Allison’s Story – Fearless
When you meet 18-year-old Allison, you might notice her short and sassy haircut or her wide, generous smile. You might notice the tattoo on her...
Survivor’s Guilt
“Whoa. This is a real thing,” I thought to myself when I finally realized where my brain was going. We had been home from the hospital for ...
Elizabeth’s Story – A Fight With Ewing Sarcoma
When 15-year-old Elizabeth was preparing for her gymnastics competition last December, she was barely thinking about the surgery she had the we...
When Kindness Keeps Us Going
When your family is facing cancer, you might feel like you are continually running on fumes. You haven’t showered, gone grocery shopping, or ...
Remembering Taylor
This week, we lost a spirited advocate, fearless supporter and dear friend. Taylor Lieber, who has fought three different types of cancer since...
Fighting Isolation as a Cancer Parent
Isolation – it’s one of the many painful challenges cancer families experience during and after treatment. Many parents feel they can’t l...
A Cure in the Making
In talking about a new project to develop new treatments for osteosarcoma, University of Minnesota researcher Beau Webber, PhD, uses a word he ...
A First Lost Tooth
This piece was originally posted on July 17, 2019 by Kristy Westrom on the CaringBridge page for her son, Liam, who was diagnosed with T-cell a...
Nate’s Story – Not Afraid
Sixteen-year-old Nate is most himself when he is playing his guitar. He’s been playing since he was around 10 years old, and his favorite son...
6 Ways Cancer Changes Your Perspective
When your child is diagnosed with cancer, it changes the lens through which you view the world. Things look and feel different, and certain thi...
Breaking the News – A Doctor’s Perspective
Imagine for a moment that you’re a pediatric oncologist. You’ve had over 20 years of education and you’ve passed dozens of tests and comp...
Cancer Parents’ Advice to Themselves
If you could go back to the day your child was diagnosed, what advice would you give yourself, knowing what you know now? This is the question ...
Gaming for Emotional Health
As Sheri Sobrato Brisson led one of her many support groups for kids and teens with chronic health issues, she thought back to how she felt whe...
Sheri’s Story – Digging Deep and Giving Back
Most adults in their early 20s have their whole lives to look forward to – careers, relationships, families and dreams are all still on the h...
Jocelyn’s Birthdays – Then and Now
This post was written by Kayla Dickhoff, who lost her daughter Jocelyn to cancer in July 2013. How have birthdays changed since losing Jocelyn?...
Memories in a Suitcase
This piece was written by Joelle Oliver, mother to Patrick, who was diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma in November 2018. Originally from Minnesota...
Logan’s Story – Persevering Through Relapse
Six-year-old Logan sits quietly in the back seat of his dad’s car, watching his favorite show, Thomas the Tank Engine. Outgoing and polite, L...
Alizabeth’s Story – Full of Sparkle
Two years ago, Carrie and Steve already had their hands full. As working parents to five daughters and owners of a cattle ranch in central Minn...