News Archives - CURE Childhood Cancer

Mark Myers In Childhood Cancer, News, Survivorship

The Power of Perspective

Wecome Kate and Katie

Among CURE’s dedicated staff are eight parents of survivors, two bereaved parents, four siblings, and now, three childhood cancer survivors. This perspective isn’t something we sought out; it’s what naturally happens when people who’ve walked this path find their way to work that honors their journey. Wherever a family is in their childhood cancer experience, someone at CURE has been there too.

This month, we welcome two tremendous additions to our team, both of whom are childhood cancer survivors.

Kate Bellamy was just two years old when she was diagnosed with leukemia. Though she doesn’t remember much from those three years of treatment, childhood cancer shaped her path in profound ways. Growing up, CURE was woven into her life. She was treated by CURE’s founder, Dr. Abdel Ragab, and even appeared on a CURE billboard as a child. The organization that supported her family became a familiar presence, and the medical environment felt like a second home.

That early experience led Kate to pursue a master’s degree in family and child development and spend eight years as a child life specialist. She still remembers a nurse who gave her a party blower during treatment to help her calm down. It was a small gesture that would later become a tool she used to comfort other children in her own career.

Now, Kate is bringing that compassion to an important role. At CURE, she will be at the hospital with the families, providing help and support during their time of greatest need. “Being able to help families in a tangible way during such a difficult time is deeply meaningful to me,” she shared.

Katie Rutherford’s cancer story began during Christmas break of her sophomore year of high school, when a small bump on her chin grew into something that would change everything. A rhabdomyosarcoma diagnosis meant 48 weeks of chemotherapy and 30 days of radiation. She pushed through treatment while keeping up with schoolwork, graduated with her class, and never lost sight of what matters most.

After graduating from Valdosta State University, Katie worked for Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and is now starting a new chapter as CURE’s Senior Development Coordinator for Events & Initiatives. In this role, Katie will channel her experience into action for others.

“I’m thrilled to join CURE because the organization champions childhood cancer research while creating real, immediate impact for families today,” she said. “This work makes a difference to so many people, including me and my family.”

Kate and Katie remind us why we do this work: because every child deserves the chance to grow up, find their purpose, and make a difference.

Mark Myers In Children, News, Survivorship

Hope Walks With Us

Lexi’s Story of Resilience and Motherhood

Ten years ago, Lexi Sklar’s life took an unexpected turn. At just 21 years old, in the prime of spreading her independent wings, she received a diagnosis that would temporarily clip them. What began as what seemed like a gym injury revealed itself as something far more serious, a tumor called osteosarcoma.

“As a young adult, you think you have your entire life ahead of you,” Lexi reflected. “But then you get served this stark reality that you might not be here tomorrow. What am I going to do with all of the other things I planned to do with my life?”

Among those plans was starting a family. The tumor was so aggressive that she began chemotherapy immediately. There was no time for any fertility treatment. The possibility of motherhood seemed to slip away along with so many other dreams.

But today, Lexi’s 2 ½-year-old daughter Charlotte runs around with unbridled energy, while Lexi nurtures her second pregnancy – a reality she once couldn’t imagine possible.

“Both of my pregnancies are absolute miracles,” she says with quiet wonder.

Her journey included a rotationplasty, a procedure in which the knee is amputated, and the foot and ankle are rotated 180 degrees and attached to the thigh bone, effectively creating a new functional knee. While she muses that it is not “aesthetically the prettiest thing in the world,” it gave her something beautiful: freedom of movement without the limitations of a traditional amputation.

“I love it,” she stated firmly about her surgical choice. “It allows me to be active.”

That activity extended to wheelchair basketball, which she’s played for three seasons, and walking confidently across the college graduation stage in 2016 – a goal she set during her darkest days of treatment. Through it all, one constant presence remained: her mother, Heather, herself a cancer survivor.

“The role that my mom took during my treatment – I don’t think that there are enough thank yous in the world for how much of her life she gave up to be there for me,” Lexi shares. “Making sure someone was in my corner all the time.”

