Help and Hope Happen Here

Dr. Katerina Levy decided to write her book THE HEALING Garden while she was a resident at the Broward Medical Health Center in South Florida. This book was based on the Healing Garden that she saw while at that Medical Center and is full of strategies that work for kids who are trying to cope with being diagnosed with any form of Pediatric Cancer. Dr. Levy is still in the very early stages of her career as a Pediatric Psychologist.

Being treated terribly by her swimming coach and eventually belittled and made fun of by her teammates, Meghan Macantee was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in the fall of 2023, during her sophomore year at SUNY Potsdam where she was a member of the swimming team. Before her diagnosis, Meghan went to the emergency room 11 times where she was also treated poorly. In short, no one believed this wonderful young woman The fact that she was diagnosed with such a difficult form of Pediatric Cancer says it all. Meghan is now doing well health wise and giving back to others with her non-profit MEGHANSMISSIONINC. Meghan never received an apology from any of the people who so terribly wronged her. SHAME ON THEM.

Payton Alexander was living a healthy and normal life for a 14 year old until late in 2017 when she began experiencing symptoms that needed to be checked out. These symptoms led to her diagnosis of Ewings Sarcoma in January of 2018. Payton continued to try and live as good of a life as possible as she joined the Make A Wish and Little Warrior Foundations to try and help other patients suffering from Pediatric Cancer. Payton fought for 3 1/2 years with this Bone Cancer before her passing in November of 2021 when she was 19. Her mom Kim, who talked beautifully about her beloved daughter during our podcast, has been involved in the cause of Pediatric Cancer since Kim's passing, with her Payton Alexander Foundation. 

Tamy Bell's son Griffin was born 3 months prematurely in June of 2017 and 16 months later was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma in September of 2018. Griffin relapsed on two occasions after that but then in April of 2023, had a 3rd relapse that was more severe as his cancer had spread to his orbital bone. This relapse took away any realistic hope of further treatment that would help Griffin, and he passed away on March 18th of 2024, 3 months before his 7th birthday,

Sahil Mehta's older brother Ronil wanted to donate his brain to Stanford University after his passing from DIPG in 2018 in the hope that it would help another DIPG Victim in the future. Sahil took this request as his personal responsibility and then got so involved in the cause of Pediatric Cancer that he eventually worked with California Assemblyman Alex Lee to form the bill AB703, that would give the California State Taxpayers the option on their tax forms to check a box that would allow them to donate to the cause of Pediatric Cancer. This bill was fully formed and ready by July of 2025 to have Governor Gavin Newsom sign it into law. California is now only the 8th state in the country to have this provision on their tax form and Sahil is hoping that many other states will join in this effort to bring much more money into the cause of Pediatric Cancer.

Carrigan Nelson was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in March of 2019 and fought for the next 69 months with this form of Pediatric Bone Cancer until her passing on Christmas Day in 2025 when she was 24 years old. Carrigan was a truly Iconic young woman who did so much for the cause of Pediatric and Adolescent Cancer and was beloved by everyone that knew her. A very well accomplished Singer, Dancer, and Artist, she looked at life with Joy and nothing mattered to her more than trying to inspire other young patients with her singing and reaching out in compassion to help others in any way possible. Her mom Tammy, her Aunt Bonnie, and her greatest friends Deaven Pierpoint, Hannah Nasser, and Madison Quinn will talk about their beloved daughter, niece, and friend in this Tribute To Carrigan.

Tony Garcia will talk about his early in life Pediatric Cancer battle which began in 1973 when he was diagnosed with Leukemia  when he was 2 1/2 years old. Tony's treatment finally ended nearly 10 years later in 1983 and since that time he has been doing as well as possible for the past 43 years, as a long term Pediatric Cancer survivor. Now 55 years old, Tony just published his first book (memoir) at the end of January called MY CHILDHOOD CUT SHORT. SURVIVING LEUKEMIA AND FINDING PURPOSE BEOND PAIN. Tony also is involved in supporting Pediatric Cancer patients through fundraising, volunteering, and advocacy work. 

