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Zach Sobiech’s friends and then-girlfriend talk “Clouds” movie
Sammy Brown, Madison Iseman, Amy Adamle, Grace Sobiech, Mitch Kluesner, Fin Argus Clouds Movie real life stars and actors in Stillwater, Minnesota

On October 16, Disney+ is set to release the movie “Clouds,” an inspiring film based on the true story of teenage songwriter Zach Sobiech who rose to fame before passing away from osteosarcoma, a deadly bone cancer, in 2013. The movie, directed by Justin Baldoni, centers around Zach’s musical partnership with childhood friend Sammy Brown (played by Sabrina Carpenter) and then-girlfriend Amy Adamle (played by Madison Iseman), who stand by him as he navigates living while dying. 

We asked the real-life Sammy and Amy, and Zach’s friend Mitch, what it was like to see Zach (and themselves) portrayed in a movie, and what they remember most about their friend. 

A Cure in the Making for Osteosarcoma

In talking about a new project to develop new treatments for osteosarcoma, University of Minnesota researcher Beau Webber, PhD, uses a word he doesn’t typically get to use: cure. “I don’t throw that word around, and I definitely don’t use it lightly,” Webber said. “But it’s hard to overstate the potential here. It’s realistic to have that as our goal – there’s a real chance for …

Sheila McGuire Saklad – Celebrating a Legacy

Opportunities, achievements, memories and milestones – these are what Sheila and Dan Saklad always wanted to give children, and what has motivated them to support the brightest minds in pediatric cancer research for nearly three decades. The Saklad family firmly believes that investment in nationally renowned researchers at the University of Minnesota will lead to better treatments – and ultimately a cure – for cancer. …

The Road to a Clinical Trial for Childhood Brain Tumors

A new brain tumor treatment developed by researchers Christopher Moertel, MD and Michael Olin, PhD received Investigational New Drug (IND) approval from the FDA this summer.

This means the drug has been given the “okay” to be used for human patients and is a step closer to being ready for children with fatal brain tumors. The treatment, called a checkpoint inhibitor, has promise to help a child’s body effectively combat brain tumors when given a vaccine.

The True Story Behind “Clouds” and the Real Zach Sobiech

DonateIn October 2020, Disney+ released the movie “Clouds,” an inspiring film about teenage songwriter Zach Sobiech who rose to fame before passing away from osteosarcoma, a deadly bone cancer, in 2013. The movie, directed by Justin Baldoni, chronicles Zach’s senior year of high school and the last year of his life. When the movie begins, Zach (played by Fin Argus) has already been fighting cancer …

“Clouds: A Memoir” Q&A with Author Laura Sobiech

DonateLaura Sobiech is the author of “Clouds: A Memoir,” a book that chronicles the final year of her son Zach’s life before he passed away from osteosarcoma in 2013. Her book has been adapted to the big screen in “Clouds,” an original movie streaming on Disney+. Fin Argus will play Zach Sobiech, and Neve Campbell will play Laura Sobiech. “Clouds: A Memoir” by Laura Sobiech. …

Relieving Insomnia in Childhood Cancer Survivors

Eric Zhou, PhD at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston is studying how to relieve insomnia for childhood cancer survivors. The problem: Childhood cancer survivors commonly suffer from sleep disorders like insomnia. Lack of sleep leads to bigger health problems like depression, behavioral problems and worsened physical health outcomes. Currently, there are no FDA-approved drugs for children with insomnia. For patients who haven’t had cancer, but …

Harper’s Story – Little Teacher

These were the heart-wrenching words Sarah and Kyle heard from their 6-year-old daughter Harper in the midst of her treatment for leukemia.

Tools in Your Self-Care Toolbox

Being a cancer parent comes with a multitude of worries and challenges that make taking care of your family and yourself incredibly difficult – throw in a global pandemic and you have parents living with extraordinary levels of stress. For more tips from cancer caregivers, click here to read our blog, “Anxiety in the Time of Coronovirus.” During tough times, there is an opportunity to …

Tania’s Story

Tania Kibble did not think she could have children. But this year, she and her partner Brian received the best surprise of their lives: baby Cleo, a little girl with a big personality and the best smiles. Tania and Brian were both thrilled to find out Tania was pregnant, and little Cleo arrived January 3, 2020 when Tania was in the midst of her second …

Gabe’s Story – Fighting Through Relapse

When Gabe beat acute lymphoblastic leukemia at age 4, his parents, Nicole and Michael, thought they were putting cancer behind them. He’d been diagnosed right after his first birthday and struggled through three years of chemotherapy before finally being declared cancer free. The further away that day got, the less they thought about it. “You don’t really worry after five years,” Nicole said. When a …

An “Achilles Heel” for Mixed-Lineage Leukemia

Maxim Pimkin, MD, PhD at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston is exploring how depleting two proteins in the body could save children with an especially dangerous kind of leukemia. Research helps kids like Harriet, who is fighting leukemia. Click to read “Spicy One -Harriet’s Story.” The problem Research has progressed exceedingly for children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), but patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) …

A Thank-You to Cancer Dads

There are dads, and then there are cancer dads. Click to read cancer dad Tamer’s blog post, “A Message to Dads,” about how he let go of his “tough guy” persona when his son Zein was diagnosed with cancer. Cancer dads have a special kind of strength. These are the parents who crack jokes at just the right moment, drive to the hospital in the …

“Spicy One” – Harriet’s Story

[Photo courtesy of Keighla’s Fresh Face Photography] Four-year-old Harriet and her sister, Ada, 6, went downstairs into their play room after getting dressed for the day. Harriet was missing her hair, which had fallen out for the second time due to her chemotherapy. She knew she was headed into clinic that day and wanting to “look beautiful.” She found a braid from an Elsa “Frozen” …

Celebrating Our Healthcare Workers

COVID-19 is a huge strain on healthcare workers, many of whom become like family members during our cancer experience. They see and care for these families in the most vulnerable moments. Not only do they provide excellent medical care, but many take the extra step of making hospital days a little brighter, scary moments a little calmer and happy moments a little sweeter. For more …

Rumer’s Story

Recently, Rumer Rodne opened a journal which her mom, Mary, had been saving for her. On each page, Rumer read the story of her cancer diagnosis, the year of chemotherapy and radiation she underwent and how the experience was for her family. She felt like she was in the room with them. “I cried,” she said. “It was emotional and personal.” She said her mom …

Targeting ‘undruggable’ leukemia proteins

Ani Deshpande, PhD at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in California is working to target previously ‘undruggable’ proteins in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The problem: Research helps kids like Liam, who is fighting ALL. Click to read “Leukemia and Lightsabers – Liam’s Story.” Some types of childhood leukemia have two genes that fuse together to form a cancer-causing fusion protein. Some of these fusions proteins …

Anxiety in the Time of Coronavirus

For many of us, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought scary realizations to the forefront. We now know that our whole world can change overnight, and that our health is something we can’t take for granted. But for childhood cancer parents, these realizations hit when their child was diagnosed with cancer. And knowing that their child is in the high-risk category for the disease has triggered …