Tommy Stackhouse was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia just two weeks before his 16th birthday in May of 2019. Tommy graduated from High School and during his senior year he was voted Homecoming King. After two Stem Cell Transplants and while Tommy was studying at a Community College, Tommy's health became a serious problem and he passed away from this most difficult form of Blood Cancer on May 26th of 2022. 

Brandon and Amanda Huffman's daughter Avery complained of double vision and then her right eye became introverted in June of 2015, and after 2 visits to a Pediatric Opthamologist, she was diagnosed with DIPG. Avery's battle with this form of Pediatric Brain Cancer lasted only 7 1/2 months before her passing on February 16th of 2016, and she was even denied the Honeymoon period that many DIPG sufferers get to experience. 

11 year old Noah Klein began having trouble with his motor skills as well as fatigue in January of 2022 and quickly was diagnosed with DIPG. Noah was able to feel well enough by May of that year to attend a Miami Heat playoff game and to meet Jimmy Butler who was their star player. His mom Elan talks about what Noah went through which included a honeymoon period that summer where Noah was able to travel with his family and was feeling good until the fall season when his condition began to deteriorate, and led to his passing on February 17th of 2023 when he was 12 1/2 years old. 

Sil Lutkiwitte is the Chief Executive Officer and Randy Schrecengost is the Chief Scientific Officer for Targepeutics, and their company has created a protein known as GB-13 which is targeted to help in the fight against DIPG and DMG. This protein is designed to kill off bad brain cells while completely avoiding good brain cells and they are hoping to get the necessary financing to be able to bring this protein to Clinical Trial in the near future. 

Hollis Belger was told by her mom Allison when she was only 9 years old about the importance of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and what its Mission was in fighting pediatric cancer. To say that Hollis took her mom's message literally is the understatement of the year. Almost immediately Hollis started fundraising for St. Jude by using her incredible ability to juggle a soccer ball and now at, 20, she has raised $795,000 for St. Judes and has accomplished many other great things in trying to encourage young people to get involved in causes that empower themselves and empower others to give back to those that need it in many ways, including philanthropy. Hollis is truly one of a kind. 

Chrissy Zimmerman's 4 year old daughter Aria had no symptoms when she went to school in early September of 2022, but by the end of the day, she had 2 golf ball sized swollen nodules that were noticed by her teacher. That led to her diagnosis of T Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia , which was followed by her being diagnosed with Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis and then by Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis which led to her passing in February of 2024.

Carley Rutledge went through much of 2010 in pain but not getting any correct answers about the cause of this pain for most of that year, until she received the shocking diagnosis of Ewings Sarcoma. Carley went through 2 years of difficult treatment and then was given an immunotherapy drug that worked and she experienced 8 years of being cancer free from this form of Pediatric Bone Cancer. Always active and with many accomplishments, Carley then felt back pain during her run in a Half Marathon which unfortunately indicated her Ewings Sarcoma had relapsed, and this led to her passing in November of 2021 at the age of 27. Carley's mother Laura will talk about her beloved daughter and about her family's Rutledge Cancer Foundation on today's podcast. 

Even at the age of 7 Eric Buther's son Santiago was a graceful athlete but then he became clumsy and also was feeling tired and lethargic before he was diagnosed with DIPG in 2018. Santiago was able to go through an extended "Honeymoon" period after being treated at St Jude Children's Research Hospital but then he relapsed and after a stay at Cincinnati Children's Hospital he passed away on January 17th of 2020, while in 3rd grade. 

Not only do Becca Ingersoll's twin boys Lincoln and Logan have special needs, Lincoln was diagnosed with B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when he was 3 years old in January of 2020. Lincoln also has Cerebral Palsy, Hydrocephalus, and Autism. Becca will talk about the very difficult and tricky road that she and her husband Josh have been navigating for the past 7 years, and will also discuss  her work as an activist and advocate in the cause of Pediatric Cancer. 

Becky Handley overheard her 12 year old daughter talk about having double vision to her ballet teacher in September of 2020 after complaining of headaches in the preceding days. The next day which was September 20th, Ava was diagnosed with DIPG. Ava did experience a six month honeymoon period from January of 2021 through July of 2021 but eventually her condition deteriorated and she passed away from this terrible form of Pediatric Brian cancer on June 15th of 2022.

Mylaina Schippers beloved older brother Sal lived for over 6 years after his diagnosis of Leukemia in the early days of 2016 when Sal was 15 years old. Mylaina will talk about Sal's journey in which he had to go through 2 relapses but also had some good moments and accomplishments when he was feeling and doing well. Sal passed away from the Pediatric Blood cancer in April of 2022, one month after his 21st birthday.

