When Blythe Brenden was in college, she remembers her grandfather’s requirement for each grandchild before Thanksgiving—you must do a certain number of hours of service for your community before he’d invite you to join his Thanksgiving table. “Deep down, he’s the reason I do what I do,” Blythe said. “I’m forever grateful to my grandfather for working as hard as he did to give me …
When Tamer’s son Zein was diagnosed with cancer at age 5, Tamer had a hard time letting other people in and asking for help when he and his family needed it. But over the next seven years, Zein was diagnosed with cancer three more times, and Tamer learned that he and his family couldn’t go through it alone.
Nathalia Hawley passed away in April 2019, but not before leaving an incredible and lasting mark on the world. During her fight with cancer, Nat inspired thousands of riders during Great Cycle Challenge to raise over $1 million. The money is now funding research for better treatments and cures for osteosarcoma, the disease that took her too soon. Katy and Gabi stand with Nat’s doctor …
Three-year-old Lily, talkative and full of energy, runs around her living room pointing out her many toys and stuffed animals in her warm home on a chilly evening in November. “Daddy, I found Doctor Jessie’s hat!” she shouts, while holding up her Jessie doll from Toy Story. “She has her dad wrapped around her finger,” says Donna, Lily’s mom, with a smile. Between each toy, …
This piece was written by Katrina Siebels, who recently celebrated being 10 years cancer-free. I’m not quite sure where the past ten years have gone. I blinked and was no longer a bald teenager with cancer laying in a hospital bed with bags of chemo hanging above my bed. I’ve forgotten my nine-digit hospital ID number and need to reference the giant white binder my …
A child’s cancer diagnosis sends a ripple effect through everyone who loves them – but when you’re a grandparent or other secondary caregiver of a child with cancer, it can be hard to balance your own emotions while remaining a steady source of support to those closest to the fight. Cindy found herself in that situation when her granddaughter, Bella, was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma in …
California Zein was 5 years old and training hard in taekwondo when his first cancer symptoms started to creep in. His dad, Tamer, noticed that Zein was sweating much more than usual and complaining of body aches and leg pain. Tamer assumed it was just a result of his vigorous training, but it slowly got worse – Zein was sweating through his sheets at night, …
This post was written by Tabitha Radermacher and was originally posted on the CaringBridge page for Bella, her daughter, who was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma in 2017. The last time I braided Bella’s hair was the week of her diagnosis in April 2017. I vividly remember holding back tears while braiding Bella’s long, blonde hair, knowing it would more than likely be the last time for …
When Minnesota physician Arden Virnig hopped on his bike nearly every day in the summer of 2015, his thoughts went to the empty saddle behind him. That June, he rode hundreds of miles on a tandem bike with one empty saddle, a symbol of his daughter, Mary Catherine. The rhythm of his pedaling reminds him of how Mary Catherine’s braid would whip back and forth …
When 5-year-old Patrick was diagnosed with cancer, he was over 14,000 miles from home. His family had just moved to Indonesia for Patrick’s dad, Joe’s, job and were just starting to get settled when Joelle, Patrick’s mom, noticed a bump was getting larger under his left eye. When it didn’t go away, Patrick and Joelle flew from Indonesia to Singapore to try to find out …
Each year, Children’s Cancer Research Fund presents Butterfly Awards to individuals, organizations and teams that have contributed significant time and resources to ending childhood cancer. These are the people that make the pursuit of our mission possible. We are grateful for the time, talent and passion and shared by this year’s award recipients. Vaith Family Ambassador We first met the Vaith family after their daughter, …
When a child is diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a body of work from the University of Minnesota scientists over the past decade suggests the child generally falls into one of two groups – those who have a less aggressive form of the cancer and those with a more aggressive form. This essentially means that Group A has a good chance of being alive in 10 years …
This past April, a group of incredibly generous supporters gathered at the Armory in downtown Minneapolis to celebrate progress and invest in the future of childhood cancer research. That night, these supporters raised nearly $1.3 million. Four months later, that support has funded seven new research projects at the University of Minnesota. Each of these projects were chosen by a group of peer-reviewers at the …
Today, Michelle is enjoying her life, sending her two young boys off to school and running her own company. But when she thinks back to when she was 20 years old, she remembers telling her mom she didn’t know if she could go on living. “I was totally tapped out, mentally, physically and spiritually,” Michelle said. “I remember telling my mom I just wanted to …
When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the child and the family face challenges they never knew existed — but they also find strength they didn’t know they had. Cancer has a mighty fierce opponent in kids – because these kids are mighty strong, and their stories are mighty powerful. Through our partnership with Momcology, we asked cancer caregivers to tell us about a time …
On September 17, Children’s Cancer Research Fund accepted the Innovative Nonprofit of the Year award at OneCause’s Raise conference in Chicago, Illinois. The award was given for CCRF’s innovative re-imagining of the organization’s signature event, now called Dream. From Dream to Reality In November of 2017, the Events team at Children’s Cancer Research Fund were facing declining attendance and fundraising at their annual gala event, …
This September, your generosity, advocacy and awareness-building made a mighty big difference. This Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, CCRF awarded nine new research projects at different institutions across the country. This brings CCRF’s total to over $94 million in research grants nationwide. These 9 new research projects aim to: Investigate how a newly discovered regulatory pathway drives neuroblastoma development and creating targeted therapies to defeat the …
When 16-year-old Nate (above) had his 10-hour surgery to remove the bone tumor from his ribs and spine, it was critical that doctors removed the cancer and margins around it to ensure every cancer cell was gone. But it’s hard for surgeons to visualize these tumors and get clear margins around them, because the technology they use wasn’t built to detect solid tumor cancers. For …
