CURE Blog

September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Join us today, September 30, 2011 as CURE Childhood Cancer honors CURE Kid Laura Roush. Join our fight as CURE’s Kids Conquer Cancer One Day at a Time! Donate to Laura’s fund.

After a 13-month battle with cancer, Laura has left us to be with the Lord on March 3, 2011. She passed away surrounded by her loving family. Our daughter and sister was a blessing to us and her passing leaves a gaping hole in our lives.

Laura was born on September 30, 1993 in Maplewood, Minnesota. Much of Laura’s life was spent in the Linwood/ Forest Lake, MN area. She was a Girl Scout; played soccer, softball and the clarinet; wrote songs and poetry; and participated in drama club. Laura’s boundless enthusiasm, energy, and fun-loving spirit were infectious, as was her smile. Her sense of adventure, assertiveness, and confident spirit helped inspire us to make the move to Atlanta, Georgia in 2009. Laura attended Whitewater Senior High in Fayetteville, GA and was a member of the Class of 2012. She dreamed of a career in microbiology/parasitology (she loved the show “Monsters Inside Me”), getting her driver’s license, going to prom, and eventually heading off to college – but cancer had other plans.

On February 5, 2010, Laura (16 years old at the time) was diagnosed with biopsy-confirmed colorectal cancer, which is extremely rare for her age. Due to its rarity, her case was escalated to the oncology teams at the Children’s Aflac Cancer Clinic and Emory University. A few months after Laura’s diagnosis, we learned that Laura had a rare genetic disorder, Constitutional Mismatch Repair-Deficiency Syndrome, which predisposed her to developing multiple cancers at an early age – heavy stuff for anyone to bear, especially for a 16-year- old girl. With this diagnosis in hand, Laura knew that the cards would be stacked against her and cancer would always be a part of her future. None of us guessed that her future would be so short. Again, cancer had other plans.

Her case was further complicated on December 6, 2010, as she would be diagnosed with her second primary cancer, glioblastoma multiforme (a very aggressive brain cancer). She had a craniotomy and received whole brain radiation therapy. On February 10, 2011, all treatment stopped due to progression. By then, she had amassed 5 “Beads of Courage” strands – just 1 year after she was first diagnosed.

Cancer stole our daughter, her future, and our dreams. No first prom, high school graduation, college send-off, or walking our baby girl down the aisle. All that is gone now and our lives are forever changed. Our loss is complete and we are heartbroken.

Laura never considered herself brave or a hero, and desperately only wanted to be a normal teen. However, she recognized that people were inspired by her battle and its numerous challenges. She agreed to have her story shared to help raise money for the American Cancer Society, CURE Childhood Cancer, and the Aflac Cancer Clinics here in Atlanta. Laura fought hard and was admired by many. As her parents and brother, we were honored to walk beside her.

Donate to Laura’s fund.

September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Join us today, September 30, 2011 as CURE Childhood Cancer honors CURE Kid Angela Sawyer. Join our fight as CURE’s Kids Conquer Cancer One Day at a Time! Donate to Angela’s fund.

My journey began back on the first day of spring in 1973. I was just three years old. My mom had taken me to my pediatrician for a check-up. While I was being examined in the area around my stomach, a very serious look came across my doctor’s face. At that time, he said that he would like for his colleague to confirm what he had discovered. After his colleague examined me, they told my mom to take me to Henrietta Egleston Children’s Hospital at Emory University immediately.

When my mom and I arrived, I had some x-rays and CT scan. After the doctors looked at the results, they confirmed my diagnosis, stage III neuroblastoma. It was a malignant tumor in the area between my abdominal aorta and kidney. My parents’ worst fears happened on that day. In the days ahead, everything was a blur and still remains that way today. My dad, a general practitioner, feared the worst, but prayed for a miracle.

Before I was born, my dad used to work at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. At the time when I was diagnosed, he knew the right doctors to contact to help cure me. I endured surgery and one year of chemotherapy. My mom told me that after my surgery, the surgeon came out with a puzzled look on his face. He said that most neuroblastoma tumors spread very fast and can attach themselves to the vital organs. When he found my tumor, he said that it was caught early and had not invaded any of my vital organs! My parents, friends and family were all very happy and amazed at this wonderful miracle! At the time when I was first diagnosed, I had no symptoms!

