At 6 months of age, Lauren went to the doctor for a cough and a runny nose. As a result of a very thorough exam, her pediatrician discovered a mass in her abdomen. An ultrasound and a CT resulted in an appointment in the Hematology/Oncology department at Comer Children’s Hospital. She was admitted immediately and underwent biopsy surgery. Lauren was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, stage 2B, intermediate risk. The plan was to watch and wait, as many tumors like Lauren’s will begin to shrink on their own. Almost exactly a year after her diagnosis, the tumor began to grow. Lauren went through 3 rounds of chemotherapy. Unfortunately, the tumor was not responding to the chemo as doctor's had hoped. After the third round, Lauren underwent surgery in order try to remove as much of the tumor as possible. After surgery, the surgeons informed us that they were able to remove the entire tumor. Lauren has recently graduated to long-term care. Each check-up has shown no signs of Neuroblastoma. Lauren is now cancer free!

Thank you for supporting Lauren 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.