‘She’s a Fighter’: Abby Stays Strong After Her Bone Marrow Transplant [VIDEO]
Today is National Cancer Survivors Day, and we’re bringing you an update on one incredible 9-year-old: Abby. (You might remember her from this video.) Abby’s cancer free today, but for the past year, she’s been battling complications of the bone marrow transplant that saved her life.
Watch the new video to see why cancer free doesn’t mean trouble free.
Kids Are Not Little Adults: Researcher Studies Differences in AML Across Age Groups
Kids are special, and that’s why they need treatments made just for them. St. Baldrick’s Fellow Dr. Heather Schuback agrees. She’s looking at the very building blocks of acute myeloid leukemia cells to spot differences that could help kids get the targeted therapy they need.
St. Baldrick’s Fellow Dr. Heather Schuback works in the lab at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington.
Kids are not just little adults, says St. Baldrick’s Fellow Dr. Heather Schuback.
That means their cancers aren’t just smaller, younger versions of adult cancers. They are fundamentally different.
Dr. Schuback should know. Her St. Baldrick’s-funded research is looking at how changes in the DNA of tumor cells can predict who will do well during treatment and who won’t. This information could help doctors tailor therapies from the start, getting kids just the right amount of treatment to kill the cancer, while limiting late-effects.
But these differences aren’t limited to which kids will respond well to treatment and which won’t. It’s bigger than that.
‘Imagine What It’s Like’: Carlos Takes His Story to Capitol Hill
Yesterday, Ambassador Phineas’ dad, Carlos, joined more than 200 childhood cancer advocates on Capitol Hill to drum up support in Washington for kids with cancer. He opened up about what it’s like to have two children diagnosed with cancer, how research saved his son’s life, and why he won’t stop telling his family’s story. Read his powerful speech below.
Carlos with his son, Phineas. Phineas was diagnosed with cancer when he was 4, six years after his sister Althea died of childhood cancer.
I live in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, but like most of my neighbors, I’m not actually from North Carolina. Chapel Hill is a college town where new people come and go every year.
Whenever my wife and I meet people for the first time, one of the first questions we get asked is, “So, how did you end up in Chapel Hill?”
When I hear that question, I always freeze for a second because I have to decide carefully how I want to answer.
Changing the Game: A New Type of Funding for Kids’ Cancer Research
Today we’re announcing a new childhood cancer research grant unlike any other. Rather than funding a specific research project, this award is giving one talented researcher the freedom to pursue whatever discoveries he finds over the next three years. Read on for more about why this award is so revolutionary, the brilliant man who inspired it, and the lucky winner who’s changing lives of kids with cancer.
The Robert J. Arceci Innovation Award was inspired by Dr. Arceci, a beloved childhood cancer researcher, innovator, and champion of researchers everywhere.
There’s a big problem with childhood cancer research today. And it goes beyond the funding shortage.
Dear Mom, Thank You for Always Being There for Me
2012 Ambassador Sarah’s childhood cancer journey was nothing less than difficult. But through it all, she had the constant support from her mom. Read Sarah’s sweet letter to her mom for Mother’s Day.
Sarah was diagnosed with biphenotypic leukemia in August 2003.
Dear Mom,
Where do I even begin to thank you for all you have given and done for me? To be honest, it’s a little daunting.
Sarah’s Shave for Abby [VIDEO]
Last month, 2012 Ambassador Sarah told us how excited she was for her upcoming shave. We were, too — so we filmed it!
When Sarah Swaim says that she knows what kids with cancer are going through, it’s true.
That’s because the three-time shavee is also a two-time childhood cancer survivor.
When a Cure Isn’t a Cure: Zayla’s Story
Honored Kid Zayla was just 3 years old when she was diagnosed with leukemia. After intense treatment, she graduated to survivor. But it didn’t last. The treatments she’d received to save her life caused a secondary cancer — a brain tumor — years later. Read on to learn more about Zayla, her fighting spirit, and why her family supports childhood cancer research.
Update: On the evening of March 30th, Zayla passed away, surrounded by her family. Our thoughts are with them at this difficult time.
What do you do when you get cancer from the very treatment that saved your life from cancer?
You keep fighting like a girl.
That’s 14-year-old Zayla’s motto, and that’s what she and her family are doing.
The 3rd Anniversary of Phineas’ Childhood Cancer Diagnosis
Ambassador Phineas was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in 2013. He’s alive today because of research funded by St. Baldrick’s. His mom, Tina, shares how their family will be spending his three-year diagnosis anniversary.
The Sandi Family (left to right): Fiona, Carlos, Phineas and Tina.
On March 28, 2013, we found out that our 4-year-old son, Phineas, had cancer. It was a terrible day — but heartbreakingly familiar.
Pediatric Resident Goes Bald For Kids With Cancer: Chris’ Story
In 1992, Chris Cox was treated at Oakland Children’s Hospital for acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Now, 24 years later, he’s back at that same hospital — only this time, he’s there as a pediatric resident. See how he’s making an impact for kids with cancer now.
Photo courtesy Dennis Diokno Photography
Chris Cox is in his intern year as a pediatric resident at Oakland Children’s Hospital — the first of three years dedicated to learning the ins and outs of being a doctor.
But he’s unlike any ordinary resident. He knows how his patients feel because he was one of them.
Making Every Moment Count: Caemon’s Story
Caemon was a happy, inquisitive child, full of energy and love. Not even childhood cancer could change that. “He was a boy who was ready to live, and whether at home or at the children’s hospital, he was going to keep making meaning of his life,” writes his mom, Timaree. She tells his story below.
Photo courtesy In Her Image Photography
On a sunny afternoon in September 2009, my wife and I, a couple for 11 years, were transformed into a family with the birth of our son Caemon.
He looked nothing like we expected with his downy blonde hair and Pacific Ocean eyes, and in an instant, we knew that any expectations we had of this chubby little cherub had to be released. The only certainty was that after two years of trying so hard to make a family, our son was finally here. He was ours to cherish, and cherish him we did.
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