteers who make innovative, lifesaving research possible.
Today, let’s meet two such individuals.
Ari Hen
At just 12 years of age, Ari is among our youngest volunteers. But don’t let her young age fool you – she’s very serious about raising money for St. Baldrick’s.
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