Sydney Leandro was 5 years old on Easter Sunday of 2020 when she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Now at age 11, Sydney is feeling and doing well and is able to live a good life. In 2025 her brother Jack, who is now 9 years old, decided to start a non-profit called PUCKS FOR BUCKS in which he shot approximately 200 pucks a day from his driveway into a hockey goal and raised $1.00 for each puck he shot, which he donated in Sydney's honor and to help other Pediatric Cancer Patients. He donated this money to the A Wish Come True Non- Profit which had treated the Leandro family to a trip to San Diego in 2023. Jack will continue his non profit after his current hockey season ends and will begin from where he left off last summer in which he had totaled 10,027 pucks shot.

Kendel Davy is a Founding Member of the Riley Rocks Memorial Foundation and Meghan Fessenden is the Director of Social Media and Marketing for the Foundation and is Riley's sister. Together they will talk about Riley who was diagnosed with Esthesioneuroblastoma which is a Pediatric Cancer of the Nasal Cavity when she 6 years old in 2013, and battled for 3 years before her passing on July 20th of 2016 when she was 9 years old. They will also talk about their Foundation which was started by Riley's parents Kamie and Todd.

Tara Daniels is now 33 years old , married, working at a job that she enjoys , and living as good of a life as she can. Back in 2009 when Tara was 16 years old this was not the case as she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia . Tara relapsed twice, with the last relapse coming in 2016. Tara then received a Bone Marrow transplant and since that time period, she has been cancer free. Tara will talk about all that she has been through, including survivorship on today's podcast.

Gabriella and Nicholas are 22 years old, and about to graduate from Purdue University and Indiana University respectively. This fall they will enter Medical School and will likely pursue careers in the medical field that will concentrate on Pediatric Cancer. Their cousin Maddox is now 14 years and well past his battle with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia but Maddox's sister Maia, who was diagnosed with Ewings Sarcoma in 2022 when she was 6 years old, passed away from this Bone Cancer on November 2nd of 2025. Gabriella and Nicholas will talk about what Maia went through during her cancer battle and will also talk about their amazing Strides For Sarcoma Non-Profit which they started after Maia relapsed, which shows both their dedication to Maia and their dedication to doing what they can to help eradicate the disease that Maia was forced to go through.

After their son Christopher passed away in 1969 from Rhabdomyosarcoma, Charles and Erma Millard decided to start a Charity organization that would help Pediatric cancer patients and their families. This organization was named Four Diamonds and Suzanne Graney, who has been its Executive Director for the past 15 years, will talk about this amazing organization which pays all expenses for each child that is treated at Penn State Health's Golisano Children's Hospital that are not covered by insurance. Four Diamonds has been partnering with Penn State and their Dance Marathon known as Thon which is the largest Student Run Philanthropy in the World, with all proceeds going to Golisano Children's Hospital to fight Pediatric Cancer.  

Maithili Shah was told by one surgeon that her then 6 month old Agastya who was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma in July of 2023, would most likely not survive 4 more months. Thankfully, Matihili and her husband made a change in surgeon's, Agastya's Brain Tumor was totally resected, and now, over 2 1/2 years later , Agastya is doing well physically as he continues to make progress from this Pediatric Brain Cancer. 

4 year old Ava Blazis woke up on the morning of March 11th 2023 with a very unusual pain in her abdomen which continued to get worse as the day wore on. Her mother Angela brought her to UMass Memorial Medical Center and 3 days later on March 14th, she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Angela and Ava then spent the next 65 days at Boston Children's Hospital while Ava was undergoing treatment. Meanwhile Angela's sister Johanna Annuziata got busy with helping to look after Ava's brother Michael, and also helping to start Team Ava, an unofficial Non-Profit, which has already raised over $300,000 to help in the cause of Pediatric Cancer. Ava is now 7 years old and is doing well physically as she has been in remission since May of 2025. 

