Aleena. Aleena is a bright, friendly, volleyball playing 14 year old daughter of my friend Heather from work. Last July Aleena started having headaches and blurred vision among other symptoms. The long story short is Aleena and her family's life suddenly changed when she was diagnosed with Astrocytoma DIPG. It was a grade 4 tumor that was inside her brainstem and hence was inoperable. Aleena has had chemo along with other treatments but nothing has seemed to help. In December the latest MRI showed that the tumor had spread.

Aleena has grown up a lot in the last 8 months asking the hard questions of her doctors and making decisions with her Mom's help. I stopped by to see her and Heather yesterday and you would of thought she was like any other 14 year old teenager as she was camped out in front of the TV with the remote and eating sushi. Only she is not. Her Mom had to help her move her leg in order for her to try and get comfortable. It had been a tough day as she was able to take a shower with help but that took everything out of her.

I have been raising awareness and money for 12 years now for research for childhood cancer. This year it has really hit home as why I have been doing this. I am shaving my head this year for Aleena and her mother Heather Meier Lopez. I have always done this with zest for the last 11 years but this year it has been hard because I keep thinking of Aleena. As you know I have been coloring my hair the last 7 or 8 years and this year I asked Aleena what color I should go with and she wants RED, so red it is.

Please help by donating so we can all help to pay for research to try and find cures for childhood cancers like Astrocytoma DIPG.

Now I need your support! Your donation can fund research to help kids survive and thrive. Join me today and let’s #DFYchildhoodCancers together.