Today, when I see someone who knew what I endured, they say I’m a miracle child! It is now March 6, 2008; I can’t remember which year this happened. Due to the amount of chemo medicine my body endured, I started having problems with my short and long term memory. My dad and I decided to visit my oncologist. I told him what was going on and here’s what his diagnosis was. – a long-term/side effect reaction from the poisons in the chemo used to fight my neuroblastoma. Chemotherapy took away my ability to drive a car. I’m battling daily problems with memory lapses and now I’m battling one more very difficult and sometimes very serious late effect diagnosis with my teeth!!! After during some research, I found out that this very serious late effect can happen to childhood cancer survivors after undergoing lengthy chemo treatments.

With lots of help, love, encouragement, strength, prayers, and support from my awesome and beautiful family and friends, my life (though very different now)…I still go on! One day at a time…one hour at a time!

Donate to Angela’s fund.

September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Join us today, September 30, 2011 as CURE Childhood Cancer honors CURE Kids Patrick Chance and Brennan Simkins. Join our fight as CURE’s Kids Conquer Cancer One Day at a Time! Donate to Patrick and Brennan’s fund.

True friends share each other’s joy and pain, and that couldn’t be truer than in the world of childhood cancer. However, when lifelong friends share the heartbreak of each having their middle son diagnosed with childhood cancer, sharing each other’s fears, heartache, and triumphs take on a magnified meaning. This is the story of two families touched by equally daunting childhood cancers and our shared fight to save our boys, and to be a part of the effort to find the CURE.

Press On to CURE Childhood Cancer provides desperately needed funding for research relating to neuroblastoma and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Press On was created by Erin and Stephen Chance after their three-year-old son, Patrick, was diagnosed with stage IV neuroblastoma in June, 2006. The Press On mission was expanded to include AML in 2009 when Tara and Turner Simkins joined forces with the Chances as a result of their son Brennan’s diagnosis with AML on the eve of his seventh birthday.

Patrick completed 34 months of treatment in March of 2009 and relapsed in June, 2009. Three months after this difficult news Brennan relapsed in September, 2009 and again in September, 2010. Both boys are now waging a battle with far fewer and far riskier options. Beating neuroblastoma and AML requires funding for more research and for expensive and risky clinical trials.

The Chances and Simkins have shared a friendship for practically their entire adult lives. The brutal coincidence of their sons’ battles with these diseases underscores their firm belief that the ongoing experience “in the trenches” with these kids offers a providential opportunity to help raise money that can be directed to therapies and trials that can make a difference now. From this perspective, their lives will always be changed for the better, aided by true friendship, and faith to Press On through any circumstances for a CURE.

The Chances and Simkins have often summoned the will to “press on” (Philippians 3:12-16) during the most difficult days of their war on cancer. You can help all the innocent children fighting neuroblastoma and AML by making a donation to help Press On meet our fundraising goal during CURE’s Kids Conquer Childhood Cancer One Day at a Time.

Donate to Patrick and Brennan’s fund.

September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Join us today, September 29, 2011 as CURE Childhood Cancer honors CURE Kid Ricky James. Join our fight as CURE’s Kids Conquer Cancer One Day at a Time! Donate to Ricky’s fund.

On April 1, 2007, I took my 22-month-old son, Ricky, to the ER complaining of severe constipation. Within 2 hours of arriving at Children’s Hospital of Atlanta at Scottish Rite, I was told the most horrendous thing a parent could be told. Ricky was diagnosed with embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma of the prostate (rhabdo). Rhabdo is a rare, aggressive childhood cancer that is a soft muscle tumor. Ricky had a 5.1 cm tumor stemming from his prostate blocking his rectum. Ricky endured chemotherapy and radiation and on February 8, 2008, Ricky was declared No Evidence of Disease (NED).

Rhabdo is aggressive and a remission declaration is not declared until there is no relapse in 5 years. In 2008, Ricky relapsed in the same location. Due to the extent of radiation that Ricky endured the first fight, he could not have radiation again. Our only option was harsh chemotherapy and surgery. On May 30, 2008 Ricky began chemo (he turned 3 on June 1, 2008). The chemo was very hard on Ricky and his recovery was not rapid due to the side-effects of this regimen. He received 5 blood transfusions in a 6-week period. After 7 cycles of chemo, on October 14, 2008, Ricky had surgery to remove his bladder, his prostate, a portion of his urethra and surrounding lymph nodes. A portion of his transverse colon was also removed to create a conduit for his urine, via a urostomy. On November 5, 2008 Ricky resumed the chemo regimen and on February 28, 2009, Ricky was again declared NED.

