Angie Voloch knows first-hand what itβs like to watch a child endure toxic chemotherapy treatments. On November 4, 2014, after a year of misdiagnoses, her daughter Taylor was diagnosed with a pilocytic astrocytoma β a slow growing tumor that usually does not spread to surrounding brain tissue.
βThe next morning, she had to undergo a 12-hour surgery to remove the tumor,β said Angie. βIn 2016, the tumor had regrown closer to the brainstem and continued to grow, despite a year of chemo.β
Taylor had surgery again in 2018. Due to the size and location of the tumor, doctors said that she would most likely have long-term side effects. Unfortunately, this is also the case for most children diagnosed with cancer.
Through our Ultimate Hike program, advocates like Angie and Taylor are helping CureSearch fund next-generation research that will lead to safe, effective therapies for children with cancer and difficult-to-treat tumors.
Ultimate Hikes are weekend-long adventures where hikers of all fitness levels trek 20-30 miles on some of the countryβs most beautiful and iconic trails, raising funds and awareness for childhood cancer research. In 2021, hikers raised more than a million dollars for lifesaving research.
Angie and Taylor’s team, Heart to Sole, will tell childrenβs cancer to βtake a hikeβ on April 23 at the Foothills Trail Ultimate Hike. They each set a goal to raise $10,000 for the Ultimate Hike.
βWe need new choices with less side effects because Taylor is still living with them, and always will,β said Angie. βHaving her hike with me is probably one of the biggest honors. Sheβs excited to pay it forward and hoping to pursue a career in biochemistry to help find new treatments and a cure for childhood cancer.β
To learn more about the Ultimate Hike and find a hike near you, visit http://ultimatehike.org/.