Alexandria Rodts's son Brayton got the stomach flu in February of 2023 which had already affected his family in January. Brayton's symptoms continued well past the normal time for a stomach flu to be an issue, and this was not helped by the fact that all the doctors he went to basically came to the same conclusion that by taking Zofran, he would feel better. 6 months later, in August of that year his diagnosis of ATRT which was so shocking, was finally confirmed at Rady's Children's Hospital in San Diego, thanks to his pediatrician who pushed much harder than others to get Brayton's true issue diagnosed correctly. He was 19 months old at the time of his diagnosis. Brayton is feeling well and doing as well as possible as 2026 is underway.

Persistent colds and a chronic cough were followed by not being able to walk and being constantly tired for Marie Gulliver's 2 year old son Ezra in 2022. These symptoms were finally diagnosed as High Risk Acute Myeloid Leukemia, which was complicated by a genetic mutation and the always difficult Graft vs, Host Disease after Ezra received a successful Bone Marrow Transplant in September of 2022. Ezra has been cancer free for more than 3 years and has ony a 5 percent chance of a relapse which is great news for him and his family.

When Aaira Khan was in 5th grade in 2021 she and her classmates at their school in Sydney Australia received a letter from a Pediatric Cancer patient which talked about the Great Cycle Challenge. Aaira quickly decided to ride in this event to raise money for this patient and for the cause of Pediatric Cancer. Aaira has now ridden in this event each year since and in the fall of last year, started her own CAN CAMPAIGN fundraiser. This fundraiser focuses on people picking up empty cans, bringing them to get recycled, and taking the proceeds that they receive from each can and donating all of these proceeds for research, to help join in the fight for these kids who need as much help as possible as they fight their own cancer battels. This campaign was just started 3 months ago and has already raised $2600.

With all types of troubling symptoms which began at the end of 2024, Sara Bailey was told that these symptoms in her then 4 year old daughter Brynlee indicated that she had Strep Throat, after the doctors that she was seeing basically dismissed her symptoms and how she was feeling. This totally unnecessary DELAYED DIAGNOSIS took approximately 4 months until her symptoms were actually examined, thanks to the insistence of Sara that Brynlee needed the proper testing which she finally received. Brynlee is scheduled later this week to Ring The Bell indicating that her treatment  for her Pediatric Brain Cancer Medulloblastoma has ended, and hopefully will go into remission with a much better future then she was allowed to have when she was 4 years old and diagnosed on April 9th of 2025. 

Among Katie Taylor's successes as a Certified Child Life Specialist over the past 15 years have been focusing on the parents of the children that are undergoing treatment for Pediatric Cancer, and empowering these parents to help get their children and adolescents ready for upcoming doctor's appointments, which can be a tricky proposition. Katie also established a Child Life Services program at a Newborn Intensive Care Unit with an astounding 80 beds to help these critically ill newborns. These accomplishments also go along with her being an Author, Public Speaker, and Podcast Host. Katie is an extremely busy and totally dedicated professional .

When Tony Suttles heard about 9 year old Haley Chandler being diagnosed with a form of Pediatric Cancer in 2020, he decided that he needed to do something to help this girl and their family. His solution was to start a Dirt Track Car Race and decided to call it FIGHT FOR A KID. His first race in 2024 attracted 80 cars on a track that normally had 30 cars race each weekend. By 2025, 106 cars entered and over $12,000 was raised in honor of kids like Haley who were going through their individual cancer battles. Tony and James Cumby, the father of 12 year old Brailynn Cumby who I spoke with on my Podcast on Christmas Day about her Ewings Sarcoma battle, will talk about this race and the expansion plans they have for it beginning in September when their next race is scheduled.  

