acute myeloid leukemia

This is part one of a two-part series where Mike LaMonica talks about his daughter JJ, the Hero Fund that carries her name, and why this weekend is so special to him.

Read more »

Clayton was diagnosed with cancer at just 2 years old, but the very treatment that saved his life also put his life at risk. His dad, Jim, tells the story.

Clayton at the time of his first diagnosis.

On June 3, 2009, my wife and I sat in a small hospital room surrounded by our family, as a group of doctors and social workers came into the room to give us the news we knew was coming, but desperately hoped wouldn’t. Our 2 ½-year-old son, Clayton, had childhood cancer.

Learn more about childhood cancer >

Read more »

Eight-year-old Sam loved all holidays. But being in treatment for acute myeloid leukemia made it difficult for him to celebrate his favorites — his birthday, Purim, Chanukah, and Halloween.

His parents, Phyllis and Michael, both rabbis, made Sam’s last Chanukah a very special one. Sam had talked about having a fireworks show for his funeral. Instead, they had fireworks to celebrate the Festival of Lights and their vibrant son.

Read more »

An avid nature photographer when he’s not practicing medicine, Superman Sam’s doctor is turning his talent for photography into vital dollars for childhood cancer research.

A collection of Dr. Plofsky’s nature shots.

Superman Sam loved the Heller Nature Center in Highland Park, Illinois. He often walked its trails, searching for the perfect leaf. Sam’s family physician, Dr. Matt Plofsky, shared a love of nature with the bright little boy.

Read more »

What do social media and Star Trek have to do with childhood cancer? Dr. Friend explains in this video. You make this possible. Fund research.

Read more »

Rabbi Rebecca Einstein Schorr recently took to the TEDx stage to tell the 36 Rabbis’ unforgettable story. As the Rabbis near their $1 million goal for childhood cancer research, a generous donor has agreed to match any new and increased gifts to St. Baldrick’s for the 36 Rabbis’ campaign. Make your gift go twice as far for kids with cancer. Make a donation to the 36 Rabbis.

Rabbi Rebecca Schorr tells the 36 Rabbis’ story from the TEDx stage in Lehigh River, Pennsylvania.

Watch Rebecca’s full TEDx Talk >

More than six dozen rabbis walk into a room and shave their heads.

Don’t worry; this isn’t the start of an ethnic joke. This is a true story of what happened when a group of religious leaders decided that they didn’t want to bury any more kids whose lives could have been saved. It’s a lesson that a seemingly innocuous comment can be the beginning of something amazing. And it is a reminder that ordinary people can do extraordinary things.

Read more »

Today we remember Superman Sam, who died from acute myeloid leukemia one year ago. A generous donor has agreed to match any new and increased gifts to the 36 Rabbis campaign, so today, honor Sam with a donation to help fight childhood cancer. His mom, Phyllis, shared these words on this day last year.

Superman Sam in April 2012, before he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.

We were scheduled for a trip to the clinic, and, frankly, we weren’t ready to imagine what it would be like without that trip. Giving up that trip, to me, meant we were ready to admit how very close we were to the end. Giving up that trip wasn’t really an option. Even Sam wanted to go.

So we made the drive. (It’s an hour and 15 minutes.)

Read more »

Today would have been Superman Sam’s 9th birthday if childhood cancer hadn’t taken his life last December. Today, give $9 for Sam’s birthday to the 36 Rabbis, which was founded by Sam’s mom and a friend, and have your gift matched. Sam’s mom reflects on his birthday, the reality of losing a child to cancer, and the opportunity to reach $1 million raised for St. Baldrick’s.

Superman Sam would have been 9 years old today.

I’ve always been a really voracious reader, and as I reminded my 9th graders the other day, the pickings were far slimmer in the kids’ and young adults’ department of bookstores when I was younger. So I was always scanning bookshelves for things that looked interesting to me.

I remember being young, maybe 9 or 10, when I discovered a slim volume on the shelf at my aunt and uncle’s house. It was short, which didn’t bode well for me, since I tended at that point to pick books by their length. But there was something compelling about the cover. Alex: The Life of a Child, it was called, and there was a beautiful little girl on the front — her picture slightly fuzzy and black and white. I remember reading it cover to cover, and crying big blotchy tears. And then I remember reading it over and over again.

Read more »

During a vacation to Disneyland, the Devaty family experienced loss no family should ever have to endure. Be a part of the fight against childhood cancer — donate today.

Jonah loved music, his pacifier and watching his big brother, Jakub, play with Hot Wheels.

Little Jonah seemed perfectly fine on the way down. He was a born traveler, his dad said.

Read more »

In the first study of its kind, St. Baldrick’s Supportive Care Grant Recipient Kathleen Ruccione and her team harnessed the power of the MRI to examine a harmful consequence of childhood cancer treatment — iron overload. Support researchers like Kathleen in their vital work on childhood cancer.

Getting an MRI is a regular part of life for many kids with cancer, like 2013 Ambassador Emily. Dr. Kathleen Ruccione used MRIs in a new and different way — to measure iron overload in cancer survivors.

Kathleen Ruccione, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, or CHLA, wants her St. Baldrick’s-funded study to encourage just that — the development of a protocol to catch iron overload early, so childhood cancer survivors can live long, healthy lives.

Read more »