Finding Strength in a Suitcase
What I remember most from this past year is my suitcase. Every weekend proceeds as so: pack my suitcase, throw it in the car, drive to the subu...
He Will Never Let Me Forget
I stand in a room untouched for 4 years. As I run my hand on the bed I feel the cold cotton of the blanket, knowing that it will never be warme...
How I Care For My Brother Now
It’s funny how one place can create so many narratives in your life. For me, that place is the University of Minnesota- Twin Cities. Nestled ...
Darkness Showed Me How to Be Stronger
I am Danny Valerius, and I am a 12-year-old seventh grader. I like to do good, learn in school, play lots of basketball, talk to my friends and...
Disgustingly Normal
I don’t think we will ever get used to or get over the feeling of our stomachs sinking every time Brooklyn goes under anesthesia. I have lost...
Tough Beyond Her Years: Brooklyn’s Story
Three-year-old Brooklyn wears colorful, patterned leggings and never leaves home without slipping on at least one purple item of clothing (in a...
I Trust Anyway
I lay here next to my 9-year-old son in his hospital bed. I stay close. When the next seizure starts, I’ll be able to reach the round red ale...
A Gift That Never Comes Too Late
When you lose someone close, it’s the memories that bring them back to life again. The holidays are particularly hard, so when my heart aches...
Easing the Pain of Transplant: Alex’s Story
“I begged for Megan to come in every day,” Alex told us, with his sister Kirsten and mother Nancy nearby. While most of his friends are hea...
“Mommy, do kids with cancer celebrate Christmas?”
Written by Michelle Cavanaugh, mother of pelvic rhabdomyosarcoma survivor, Callie. She is also a family physician. “Mommy, do kids with cance...
I Hope I Always Have Tears
No matter how much we plan or how well we deal with grief it finds ways to sneak in. It found me recently when I shared a little about Quinn, m...
Drawing the Line
Brooklyn was 2½ when we went to get her hair cut for the first time. Her long, blonde, curly hair was reduced to an adorable pixie cut. Sh...
Alex & Kirsten’s Instagram Takeover
Hi Everyone. My name is Kirsten and this is my younger brother, Alex. I am thrilled to be taking over the CCRF instagram account for the next f...
“At Least It’s Just Non-Hodgkin”
“At least it’s just non-Hodgkin.” I was baffled by what came out of her mouth. After confiding and sharing my brother’s official diagno...
As Each Day Passes, My Heart Gets Heavier
As each day passes, my heart gets heavier. With each sunset, I feel another 100 pounds across my back. When my son Dom was 3, we mentioned to m...
Three Years and Five Words
My toddler, Finn, knows five words: mama, dada, raccoon, Daisy (my parent’s dog) — and Zach. Four of these words he picked up on his own, t...
When Late Effects Can’t Be Fixed
We had it good. We had a brain tumor survivor who was thriving. Sure, he had late effects: Stroke damage, hearing loss, partial blindness, spee...