The only symptom that 14 year old Adie Alonzo was showing beginning in the spring of 2024 was an enlarged lymph node on her left side that had not impacted Adie's health in any way. It was not until 7 months later that this swollen lymph node was diagnosed as Hodgkins Lymphoma. After undergoing difficult treatment at Kaiser Hospital in Fontana California, Adie achieved remission on May 29th of 2025 and is doing well as 2026 begins. Adie is now 16 years old. 

Ahmad Butler described the headache that he was dealing with as "Pain On The Brain" in February of 2015, a headache that was almost immediately checked out, and one day later Ahmad was undergoing Emergency Brain Surgery at St. Christoper's Hospital in Philadelphia. This surgery revealed that Ahmad was suffering from the Pediatric Brain Cancer Ependymoma. Ahmad lived for only 9 months after his diagnosis, passing away at 6 1/2 years old in November of 2015, and his Grandmother Latanya Morrison started the Ahmad Butler Foundation in 2020, a Foundation that she has been running with unyielding focus and passion.

Dr. Cristina Pozo- Kaderman is the Director of the Young Adult Program at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and just published her book COPING WITH CANCER IN EARLY ADULTHOOD, a book that talks about the many issues that young adults, beginning at age 19 have to go through. These issues have a wide variety of problems attached to them and Cristina writes about the many solutions for which this group of cancer fighters can choose from to help them live their best lives possible. 

When a "small pimple" that was on 11 year old Brailynn Cumby's back that seemed to be a simple cyst turned into Ewing's Sarcoma in October of 2024, her parents Raquel and James, not to mention Brailynn, were shocked. Brailynn went through her treatment which ended on September 9th of 2025 when she was able to Ring The Bell at Texas Children's Hospital and while in treatment, Brailynn managed to write a book entitled PETALS OF HOPE and also managed to design a Chemo Shirt which hopefully will be put to good use by other pediatric cancer patients. 

Caitlin White's son Grant was 2 years old when he complained of pain from his thumb in November of 2022. This pain was not taken seriously enough by his doctors, one of whom looked at Grant while he was lying on the floor and gasping for breath in the hospital waiting room and said that his "shift was almost over" and he would order him a prescription, which had been the supposed solution heard too many time before by Caitlin. Caitlin then demanded a change in doctors, receiving a new female doctor, and this led to Grant finally being diagnosed properly for Leukemia, and began his treatment almost immediately.

Chad Gordon radiated positivity when talking about his daughter Adley's successful battle with B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia which began just before her 2nd birthday in  February of 2022, and ended 800 days later when she was able to Ring the Bell at Penn State's Hersey Children's Hospital. Chad talks about what Adley went through, and also how the THON event which is a very well known Dance Marathon at Penn State, and the Four Diamonds Childhood Cancer Organization did so much to help Adley and the Gordon Family.

I am always amazed and humbled when any parent can come on to my podcast to talk about the passing of their child from any form of pediatric cancer. This feeling was no more striking than in my conversation with Tim Finkel, who spoke so eloquently about losing his and Angela's youngest son Ryder just 54 days ago to  DIPG at the age of 9. This Pediatric Brain cancer still does not have any type of good news as far as a survival rate is concerned, which is the same story that DIPG parents and families have been hearing for over 60 years. 

Even though it made perfect sense that 2 year old Waylynn McCullough was experiencing the same cold like symptoms that her dad Kevin and her mom Logan had already been through, Waylynn was not as fortunate to say the least, as what she was experiencing was her lead up to her High Risk B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia diagnosis which was given to her in January of 2024. Waylynn is now 4 1/2 years old and has been through a very difficult initial treatment plan which was followed by a very difficult Delayed Intensification Treatment plan. Waylynn is now feeling well and thankfully is leading the life for the most part as a very healthy 4 1/2 year old girl. 