On October 24th of 2011 Reilly Cardella's best friend Kassie passed away from Leukemia when they were both 13 years old.  Reilly will discuss the relationship that they had and the inspiration that Reilly developed to become a very strong voice in the cause of Pediatric Cancer. When Reilly was 20 years old she started her non-profit Love For Lady Bug which was named after Kassie, then became a Board Member and Vice President of the Glimmer of Hope Foundation , and in 2023 was voted Miss Apopka, which is a city of 55,000 located near Orlando Florida, and recognized her for all of the advocacy work that Reilly has been involved with. Her advocacy work for the Pediatric Cancer community will undoubtedly continue for many years to come. 

Makenna Thomas had a back that was painful, a right arm that turned numb, and  fingers that she could not move, when she was diagnosed with Meningioma of the Spine in early 2018 at the age of 14. Makenna will talk about her battle both physically and even more so emotionally during that period and even beyond, and will also talk about her very successful recovery and life in which she is a senior at UCLA, is the President of the American Cancer Society on campus, oversees the Relay For Life Team at UCLA which is the leading fundraising college in the country for that event, and is studying neuroscience. 

Amiee Mittleman was told about a group of parents that had children who had been diagnosed with Neuroblastoma in 2023. This group had formed an organization called Band of Parents.  After doing her research Amiee joined the group and was fortunate enough to connect with a doctor that had discovered an antibody for Neuroblastoma patients. Amiee's then 2 1/2 year old son Julian had been diagnosed with Stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma in December of 2022 and during his treatment in 2023, this antibody was given to Julian. In July of 2023, Julian had No Evidence of disease, and now, 14 months later, that designation still stands. Amiee now serves on Band of Parents Board of Directors. 

Melissa Nowicki's 3 year old son Brock was diagnosed with a Pediatric Brain cancer known as CIC-DUX4 Fusion Sarcoma in April of 2023. Both his surgery to remove his tumor and his follow up scans were perfect as 100 percent of his tumor was removed and there was no spreading of his disease. Brock is now 4 years old, was honored by the New England Revolution Professional Soccer team at Cancer Awareness Night on September 28th, and is doing well health wise. 

When Jamie Moore's 6 year old son Mason was experiencing headaches, having vomiting episodes, and having little energy, she and her husband were frustrated at first by the response they were receiving from doctors who did not recognize that what was happening to Mason was a "head issue". Mason was finally diagnosed with Anaplastic Large Cell Medulloblastoma on February 20th of 2023, had much of his treatment at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital in Memphis, but for the most part the difficult treatment that he underwent did not help and he passed away on November 6th of 2023, just 10 months after his diagnosis. 

Jamie Buckner's beloved nephew Kyler passed away on March 2nd of 2021 after enduring a 16 month battle with the Pediatric Brian Cancer DIPG. Jamie is a filmmaker and he is currently working on a Documentary film which highlights Kyler's brain cancer fight. Jamie hopes to have this film completed in early 2025 and his initial marketing plans include having it shown at well known film festivals, and eventually having it shown at the White House to help raise awareness for this most dreaded form of Pediatric Brain Cancer 

After 2 year old Max Gagnon was diagnosed with B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2014 and went into remission , the hope and expectation for his dad Michael and mother Amber was that the worst was behind them. Max however, relapsed in 2022 and just completed his treatment in August of this year. Michael will talk about the past 10 years which hopefully will now lead to a path of good health for Max.

Megan Nelson's mom felt an odd lump as she was hugging her 2 year old granddaughter Ella before returning home after Megan had given birth to her son Francis in 2020. Upon hearing this, Megan took Ella to her pediatrician and shortly thereafter she was diagnosed with the Kidney Cancer Wilms Tumor before this diagnosis was changed 3 days later to Stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma. Megan and her family were living in Virginia at the time but moved to Los Angeles so Ella could get her treatment at the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. Now 4 years later, Ella is doing well and is living her best life possible. 

After noticeably limping during a soccer game in 2019, Maggie Spada's daughter Lucy was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma at the age of 9. After going through a very difficult treatment protocol, Lucy is now 5 years removed from this diagnosis and is doing very well. Maggie will talk about Lucy and will also talk about her Little Warriors Foundation, which she and her husband Piero started when they learned about how little money the Federal Government was contributing to Pediatric Cancer, and also learning about the treatments that Lucy and other Ewings Sarcoma patients have to go through, which has not changed in over 40 years.