During this last phase of chemo, Ricky endured multiple infections requiring isolation and was home less than 20 days during this period. On September 17, 2009, our world was shattered when we learned that the cancer had spread to his lungs. Not willing to give up completely, we began a mild chemo regimen to stabilize the spread of the chemo and allow us to make memories. We knew that the cancer had won but we were not going let it steal our time together while he was still feeling good. Ricky began chemo for the last time on October 2, 2009 but his body was tired. On May 5, 2010 Ricky was admitted to the hospital in respiratory/kidney failure. We brought Ricky home on May 17, 2010 and at 11:07pm on May 23, 2010 (just 8 days before his 5th birthday) Ricky earned his angel wings in my arms, with his father and sister by his side.

Ricky was an old soul with a smile & spirit that caused everyone he encountered to fall in love with him. If it were not for his bald head, you would never have known that Ricky had cancer. He lived, loved, laughed and made memories daily. He was my Superman. These past 14 months have been hard. We miss him more than words can say. He taught us what living is all about and about what really matters in life. Because of Ricky I grew up. And because of Ricky, I fight to help others in this fight and pray that one day there will be a CURE for Childhood Cancer and no other parent will have to endure my heartache.

Donate to Ricky’s fund.

September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Join us today, September 22, 2011 as CURE Childhood Cancer honors CURE Kid Piper Needham. Join our fight as CURE’s Kids Conquer Cancer One Day at a Time! Donate to Piper’s fund.

Piper Jean Needham was born July 7, 2009. She was beautiful, healthy, and a fabulous complement to her older sister, Linley. Our little family felt blessed and complete.

Ten weeks later, Piper began to run low grade fevers. Her diaper rash was not responding to the typical ointments and her appetite dropped. Because Piper had been a good sleeper, a few sleepless nights sent us to her pediatrician for a checkup. We fully expected to be given a prescription for something simple and be home for dinner that last innocent Tuesday. Little did we know how vastly our life was going to be changed.

Piper’s pediatrician sent us to the local hospital to rule out the rotavirus and influenza. I remember being told that though her platelets were low, her white blood count was normal so “this couldn’t be cancer.” It was a thought that had never even crossed my mind. Sadly, the very next day her pediatrician came into the room and told me that Piper’s blood work came back with leukemic blast cells. An ambulance was on its way to transport Piper from our hometown of Athens to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite.

In room 197, within the oncology/hematology unit, the doctors and nurses began to descend. Over the next 24 hours we were told that Piper did indeed have acute lymphoblastic leukemia. At 10 weeks old, she was considered high risk and subsequent chromosomal testing showed her leukemia to be particularly aggressive. After 48 hours she had her CVL placed, and then the chemotherapy began. Family and friends visited, we learned how to manage an IV pole, we bonded with our nurses and Piper worked her way into remission before being discharged shortly after Thanksgiving, a total of 9 weeks there. Our normal had shifted in a ridiculous way and we were doing our best to shift with it.

Since that discharge, Piper has spent over 200 nights in the hospital. Treatment was primarily inpatient, often with high doses of medicine laden with side effects. She temporarily lost her voice due to vincristine, suffered severe burns due to 3 rounds of a high dose of methotrexate, and after a year of monthly dexamethasome steroids she has lost a large percentage of marrow in her left knee. Piper’s hair has fallen out and regrown three times. Even the maintenance portion of Piper’s protocol was busy as she contracted a virus called cytomegalovirus, which left her inpatient for five weeks. Later, she spent 3 weeks in the rehabilitation unit to regain her ability to use the muscles that had suffered severely. Three months later, another ER visit and another admission, and our family was told that Dr. Bergsagel had chosen to end her protocol two months early; she was simply too fragile to handle more.

After spending one month off treatment, we found out that Piper has relapsed. At this time she will be beginning chemo once again followed by a Bone Marrow Transplant. Our prayer is that this is what it will take to cure our sweet Piper once and for all. Our family and support system has a renewed interest in finding a Cure for all pediatric cancers and hope that everyone who hears Pipers story will also feel the pull to give to CURE this month.

Donate to Piper’s fund.

September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Join us today, September 28, 2011 as CURE Childhood Cancer honors CURE Kid Abby Smith. Join our fight as CURE’s Kids Conquer Cancer One Day at a Time! Donate to Abby’s fund.