Grace Eline was taught values by her mom Aubrey and her father Dan at a very early age, that giving to others was far more important than wanting for yourself. Well before she was diagnosed with the Germ Cell Cancer Germinoma which took place when Grace was 9 years old, Grace had decided that rather than accepting birthday gifts, she wanted people to donate to the cause of Pediatric Cancer.  Now 16 years and completely healthy, Grace started the WITH GRACE INITIATIVE as a non-profit to help other Pediatric Cancer Warriors and their families as they go through their cancer battles. This outstanding young woman attended the State of the Union when she was 10 years old as a Pediatric Cancer Representative,  and has continued her work to help others, practicing the lessons that she was taught by her parents over 10 years ago. 

Nya Chambless is now 16 years old, has been an actor since she was 4 years old, and is the now the Award Winning 16 year old Director of the Short Film MY GUARDIAN ANGEL. Nya and her father Jerry, who is the film's producer, will talk about this film which details the true story of the friendship between Nya and Teeja Johnson, who met in pre kindergarten, became best friends , and then Teeja passed away from Neuroblastoma just 5 months later. This film was introduced to Film Festivals across the country and beyond in April of 2025, has won multiple awards, and features topics such as Inclusion, Acceptance, Love, Friendship , the scrooge of Bullying, and awareness of Pediatric Cancer. If you would like to see information on this film click on this link. http://www.griefdialogues.com/my-guardian-angel/

When Abby Fish, who was still under the age of 2 in the summer of 2025 was diagnosed with the Pediatric Brain Cancer Choroid Plexus Carcinoma, her mom Amelia and her dad Joel were told how rare and difficult this cancer was. When they then found out that Abby also had the genetic condition Li Fraumeni to go along with her Brain cancer, they were told that the chances of her surviving until she was at least 5 years old were less than 12 percent. After hearing that, they found the Burzynski Clinic in Houston Texas, and that Dr. Burzynski had treated a young woman named Kaityln who is now 25 years old, and had suffered from both the same cancer and same genetic condition that Abby has. Abby is now following the same treatment path that Kaitlyn did.

Karla Gess's daughter Kadence had been limping on her right leg for several weeks, and each time Karla or Kadence's father Jarret would take her to the emergency room, her limping would be dismissed and the only thing that she was told was to take Motrin. Finally a Pediatric Nurse saw Kadence, thought her color seemed off and ordered labs, which led to her diagnosis of Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. Kadence is now 5 years old and has been battling this form of Pediatric Cancer for 17 months with at least one year of treatment on the horizon.

After noticing that their 20 month old son Jacob was wobbling while walking and had fallen to the ground in February of 2024 , Jocelyn Espinoza and Samuel Steward, took their son first to a doctor in Tijuana Mexico, and shortly thereafter to Rady's Children's Hospital in San Diego where he was diagnosed with the Pediatric Brain Cancer ATRT. It has been over a year and a half since Jacob's diagnosis, and he is currently doing very well and living the life of a very active 3 1/2 year old boy. 

When Rylee Clark began to complain about troublesome headaches in 2020 when she was 12 years old, the original thought was that these were Migraines. That did not turn out to be the case however, as Rylee was diagnosed with Pineoblastoma, a fast growing cancerous brain tumor. Rylee's parents Michelle and Mike and her twin sister Reese will talk about this diagnosis, which led to the far too short life of their beloved daughter and sister.

Because he was Developmentally Delayed at birth, Aliyah Vida was not that surprised when her son Joshua, who was affectionately known as Goose,  slipped while walking to the bathroom and hit is eyebrow, causing a small bump.  Unfortunately this bump continued to grow, as did his feeling lethargic, and then not eating or drinking. Goose was then diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma in April of 2022, and this form of Pediatric Cancer led to his passing in April of 2024, before he was to turn 4 years of age. 

Just a few days after complaining of a headache and vomiting on his way to school the next day in August of 2017, Gunner Smith, who was a 4th grade student was having emergency brain surgery at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, after being diagnosed with a High Grade Multi Form Glioma. This operation was so serious that there was a question as to whether Gunner would even be able to wake up from this surgery. Gunner's parents Brittany and Brandon will talk about their son who showed so much bravery while he fought his disease and uttered these words after his diagnosis. "We Got This." Gunner passed away from this Pediatric Brain Cancer on May 28th of 2021.