Michelle Zenie's son Cole, now 26 years old , married, and a High School Biology Teacher was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in May of 2001. Michelle was also a teacher but decided after Cole's recovery to get involved as an activist and advocate in the cause of Pediatric Cancer. This led to her becoming the Executive Director of the Pediatric Cancer Foundation of Lehigh Valley in 2014, a position that Michelle has held for the past 10 years. This foundation focuses on whatever it can do to help individual families get through their pediatric cancer struggles  during treatment , after treatment, and if there is an unfortunate bereavement situation

Madison Cotton went to her Primary Care Physician because of troubling cysts in her breast in 2017 and the fact that her mother had already been through breast cancer. Madison was basically dismissed by her doctor and eventually in 2022 was diagnosed with Breast cancer. Since that time she has struggled both physically and emotionally with a variety of difficult issues that she has gone through as an AYA cancer patient, and has only begun to feel better and have a more meaningful existence during this summer season. 

When 10 year old Aaron Gaberman was diagnosed with a form of Pediatric Brain Cancer in May of 2005, his older brother Jon was right by his side from that day until this present day, doing whatever he could then and can now to be by his brothers side as a devoted sibling. The brothers will talk about the difficult experiences that they have had through the years , and the bond that they have established which is an unbreakable one. 

When Lauren Bujnicki's 2 year old daughter Madison had some symptoms that needed to be checked out, the thought was that she might have a Urinary Tract Infection. Everything seemed okay except for a urinalysis that was off, but just a few days later Madison developed a low grade fever, was irritable, and vomited. Madison's diagnosis turned out to be the Kidney Cancer Stage 4 Wilms Tumor. This diagnosis was given in February of 2022 and for the next 8 months, Madison went through an arduous treatment protocol. By October of 2022, Madison did not have any Evidence of Disease and , now 2 years later as a 4 year old, Madison is doing as well as possible. 

Teri Gaberman's son Aaron was diagnosed with a rare form of Pediatric Brain Cancer when he was 10 years old in 2005. The next year Aaron contacted former New York Yankee great Bobby Murcer who had been diagnosed with a Glioma type of Brain Cancer at the end of 2006 and that started an incredible friendship which lasted until Bobby passed away on July 8th of 2008. Teri will talk about her son's amazing life and her Berni and Mercer non- profit which has helped and is helping so many in the Pediatric Cancer community.

When Jessica Robertson's 7 year old son Kai developed severe leg pain on February 10th of 2024, Jessica and her husband thought that it might be a case of growing pains, as he had been totally healthy up until that point. Unfortunately after testing at Cook's Children's Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, the shocking diagnosis 2 days later that was given to Kai and his family  was B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. It has now been nearly 7 months since this diagnosis and Kai is doing well in his maintenance treatment program. 

Sadie Eirich's left eye seemed out of position in the early fall of 2022 and eventually led to her diagnosis in October of that year of the Pediatric Brain Cancer Medulloblastoma, which was located in the pineal region of her brain. Sadie was 14 years old at the time and her treatment initially took her to a children's hospital in Jefferson Louisiana where she had 5 surgeries, followed by 9 months of treatment at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital from December of 2022 through September of 2023. Sadie was found to have No Evidence of Disease in September of 2023 and that situation continues to be the case nearly a year later. 

After being diagnosed with Pre B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in September of 2005, Alisha Wagoner was able to completely recover from her battle with this form of Pediatric Blood Cancer and now, nearly 19 years later, she has put together quite a resume. This resume includes an outstanding college softball career, prestigious awards from both her athletic and humanitarian accomplishments, and the hope that her professional career will take her to becoming a personal trainer and owning her own gym. 

Kelley Bernard was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when she was 14 years old and has now been cancer free for the past 16 years. Because of the treatment that she received from the nurses at Boston Children's Hospital , Kelley decided that she wanted to become a Pediatric Oncology Nurse which became her career path after graduating from St.Anselm's College with a Nursing Degree. Kelley has also participated 3 times in both the Boston Marathon Jimmy Fund Walk and the Pan Mass Challenge and is currently training for her upcoming boxing match hosted by the Non-Profit Haymakers For Hope. 

As he was beginning his final year in college and having an excellent season running Cross Country , Justin Spoon developed a strange lump next to his nostril. After a very long and difficult wait for 4 weeks after a biopsy was performed , Justin was diagnosed with Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma in the fall of 2020. Justin not only fought his battle for 2 and half years, he decided to donate his tumor for research which has proven to be of great help in learning more about this form of Pediatric Cancer. Justin passed away from his gallant fight in March of 2023.

