How Immunotherapy Saved Phineas [VIDEO]
“Our son would not be with us today if it weren’t for St. Baldrick’s,” says Phineas’ dad, Carlos. Read on to see how research saved the little boy’s life.
VIDEO: Phineas’ Story >
On a mountain bike ride with a friend, 9-year-old Phineas was sailing along when he decided to take a risk and pedal over a bridge not meant for bicycle traffic. He wiped out in a big way.
But without so much as a single tear, he picked himself up, dusted himself off, and got back on the bike.
Compared to what this boy had been through two years before, that was nothing.
Stop, Collaborate and Listen: How Teamwork Makes the Dream Team Work
Formerly known as the St. Baldrick’s – Stand Up to Cancer Pediatric Cancer Dream Team, this team is now the St. Baldrick’s EPICC Team (Empowering Pediatric Immunotherapies for Childhood Cancer).
When people come together for a cause, incredible things happen. That’s true for St. Baldrick’s head-shaving events AND for the lifesaving work done by St. Baldrick’s researchers, especially the Stand Up To Cancer – St. Baldrick’s Pediatric Dream Team. As they say, teamwork makes the dream work! Read on to learn more about how cooperation and sharing between these researchers means big advances for kids with cancer.
They say two heads are better than one. But what about 149? That is how many brilliant brains are working together to conquer childhood cancers as part of the SU2C – St. Baldrick’s Pediatric Cancer Dream Team.
And it’s that cooperation that’s accelerating progress for kids and laying the foundation for better treatments and for cures, said Dr. Crystal Mackall and Dr. John Maris, co-leaders of the Dream Team.
Three Years of Surprises: Aiden’s Story
Before Honored Kid Aiden was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in October 2015, there seemed to be more questions than answers. But he completed his chemotherapy treatment and is loving life as a 4-year-old kid. Read on to hear about Aiden’s remarkable childhood cancer journey.
Aiden slurping his milk from his silly straw glasses.
Aiden’s parents shouldn’t have been able to have kids.
After trying for so many years to have children — and losing some along the way — they knew something was wrong.
‘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.
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