On January 10th, Callie went to the doctor to get her eye checked for a possible lazy eye. What turned out to be something so small turned into Callie having a CT scan that led to an MRI for further testing. After a long night, doctors confirmed the diagnosis of Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), a tumor in her brain stem. She also has Chari Malformation and a Syrinx.

DIPG is a highly aggressive type of brain tumor. DIPG accounts for 10% of all childhood central nervous system tumors. Callie is one of approximately 300 children in the U.S. diagnosed with DIPG each year. Surgery is not an option for DIPG patients due to its location in the brain stem. Callie has been receiving treatment at St Jude Children’s Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. She has undergone radiation treatment twice (42 treatments total) and has had approximately 13 immunotherapy infusions. Callie was also the first child in the US to participate in a Clinical Trial at Children’s National Hospital in Washington, DC. This trial used cutting edge technology to try and treat this incurable tumor. (More about this trial: https://www.washingtonpost.com/science/2023/09/25/brain-cancer-dipg-ultrasound-trial/).

Callie’s smile has remained through all of this. She is a bright, spunky six-year-old loving little girl who gives the best hugs! She loves spending time with her little brother, family, and friends. Prior to her diagnosis, Callie enjoyed gymnastic classes, attending church, going to school, playing with friends, singing songs, and expressing herself creatively through making cards and coloring.

Thank you for supporting me and the more than 300,000 kids worldwide who will be diagnosed with cancer this year. By sharing the gifts of your time, talent and money with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, you're supporting research to give all kids with cancer a better chance for a cure.