Being put in a garbage can by a fellow classmate while in Junior High School, and having a teacher laugh at her as she was being forced to clean up the spill of a lunchroom tray which she did not cause, are just a few of the things that Mariah Forster Olson talks about in her recently published book HOPE OVER DESPAIR which details her life of the physical and mental after effects of her Neuroblastoma battle that she has lived with since her diagnosis of this form of Pediatric Cancer when she was a year old in June of 1980. Now at the age of 46, Mariah has proven without a doubt that it is possible to live a meaningful and successful life, despite being forced to endure the many unfortunate details that she describes so eloquently in her book.

Kerri Steele's husband Will ran 13 miles each day, went home to help get his young children ready for the day afterwards, and then put in a full day of work. Needless to say, it was a total shock to Kerri and Will when he was diagnosed with a rare form of  cancer that was determined to be terminal upon his diagnosis in February of 2010, and which led to his passing on Christmas Eve of 2012. Kerri will talk about Will, and about the difficult years ahead for her and their children who were 2,4, and 6 when their father got sick. 

Jannell and Keith Royer's daughter McKenna was experiencing headaches before her Diffuse Midline Glioma diagnosis in August of 2023. This Pediatric Brain Cancer behaves in a similar manner to DIPG, leaving little room for a lifespan which is normally expected to be 9-12 months.  McKenna did not even make it that far, passing away on February 26th of 2024, 6 months after being diagnosed. Jannell and Keith will talk about how McKenna felt surprisingly well during almost all of her battle, until 8 days before her passing when she suddenly went downhill health wise. Jannell and Keith will also about their Brave Like McKenna Foundation and their advocacy work for the cause of Pediatric Cancer.

BobbiJo  Pansier met Andy Standish , the founder of the Standish Foundation For Children, at an event and just a few weeks later Bobbi Jo joined this World Wide Foundation and is now its Global Programs Manager. This Foundation works with low income and middle income countries to help children who are suffering from diseases such as Pediatric Cancer and other maladies with many aspects of healthcare. This foundation is 15 years old and is alive in 70 countries around the world, and has served 1 million children. Bobbi Jo is a Child Life Specialist and uses her background in psychosocial issues to help these kids and their families navigate what can be a very difficult path in the Healthcare world. 

Sam Taylor's daughter Ellie has been free from her treatment for Rhadomyosarcoma since April of 2023. 6 months after that, Sam started her DEEP C PODCAST which focuses on parents and how they are able to deal with their the children's Pediatric Cancer battles. This podcast is so well known that Sam hears each day from at least one parent who has listened to her podcast or knows about it, and Sam develops great relationships with all of her guests. Sam also spends a great deal of time on her Advocacy work for the cause of Pediatric Cancer, including her work with the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario known as POGO.If you would like to find clips of interviews that Sam has had with her guests then please go to her DEEP C PODCAST Instagram page. Interested parents would be able to see Sam and her guests interact and that is always a good thing. 

Ansley Cochran's parents found a lump on their 2 year old daughter's neck in 1999, and this lump was the forerunner of her diagnosis of Neuroblastoma. Ansley was able to live for 19 more years , a time period that included very difficult treatment which was interrupted by a 4 1/2 year period of remission. Ansley's health began to decline in February of 2017 and her passing took place on May 22nd of 2018 when Ansley was 21 years old. Ansley's mom Donna will talk about both Ansley and the Ansley Foundation on today's podcast. 

Dr. Danielle Cameron knew that she was interested in medicine when she was a girl growing into her teenage and adolescent years while watching her father who had a career as a Cardiac Surgeon. Danielle talks about that on today's podcast as well as her many interests in the field of Pediatric Oncology, especially when it concerns solid tumors. Danielle also lends her voice as a member of a number of National committees for Organizations that are concerned with a wide variety of Pediatric Cancer issues. 

