Manny was our extremely healthy, strong-willed, rambunctious little boy until age 3, when he was diagnosed with Stage 4 ALL (Burkitt’s Lymphoma). We were suddenly thrust into the overwhelming world of cancer and chemotherapy. Within a week of starting his chemo, Manny had severe complications that led to brain injury, infection, multiple surgeries, and prolonged mechanical ventilation. Over …
Ryan is currently a 5-year-old boy undergoing treatment for diffuse leptomeningeal glioneuronal tumor (DLGNT) at the University of Virginia (UVA). Diagnosed in March of 2019, Ryan’s family has traveled to various hospitals in hopes of a treatment to cure him, but unfortunately, there is not a cure for DLGNT this time. Ryan is only the …
When her daughter Kaitlyn was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG), Stacey Jenkins was told that the cancer was likely to take her life within six to ten months. She learned that this deadly cancer attacks the area of the brain that controls essential functions—breathing, chewing, swallowing, hearing, taste and balance—and surgery was not an option. In December 2010, Stacey and her family entered this terrifying new world, and …
Nitin was diagnosed when he was in seventh grade with Medulloblastoma. He went through a 10 hour surgery, 6 weeks of radiation and a year long of chemotherapy. Besides the side affects of chemo radiation, he is doing very well and is currently a second year student at Georgetown University. We have participated in Cure …
Jack, born in the Bronx and raised in Glen Rock, NJ, was a 19 year old college student who had just finished his freshman year when he was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, an aggressive and rare bone cancer. Jack passed away October 2017 after a 16 month battle, one month short of his 21st birthday. When …
We lost our oldest son Owen on April 4, 2019 exactly 24 hours after his diagnosis of T-cell Leukemia at UVA. He was two weeks shy of turning 9 years old. Owen was a loving older brother and super active. He was active in Cub Scouts as well as having just joined soccer. His favorite …
I was introduced to the ugly world of childhood cancer when my cousin, Alisa Finley, was diagnosed with brain cancer at the age of 16. Over the next couple of years, I watched her fight and fight but always still smiling. I’d see her and her mom’s posts on Facebook about her battle and I …
Brady was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia on 12/24/2014. He had just turned two years old on December 20, and we found ourselves hearing the words “Your son has cancer” just a couple days later. It completely changed our world. Brady’s subtype was M7 which made his type of leukemia even harder to treat because …
“Once you have cancer in your rear-view mirror, it’s important to advocate for the kids — your own and everyone else’s.” Life is good for Claire now. This multi-talented, 8-year-old dancer and gymnast is captivated by the history of ancient Egypt. A budding comedian, she has written a repertoire of jokes that she loves to perform. She is also an avid reader who enjoys playing with her friends. There is another important facet of Claire Braziel’s life – she is a cancer survivor and advocate. In December of 2012, …
My son Jude was diagnosed with a low-grade glioma brain tumor in 2014 when he was just two months old. By the time Jude was three months old he had had three surgeries and had started chemotherapy. One year into treatment his tumor started to grow again, and he had to start all over with a new chemo regimen. …