Mecklin Ragan is currently a General Surgery Resident in Fairfax , Virginia who hopes to become a Pediatric Oncology surgeon . She was also the older sister by 18 months of her brother James who was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in 2006 at the age of 13. Mecklin tells the story of James who went through a 7 1/2 year protocol which unfortunately ended with his passing from Rice University during his sophomore year. Mecklin is the co-founder of the Triumph Over Kids Cancer Foundation, which is doing a great deal of work to help Pediatric Cancer patients and their families.

Heather Roy's 10 year old daughter had just completed a 10 K road race and was seemingly very healthy in September of 2018 except for a nagging pain in her right side that would not go away. This pain, thought to possibly be appendicitis, turned out to be Stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma, which was diagnosed at a much older age than this form of pediatric cancer is normally diagnosed. Evelyn struggled for 18 months with this disease before passing away in February of 2020.

Very often, when a newborn is diagnosed with the genetic condition called Neurofibromatosis which can lead to tumors being formed on nerve endings, these tumors turn out to be benign. Unfortunately , Jessica Messer's son , who was born with this genetic condition had a bulging eye that eventually was diagnosed as Embryonal Rhabdomyosarcoma. Bennett fought this disease as long as he could before passing away at the tender age of 2 years old in February of 2023.

Jack Gates went to Colorado College where he played Division 1 College Hockey, but he had no real idea early in his college days about where his career path would take him. After going to visit children with pediatric cancer in a hospital setting along with some of his hockey teammates, he decided to start his own non profit called Triumph Together, which makes it possible for these kids and adolescents battling cancer and other serious illnesses to make Memorable Moments, with the help of both collegiate and professional teams and individual athletes. His career choice is now well established, as he is helping and will continue to help so many kids who can use all the happiness that they can get. 

After seeing her then 9 year old son Jaxen hopping on one leg in June of 2023 because he felt pain, Maggie Licea wanted to take Jaxen to his pediatrician who was not available. Instead, Maggie took Jaxen to the nurse practitioner and told her that she suspected that he had cancer. The nurse practitioner disagreed but Maggie's persistence finally prevailed and Jaxen was given the necessary testing that revealed a diagnosis of Osteosarcoma. Jaxen is nearly 14 months past his original diagnosis and unfortunately suffered a relapse from this form of Bone Cancer last week. 

Weston Hermann was first diagnosed with a very rare form of a Glioma type of Pediatric Brain Cancer when he was 7 years old in 2014 and is now going through his 5th battle with this disease within the last 10 years. His father Jared will talk about the amazing fight that Weston has been through and that his resilience has allowed him to still be able to perform as a well known and well regarded 17 year old hockey player , despite playing many games while going through a chemotherapy regiment. 

Christian Englert had to deal with hand tremors for the 1st 15 years of his life which were thought to be genetic, considering that his sister and father both had similar tremors. However, Christian's tremors got worse in 2015 and the 15 year old finally went to a neurologist and not long after that, he was diagnosed with the more than rare Brain Cancer known as Pineal Parenchymal Tumor With Intermediate Differentation. This form of cancer was only diagnosed 5 other times in the years between 2000 and 2015 with all of those coming in people who were at least middle age. Miraculously according to his doctors , Christian is now 8 1/2 years past his diagnosis and is a considered to be a cancer survivor. Christian has graduated college, received his Masters degree, is very much an advocate for the Make A Wish Foundation, and is living as good of a life as possible.

Len Forkas's son Matt was diagnosed with Leukemia while in 3rd grade. Matt became depressed that he was not able to go to school and communicate with his classmates and friends, so Len created a Video Conferencing System which allows these patients to be in touch virtually with their peers on a daily basis . This non profit is called HOPE CAM and 4500 children and adolescents have been able to use this system, which greatly helps minimize the problem of social isolation. 

Shelle Arnold attended her first Relay For Life Event in 2007 in support of her 26 year old daughter in law Becky who was fighting Ewings Sarcoma. In 2008  Becky passed away and Shelle got fully involved in this event as an organizer and eventually was chairing this fundraiser in several counties in Kansas. Shelle also became involved in the Rock Chalk Roundball Classic as a Board Member for this fundraiser which was started by Kansas Jayhawk Play By Play Announcer Brian Hanni. This event  has raised more than $1 million dollars for the fight against Pediatric Cancer.  

