Today is #GivingTuesday, a day to celebrate the spirit of giving. In November, we highlighted Caroline and her family. Caroline is beating neuroblastoma cancer in Nashville, on one of the clinical trials you’re helping us drive. Today we have a guest post from Margaret, Caroline’s mom. Black Friday (literally!) 2017: Diagnosis Day Black Friday 2018: Same spot, one year into treatment, …
Wading Through the Rubble
Whether natural or human-created, disasters create rubble. In the aftermath of such tragedies, news feeds fill with images of catastrophic destruction. Once tall, majestic structures reduced to rubble; streets and neighborhoods filled with endless piles of debris; lives left in ruins and a cry for help issued locally, nationally, and globally. In the days that follow a disaster, amid myriad …
Karaoke 5k Recap, 2019
I sit here on the eve of my Nnamdi baby’s passing in reflection of where my grief journey has led me. Karaoke5K was born out of my incessant desire to keep Nnamdi’s memory ALIVE. I wanted to talk about him all the time, and share his experiences and personality with anyone who wanted to hear it. I told my husband …
Transforming the Story of Childhood Cancer
Viewing Childhood Cancer Awareness Month 2019 through the rearview mirror has been a wonderful lesson in realizing that looking back helps to transform the future. While recalling the flurry of GOLDEN events that made up September 2019 is important, in order to truly make an impact and find cures for every child, everywhere, G9 must look forward with 20/20 vision …
A Rush to GOLD
When my daughter Annie envisioned the idea for Gold In September, she saw a world that turned pink in October and stopped shaving in November in the spirit of raising awareness. She had a vision that one day, the same would be true with the color gold for kids. It was a simple goal: awareness. As we settle into Childhood …
GOLD: An Evening to Beat Childhood Cancer 2019 – The Recap
Wow. What an evening. Our second annual Gold: An Evening to Beat Childhood Cancer was once again sponsored by CrossCountry Mortgage (their third year in a row title sponsoring one of our events). HGTV’s Nicole Curtis rocked the stage as our MC. Her passion for helping kids beat cancer is so real. Her foreman, Bobby Prothero, lost his daughter Tessa …
I Spy . . . Hope
Last week I was humbled to be one of the keynote speakers at Pediatrics 2040 (Peds2040). The event was the annual meeting of the international Society for Pediatric Innovation or iSPI. Below is the transcript from my presentation. It provides the culmination of my journey as well as Gold In September’s vision as we continue to innovate, collaborate, and grow GOLDEN awareness and funding …
Struggling to Fit In – The Plight of AYA Cancer Patients
Since 2005, when my son Jack was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, I have stood on the platform of awareness and research to help find and fund cures for childhood cancer. It is a platform my family certainly didn’t willingly ask to stand on . . . but as my late husband John so thoughtfully said time and time again, “if not …
Healing Hannah
In June of 2019, we spent some time with the Shroyer family at their home-away-from-home – the baseball fields in Sarasota. Mom Ginger and dad Ben shared some of Hannah’s story of beating neuroblastoma cancer.
Cataclysmic Attachment Trauma
When a family is impacted by a childhood cancer diagnosis, the lifelong consequences are profound regardless of outcome. As a parent whose child lost this battle, healing is a daily and often overwhelming struggle. And let us not forget about the other side to this struggle for the parents whose children survive. There is no simply ‘moving on’ following the …