10-Year-Old Cancer Survivor “Shares to Care” Through CureSearch Gold

“One Person at a time, $1 at a time, and one share at a time.”

That’s the motto of Christian Fagala, who is on a journey to find a cure for children’s cancer. To find out why he’s so passionate about finding a cure, you need to learn about where his journey began.

Christian’s journey began when he was only 2 1/2 years old. That was when he was diagnosed with Wilms tumor, the most common form of kidney cancer in children. The cancer had started on his right kidney, then spread from his kidney to his lymph nodes, and then it eventually spread throughout his lungs.

The news came to the Fagala family when Christian and his father were in another state visiting family. His mother, Diana, remembers the deep panic that set it when they were told, and the difficult task it was to get Christian home and to Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Christian Fagala, Wilms TumorA fighter, even during treatment.

“There was something wrong, but there was hope. We took it one step at a time, never got ahead, and lifted it up to God. That’s all we could do, have faith, get him through treatment, and love him with helping him through the steps.”

After going through surgery to remove his right kidney, Christian then had to endure eight months of chemo and radiation treatment at Walter Reed. There were moments that were more than hard for his family, but breaking each moment down into one step at a time allowed for small victories.

“There were setbacks, but he overcame them. He had such a happy spirit that he didn’t let the bad moments hold him down.”

Christian Fagala, Wilms TumorMaking people smile wherever he goes.

It was that happy spirit that helped Christian fight cancer. Today, at 10 years old, he has been cancer-free for six years. He does excellent in school, has some great friends, and in 2016 was even honored by Operation Home Front as Military Child of the Year for the United States Marine Corps.

Christian Fagala, Wilms TumorHonoring a true hero.

In fact, it was his work raising money for childhood cancer research since he was 3 years old, that won him the honor. It’s the same work that he’s done for many organizations, and what he’s doing through our CureSearch Gold program, that makes him win our hearts and admiration.

Christian truly believe that without research, there’s no cure, there’s no better treatments, and there’s no change. And if the funds aren’t making it to the researchers, they can’t continue to grow their research.

It’s his deep devotion to funding children’s cancer research that inspired him to come up with his “Share to Care” fundraiser. During an interview with NBC, he told the reporter his next goal was to raise $10,000 for childhood cancer research. He knew it wasn’t an easy goal, but he said, “What if we can reach 10,000 people that could donate $1? Then there would be $10,000 for research and little burden on people. Power through numbers!”

Christian Fagala, Wilms TumorDedicated to country and a cure.

His mom Diana loved the idea and agreed, but she knew that reaching 10,000 people could only be done through the power of social media and people who wanted to make a difference. So, the plan was for every one person that cares, they share Christian’s message – one person at a time, $1 at a time, and one share at a time for a cure – and that’s how Share to Care was created.

That’s a pretty big idea from such a small guy, but it’s one that we fully support and hope will be a success.

Christian Fagala, Wilms TumorThe Fagala family.

Christian is a superhero because he never gives up, and he just keeps fighting. Mom Diana says, “Even though his personal battle is over, he keeps fighting for the kids going through cancer and the children that will.”

That’s exactly what a superhero does, and we can’t wait to see how Christian continues to lead the fight in the future!

Learn more about Share to Care on Facebook, donate to the cause on the Gold website, or start your own Gold fundraiser.

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