Jocelyn Croxen was 7 years old in September of 2019 when she was diagnosed with T Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Both Jocelyn and her mom Tracy will talk about Jocelyn's ordeal, along with what she has done as a Pediatric Cancer advocate which includes her raising $100,000 for this cause, her special treatment at a Luke Combs concert, and her being named Girl Of The Year by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in 2021. Jocelyn is now 12 years old and is living her best life possible. 

Jaycee Vallier was diagnosed with Chloroid Plexus Carcinoma, a form of Pediatric Brain Cancer on January 30th of 2020. This cancer has both limited options and a very poor outlook upon diagnosis. Unfortunately, as Jaycee's parents Curtis and Trish tell their story, these conclusions turned out to be accurate and despite going through so much for over 500 days, Jaycee lost her battle on July 3rd of 2021. Curtis and Trish will talk about their beloved daughter plus their non-profit- Battlecorn Care Packages, which they started while Jaycee was still alive and was able to help other pediatric cancer patients.  

Rachel Krieger is a Primary Nurse Practitioner and when her son Oliver presented troubling physical symptoms when he was 9 months old, Rachel took him to the pediatric emergency room at New York University where an MRI revealed a large tumor on his Cerebellum in April of 2019. This tumor turned out to be the Pediatric Brain cancer known as Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor or ATRT. Oliver has gone through some very toxic and difficult treatments including a full brain and spine radiation procedure. Oliver was considered stable in 2022 and is still considered stable as he approaches his 6th birthday.  Rachel will talk about her son's fight and about the Non-Profit Ollie's Orchestra that she and her husband Max started to help pediatric cancer patients. 

In 2021 Ann Ramer and Bobby Krabill, members of the State of Ohio's Board of Health joined forces to create a State Cancer Plan which is focusing on Pediatric Cancer to help increase awareness of this disease and make it much easier for families who are going through this battle to navigate all of the issues and questions that can come up during this time period. This plan is now in its 3rd year of a 10 year program which has already made great strides for these families in Ohio, and promises to continue this path for many years to come. 

When Ramona Jarvis's 19 month old daughter Leila was running on and off fevers, she was told by Leila's doctors that these were caused by viruses and that her fevers would go away. Unfortunately that was not the case and during that summer of 2017 , Leila was diagnosed with High Risk Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. After a harrowing regiment of treatments which included 132 days of being an inpatient, Leila was put on a DFMO Clinical Trial at the Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital in November of 2018 which ended in 2020. Today, Leila is 4 years past this Clinical Trial and thankfully is both doing and feeling well. 

Ashley Guthrie's eldest son Davis was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when he was 6 years old and now at 16, is well into his survivorship years after his pediatric blood cancer battle. Ashley volunteered at the Children's Hospital in Chattanooga Tennessee while Davis was in treatment and is now the Clinical Liasion and Board Member of the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer. This Foundation was started by Amy Jo and Dr. James Osborn after the passing of their son Austin in 2006 from Brain and Spinal Cancer. 

Just by chance on a Saturday evening in 2021, Courtney Marzilli noticed a lump on her then 6 year old daughter Chloe's thigh. This lump turned out to be a tumor and Chloe was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma just before she turned 7 years old. Chloe went through a 42 week Chemotherapy treatment protocol at the Jimmy Fund Clinic in Boston and completed her treatment in the fall of 2022. Now 10 years old, Chloe is doing well physically and thankfully is leading as good of a life as posssible.

Pain and suffering were a major part of Estella Patrick's life ever since she was born with Spina Bifida in 2004. Fortunately Estella had surgery to correct this Spinal Cord disease when she was 3 months old and now is an extremely talented and successful artist and illustrator. Her illustrations have appeared in 3 books which have been published by authors who are well known members of the Pediatric Cancer community. 

Melissa Rodger's then 9 year old daughter Chloe  had a lingering cold in July of 2022 and was told by a doctor that her cold was just a product of "back to back" viruses. Not too long after that Chloe was dehydrated and this time she was sent to a hospital emergency room where she was quickly diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Chloe had to undergo 2 Bone Marrow transplants with first, Melissa, and then her father Luke being her donors. Today Chloe is back in school, doing very well, and hopes to graduate from 6th grade when the academic year ends in December. Melissa will also talk about her own hard fought battles with Anxiety on today's podcast. 

The discomfort that 5 year old Anthony Terrell was suffering from in late 2022 was originally thought to be simple growing pains, but by March of 2023  he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Lymphoma which was quickly changed to a diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Anthony is now roughly 40 percent into his Continuation Therapy protocol and he is doing so well that his doctors have put his survival rate chances at 96 percent.