Glamorama: Powering Better Answers for Kids like Fritz

“Come here right now. Something big is happening.”

That’s the text Erika sent to her husband, Joe, from the emergency room. Their 9-year-old son, and 2026 Glamorama Ambassador, Fritz, had been rushed back for a CT scan, with multiple doctors already consulting on his case.

“We didn’t even sit in the waiting room,” Erika said. “When they roll out the red carpet in the ER, you know something is wrong.”

Earlier that day, Fritz had gone to the dentist for what Erika thought was an impacted tooth. Instead, the dentist found a mass and immediately sent them to the hospital.

Doctors performed a biopsy, and the tumor was so vascular Fritz lost nearly a liter of blood and needed a transfusion. Soon after, Fritz was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive form of bone cancer. From that moment, it felt like everything changed overnight.

The Rarest of Rare

Fritz’s tumor began in his jaw – an extremely rare presentation of Ewing sarcoma, representing less than 1% of all Ewing cases. Ewing sarcoma itself accounts for around 1% of all childhood cancers – making Fritz the rarest of the rare. Because it was so unusual, doctors acted quickly and began treatment right away.

His care included major surgery replacing more than two-thirds of his jaw with bone from his leg, months of chemotherapy – a drug nicknamed “Red Devil” because of its red color and toxicity – and a complex airway reconstruction surgery.

Even through the hardest moments, Fritz kept his sense of humor with pranks and jokes.

“He loves to get a reaction out of people,” Joe said. “We’re proud of Fritz for continuing to be exactly who he is all throughout treatment – especially now, as he becomes a teenager while still dealing with plenty of side effects.”

A Better Answer

Today, Fritz’s scans show no evidence of cancer. But the treatments that saved his life left lasting side effects.

“He went from a kid who took a Flintstones vitamin to a kid who takes medications most people don’t encounter until much later in life,” Erika said. “We would never skip the treatment that saved him. I just wish it hadn’t been so hard on his body.”

In addition to the medications, Fritz sees a variety of specialists – an oncologist, surgeons, endocrinologists, sleep medicine doctors and more. He regularly has enough appointments to last an entire day. Stories like Fritz’s show why childhood cancer research still needs support. Because these cancers are rare, much of the funding for new discoveries comes from private philanthropy and organizations like Children’s Cancer Research Fund.

That support is already helping drive progress. CCRF-funded Ewing sarcoma research recently helped launch a major clinical trial exploring more targeted treatments – work that could mean fewer side effects for kids diagnosed in the future.

“It takes a community of people who say, ‘our kids deserve better,’” Joe said. “And then help make it happen.”