There’s Always Hope – Catherine’s Story

In 1998, Cheryl brought her daughter, Catherine, in to the doctor’s office for what felt like the hundredth time. A little over a year earlier, Catherine was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. At just age 3, she had already been through numerous appointments and procedures to try to fight the disease. This time, though, the cancer was back, now attacking her optic nerve and making …

Meet Saiya – Honoring A Cousin’s Memory

Saiya, now 11 years old, has just a few memories of her older cousin, Siona. She remembers being 3 and seeing the tubes and patches taped to her 6-year-old cousin’s chest, and playing with each other in Siona’s hospital room. She remembers asking her mom why Siona didn’t have any hair, and her mom explaining that the medicine to treat her leukemia made her hair …

Please, Don’t Stay Little

This piece was originally posted by Kristy Westrom on the CaringBridge page for her son, Liam, who was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in May 2018. Please, don’t stay little. Please, grow into an amazing young man who is intelligent, caring, and happy. Please, try all the things and make lots of mistakes. Please, continue to grow physically, emotionally and mentally. Please, grow taller …

Against All Odds

Tracy’s brother once said about her, “Don’t ever tell my sister she can’t do something, because she will always prove you wrong.” Proving people wrong has been the unifying thread of Tracy’s life, ever since she was diagnosed with leukemia nearly 25 years ago. When Tracy was just 15, her energy was extremely low. When her doctor checked her iron levels, he decided to also …

Holes – A Survivor’s College Essay

One year ago, Matthew Buff, a leukemia survivor, was fine-tuning his college applications. Today, he is a busy freshman at Emory University majoring in biology on a pre-med track. Matthew’s personal goal is to become a pediatric oncologist focused on genetic research. The following is his college admissions essay.  A round piece of silicone wrapped in a metal ring about the size of a quarter. …

Making the Bed

This piece was originally posted by Kristy Westrom on the CaringBridge page for her son, Liam, who was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in May 2018. I made the bed today. Not just straightening the duvet and throwing the pillows on the bed, but fully and purposefully placing the decorative pillows and throw on the bed. I haven’t fully made the bed since before …

The Beginning – Liam’s Diagnosis Day

This piece was originally posted by Kristy Westrom on the CaringBridge page for her son, Liam, who was diagnosed with T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in May 2018. It was a Thursday morning. We had a busy day planned with a doctor’s appointment, going to the gym, meeting friends for lunch, a play date and swimming lessons. It was a regular well-check appointment. I assured Liam …

The Finish Line

Michelle Vaith originally gave this speech at CCRF’s Thanks to You event in September 2018. After 859 scary, grueling and extremely stressful days of cancer treatment, our daughter Brooklyn made it to the finish line.  Brooklyn was diagnosed with blood cancer at just 2 years old and finished treatment for high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) just in time for her fifth birthday. After living through …

CCRF Supports 4 New Emerging Scientists

Young scientists who want to dedicate their careers to finding better treatments for children with cancer face a tough road. Young researchers, who may not have as much of their own published research to make them stand out, rarely receive funding early in their careers. This means great ideas can go unexplored for years until the researcher has published enough of their own work to …

Less Toxic Treatments for Children with AML

Every so often, as Dr. Cara Rabik is in her lab studying better treatments for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), she thinks of a patient she had when she was a resident years ago – the person who is the reason she’s studying this disease today. This patient was fighting AML, a type of leukemia that is less common in children than other types of leukemia, …

Jacob’s Story – Becoming a Hero

On an otherwise unremarkable day in June 2015, Nicole noticed something about her son that seemed harmless at first – he was limping. She wasn’t immediately alarmed, but some mother’s instinct told her that this wasn’t normal. She took him to see the doctor, who ordered more tests. After four days of bouncing from urgent care to Jacob’s primary care doctor, and after blood tests …

Choosing Strength

As I reach the end of my battle with leukemia, I look back and see how I have developed over two years of fighting. I have changed in character, attitude and most importantly, my faith. Battling cancer helped me see other peoples’ suffering in a new way because I experienced my own terrible pain. Before my diagnosis I was cheerful but short-tempered. I could get …

Raising Brooklyn

Brooklyn was just 2 years old when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. An aggressive treatment protocol meant she had to re-learn to crawl and walk, which robbed her of many moments as a “normal” toddler. Now, after 859 days, 5-year-old Brooklyn is finally finished with treatment. However, she still deals with the side effects of high-dose steroids, which impact her appetite, mood and …

859 Days

Eight hundred and fifty nine days. 859 days after our souls were crushed by the news that our toddler had blood cancer, she has completed her course of treatment. She has victoriously crossed the finish line in the endurance test of a lifetime. For 859 days we have spent a large portion of our waking hours worrying. Worrying that Brooklyn was losing too much weight, …

Radio

your donation supports the research that will one day cure childhood cancer Researchers are working hard on treatments & cures for kids like Brooklyn, but they need your help. Donate Today Together we’re closing the funding gap. Only 4% of federally allocated cancer research funds go to childhood cancer research. Over the past year we have funded 40+ new research initiatives. Learn more about why …

Creating a Legacy of Hope

Nearly 40 years ago, 13-year-old Katie Hageboeck was nearing the end of her battle with leukemia. Before she died, Katie asked that her savings for a new 10-speed bike be given to Children’s Cancer Research Fund, a little-known fund at the University of Minnesota. At that time, the government was cutting back on research spending, and survival rates for children with cancer were dismal. To …