Abigail Grace Smith (aka Abby) battled cancer for more than two-thirds of her life.  In mid February 2006, Abby developed balance issues which did not allow her to walk without falling. On March 3, 2006, Abby was diagnosed with a golf ball size medulloblastoma brain tumor at the age of 23 months old. She had a successful total tumor resection on March 6, 2006. Unfortunately, Abby developed posterior fossa syndrome within days after surgery which caused her to lose most of her gross and fine motor skill capability for a period of time. Abby initially underwent 4 cycles of chemotherapy, 30 days of radiation and then 8 maintenance cycles of chemotherapy. She completed her treatment in late May, 2007. Abby began thriving and improving and was a picture of health. After a routine follow-up head and spine MRI on September 28, 2007, Abby was diagnosed with drop metastases in her spine in multiple places. She had exhibited no symptoms. All of Abby’s MRI’s and spinal taps had been clear to date with no evidence of cancer since March 6, 2006. From October 2007-March 2008, Abby endured three cycles of high dose ICE chemotherapy and a cord blood and bone marrow stem cell transplant. Abby went on to receive 25 cranial/spinal proton beam radiation treatments during late May/June 2008.  She completed her relapse treatment on June 30, 2008. Only two small places remained on Abby’s spine which continued to improve or stay stable.

For eleven months, Abby was on a 14 day cycle drug maintenance therapy. She continued to get stronger and thrive during this time. On June 23, 2009, fifty one weeks post relapse treatment, Abby had a routine follow-up MRI.  Her scan revealed a grape size tumor in her brain and haziness in her spine. Two inconclusive spinal taps raised further concern. Again, Abby had exhibited no symptoms. To battle this second relapse, Abby began a daily metronomic chemotherapy regimen administered at home on July 20, 2009 which continued through January 27, 2011. Abby was hospitalized on January 28, 2011 due to extreme anemia and four unrelated infections which led to sepsis, a mild stroke, seizures, the beginning of multi organ failure and seven days in the PICU. Abby miraculously recovered and went home on February 12^th. After overcoming this ordeal, we were very optimistic about her March 22^nd MRI. Her MRI devastatingly showed multiple lesions in the brain and at least one new lesion in the spine with haziness. As with all other relapses, Abby was completely asymptomatic. There were very few treatment options available for this third relapse. Furthermore, Abby’s body told us that she was finished fighting due to problems maintaining any significant platelet count. She was only able to receive two single drug chemotherapy infusions. Yet, during this time, Abby continued to live a very normal, healthy, happy life.  She was the flower girl in her dear babysitter’s wedding where she walked down the aisle ALL BY HERSELF as pictured above on June 25^th.

Beginning on July 27^th, Abby started exhibiting symptoms that seemed more like a viral infection. On August 5th, Abby started having balance issues and lost her ability to walk independently. After a spiked fever brought us to the ER, Abby had a CT scan on August 8^th which revealed at least two large tumors that were near her brain stem. We spent seven days at home before tumor related complications brought us back to the hospital where she ran into Jesus’ arms on August 17, 2011 at the age of seven years old.

Through her 65 ½ month journey, Abby’s determined and fighting spirit pushed her forward each day. She was our miracle girl!! Throughout her cancer diagnosis, Abby lived out the meaning of her middle name as she faced all of her hospitalizations, treatments and pricks and pokes with such grace that can only come from above.  She will be forever remembered by her big blue green eyes, her beautiful heartwarming smile which connected you to her immediately, her love of pink, and her fashionable display of many bracelets at all times. Abby loved her family with the most sincere affection and was happiest when we were all with her. Our Christian faith has been our stronghold throughout our journey with Abby and continues to be as we face life without her.

Abby, you will always be our hero and the sweetest girl that we ever knew!!

Thank you for helping find a CURE for Abby and the countless other children affected by this terrible disease!

September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Join us today, September 28, 2011 as CURE Childhood Cancer honors CURE Kid Taylor Cooper. Join our fight as CURE’s Kids Conquer Cancer One Day at a Time! Donate to Taylor’s fund.

It was back in July, 2005 when I first started getting sick. I kept getting a low grade, sporadic fever. My parents finally took me to the pediatrician. Dr. Hassel felt a lump in my belly and started pushing on it. She couldn’t tell what it was, so we were sent to the ER and I got a CT scan. Afterwards, they diagnosed me with stage 3, Wilms tumor cancer.

I was admitted to the Aflac Cancer Center the same day, and had surgery two days later to remove my tumor and my left kidney. I started chemotherapy and radiation a week later. In the clinic, I would play Pac-Man, a bowling game, do artwork, play on the computer, and board games. I would also talk with the nurses and play with my “kid friend.” When I was at the clinic I was only four; I didn’t understand why they were poking me. I didn’t realize that I was really sick. But all that poking and prodding has made me stronger. I don’t feel it when I get shots. It doesn’t hurt anymore.

I am so thankful to CURE for supporting the research of the Aflac Cancer Center. I am now a very healthy ten-year-old girl. I just officially became a cancer survivor this March; I am five years cancer-free. Thanks to Aflac, for giving me excellent care and amazing doctors and nurses. Thank you again.

Donate to Taylor’s fund.