From her early years , HELPING was a word that described what Dr. Kate Lund enjoyed doing for others, and this led to her career as a Clinical Psychologist and her roles in the Pediatric Cancer World. One of these roles was as a volunteer for the Children's Brain Tumor Foundation which took place for nearly 25 years and her most recent and current role has been training her dog Wally to become a Therapy Dog who visits Pediatric Cancer patients and brings them comfort at Seattle Children's Hospital. 

After surviving her childhood fight with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Claire Galvin has gone on to have an outstanding academic career, which has included holding a double major in Biology and Psychology which led to her receiving an Honors Bachelor Degree from the University of Toronto, a Master of Science Degree in Experimental Medicine from the University of British Columbia, and is now pursuing her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Concordia University in Montreal. Clair is currently working on her Dissertation which involves the study of Pediatric Cancer survivors and how they have transitioned into adulthood. Claire's dissertation is called the CHILDHOOD CANCER IDENTITY PROJECT. If you are interested in participating in this project then please email Claire at cchip.research@gmail.com

After being diagnosed with Osteosarcoma when she was 10 years old in 2012 Bailey Moody decided that despite what some were saying, her budding athletic career was not over. Since that time, Bailey has been a member of the Women's Wheelchair Basketball National Team since 2018 as a 16 year old, winning World Championships in 2019 and 2023, a two time Paralympian, winning a Bronze Medal in Tokyo in 2021 and a Silver Medal in Paris in 2024, winning 5 National Collegiate Championships from 2021 to 2015 at the University of Alabama, Winning the Finals MVP award after her 30 point effort in the final game of 2025, and being named an Academic All American from 2021 through 2025.

Alex Lynch was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia , which came with  2 very rare genetic markers which only 2 percent of ALL kids have had to deal with. Alex's diagnosis came in May of this year and he is now in his consolidation stage. Alex and his mom Yuliya will talk about what Alex has been through and what his treatment future might hold. They will also talk about Alex's 6 sibling's who range in age from 2 months to 14 years .  If you would like to see how Alex is doing and hopefully send him a message of encouragement, please contact him at https://www.facebook.com/groups/alexlynch/    

Losing one child is terrible under any circumstances but losing 2 children, to different tragedies is more than anyone should ever be burdened with. Adrienne Bender will talk about the loss of her 15 year old daughter Mackenzie who was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia after being diagnosed with this Pediatric Blood cancer when she was 8 years old in 2011, was in remission for 5 years, then relapsed and passed away in 2018. Adrienne will also talk about her son Kyler, who developed substance abuse problems beginning when he was 12 years old, fought his demons, and was on his way to what was thought to be a complete recovery before he got into a fight, took fentanyl, and passed away in 2023

After experiencing stomach pains and fevers in the spring of 2023, Jordan Vanstee's then 2 year old son Kian was diagnosed with B Cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Kian went through very difficult treatment at McMaster's Children's Hospital in Canada , but with the help of his Disney Hero Mickey Mouse and the Make a Wish Foundation, Kian is now in remission and is living his best life possible. 

Kailyn Thelen has health issues of her own, which do not include any type of cancer, and still is able to run her own non-profit which concentrates on making blankets for children with pediatric cancer and other diseases. Kailyn met Ali Herbert when she was just 2 months away from passing away from her battle with Very High Risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, which happened on November 29th of 2020, the same day as her mom Heather's birthday. Kailyn will talk about Ali and about what she does to help others, as she is dealing with her own health issues.

Nici and John Robinson live in England and lost their son Charlie to a Grade 3 Ependymoma in 2021, after he was diagnosed with this Brain Tumor when he was 2 years old in June of 2018. Nici and John will talk about their beloved son and will also discuss the Respite Homes that they have made available for families who are going through a Pediatric Cancer diagnosis with one of their children. The Robinson's have set these Respite Homes up through their Thumbs Up For Charlie Foundation.