St. Baldrick’s Inspires One Family’s Path to Advocacy
I will never forget the evening of Sunday, December 14, 2014, when the ER doctor and the pediatric neurologist on call entered our triage room and told us that our sweet eight-year-old girl had a huge brain tumor and life-threatening obstructive hydrocephalus. That moment left an indelible mark on my heart. The fear, the heartache, helplessness, and especially the unyielding desire to eliminate our baby’s pain and suffering were soul-crushing.
“Supergirl Julia” today
Meet the RED Sparkle Octopus Crusaders & Their Inspiration
by David Gosser, team captain and dad
The RED Sparkle Octopus Crusaders (RSOC) Team honors four children – Nina, Tommy, Amaya, and Kristina – who met in 2005, while in treatment at the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters (CHKD) in Norfolk, Virginia. They started shaving individually in 2005/06 and formed the original team in 2009; this version came together in 2014. Other families affected by childhood cancer and dozens of good friends have joined the team’s efforts over the years. Since inception, the RSOC have raised over $380,000 for the St. Baldrick’s Foundation. They remain fully committed to funding research to create cures, united by the hope that they are helping other kids and families find better outcomes. The team’s name is a combined tribute to the memories of the four Angels.
2022 Ambassador: Meet “Danica the Brave”
Once upon a time, in a faraway land called Alaska there was a sweet princess who loved to dance, sing, and giggle. She walked in a swirl of magic, was brave, kind, and full of joy; everyone who knew her adored her. A night for her may have been dark, but it certainly didn’t hide her shine. She battled a monster named ATRT and was known throughout the land as Danica the Brave. This is her story.
2022 Ambassador: Meet “Super Benji”
They call him “Super Benji” and the whole room chanted his name when it was his turn at the head-shaving event — a two-time childhood cancer survivor braving the shave for the second time to help raise funds for other kids with cancer. This is Benji.
Research Outcomes: Advancing Research to Improve Treatment
Your generosity makes a difference for kids with cancer. This edition of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation Research Outcomes recognizes research that is making treatments less toxic, evaluating new drugs, and working to prevent late effects. Thank you for making research possible.
Dramatic Progress for Medulloblastoma Patients
Want to know how St. Baldrick’s donors are the saving lives of kids with a common brain tumor? This isn’t just an example of progress – it’s the biggest increase in survival rates many researchers have ever seen from one clinical trial! And that trial was supported by St. Baldrick’s.
Grace was diagnosed with medullobalstoma at age 5. She is an almost-14-year survivor.
Being the Mom of a Hero Named Hannah
On Mother’s Day, we celebrate all moms, each special in her own way. Mothers of kids who have fought childhood cancer have traveled a journey no one would have chosen. May is also Brain Tumor Awareness Month. We asked Gaylene Meeson to share her story of being mom to a very special brain tumor survivor, Hannah.
Gaylene Meeson and her daughter Hannah, survivor of an aggressive brain tumor called anaplastic meduloblastoma.Photo by [Kenneth Lim, kennethlimphotography.com].
DR. ERIC RAABE VS. PEDIATRIC BRAIN TUMORS
With a long history of support from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, Dr. Eric Raabe of Johns Hopkins University is a “Rockstar Researcher” in pediatric brain tumors.
As an undergraduate student, Dr. Raabe volunteered at a children’s hospital where a pivotal moment influenced his decision to become a pediatric oncologist. He vividly remembers a young boy who had relapsed and was being hospitalized after having one of his lymph nodes biopsied. The boy sat alone in his room with the shades down. In the dark room the boy became more and more withdrawn as he sat and waited for the results. He thought he was going to die.
No sooner had the results come back negative for recurrence of his cancer, than the blinds went up and he wanted a pizza with everything on it. The experience left a lasting impression and prompted Dr. Raabe’s decision to become a pediatric physician scientist. In that moment he realized the impact he could make in a scared and sick child’s life. He decided then and there that he wanted to be part of providing a path to hope and a path to a cure. He wanted to help guide these children from the darkness to a place of hope and light.
St. Baldrick’s 2018 Ambassadors: Thank You!
With 2018 winding down, it’s time to thank this year’s St. Baldrick’s Ambassadors for their help raising funds and awareness for pediatric cancer research. This group of five kids and their families inspired us with their unique stories of courage and their refusal to give up hope.
We’ll be welcoming a new group of Ambassadors in the new year. For now, let’s check in on the 2018 team to see how they’re doing and what they enjoyed about the Ambassador experience.
Our 2018 Ambassadors, from left: Brooks, Kellan, Maya, Zach, and Julia.
Older Posts »
SBF
Tweets »