Her mother’s guidance came with a profound promise: “There are things that I experienced in my cancer journey that I can help you with. But there are things that we will have to push through together.”

It’s no wonder that “hope” became Lexi’s favorite word during treatment, so much so that she named her dog after it.

“When things are at their worst, there is always room for a little hope,” she said. “You can always look to hope for a light in dark times.”

Lexie and her family

Mark Myers In Childhood Cancer, Children, News

Two Webbs, Two Wars

A D-Day Veteran and His Great-Grandson Fight Unimaginable Battles

On June 6, 1944, 17-year-old Frank Webb Krueger landed on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France as one of 156,000 young men from the United States, Great Britain, and Canada. Their mission was simple – infiltrate Nazi-held France, and to liberate our allies from the invasion of enemy forces who threatened our freedom and way of life. The execution, however, was anything but. The weather was awful. The invasion had to be delayed. The Germans had a chance to mount defenses in preparation for our arrival. When they arrived on the shores of Normandy, they were met with heavy gunfire, barbed wire, and mines. It was an onslaught from every angle. And, on Omaha Beach, a literal uphill battle to climb the cliffs to claim the territory, and the eventual victory.

On February 17, 2022, Webb Murray Waddell arrived at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia in Augusta as the only child of Laura and Scott. We also had a simple mission – get an MRI to help uncover the reason for Webb’s recent development of nystagmus in his right eye – a condition that caused a side-to-side shaking of his pupil. The execution, like that of the D-Day invasion, was anything but simple. A scan that was scheduled to take 30 minutes took over an hour and a half. The discovery of a plum-sized tumor in Webb’s brain changed the course of action not just for the day, but for the rest of their lives. Webb and his family were suddenly met with their own uphill battle. This one wasn’t on a foreign battlefield, but right in their very home.

As a teacher, Laura knew she would struggle to name her children. She had her fair share of names she knew she would never use. Her husband, Scott, and she decided the best course of action was to use family names so that they had a positive and meaningful connection with whatever they decided. So, that’s exactly what they did.

Frank Webb Krueger, Laura’s maternal grandfather, the D-Day hero from the middle-of-nowhere Alabama, shares his name with his great-grandson, who is a hero in his own right. Little did Laura and Scott know by giving Webb his name that these two incredible people would share so much more than that.

Webb was diagnosed before he could crawl, before he could sit up, and before he could speak. He has battled his whole life. What started as difficulty and eventual inability to eat led to difficulty gaining weight, and the inability to meet developmental milestones. Finally, at seven months old, Laura and Scott knew the reason why.
When the MRI revealed Webb’s brain tumor, a plan was made to schedule surgery for the following Monday. The team wanted the most optimal conditions, to get the right personnel in place, and to plan it out perfectly. But, just like D-Day, that didn’t happen. Twenty-four hours after Webb’s MRI, he woke from a sound sleep with a guttural scream. He was having a stroke. Laura pressed the emergency call button as fast as she could find it, picked Webb up, and watched as half of his face and his body drooped. Nurses rushed into the room; Webb was intubated and rushed to the ICU in the wee hours of the morning.

Just like the D-Day invasion, a decision was made to move forward immediately. The conditions were no longer optimal, but the luxury of waiting no longer existed. This mission was a rescue one. A few hours later, just after daybreak, Webb was rushed into emergency brain surgery. Six very long hours passed, and the neurosurgeon emerged to speak with Laura and Scott.

“I got what I could, but it was very messy,” he said, referring to the surgical field. “There’s a chance he’s lost his eyesight. I just want you to prepare,” he said.

It took six days for the beach fronts of Normandy to connect, allowing a United Allied front to move inland through France. It took six weeks for Webb to be stable enough to move from the ICU up to the oncology floor. It also took six weeks for the pathology to come back with a diagnosis – a pilomyxoid astrocytoma. Grade 1. Treatable. There was now a course of action. That course included fourteen months of weekly chemotherapy infusions. As fate would have it, that last infusion was administered on June 6, 2023 – the 79th Anniversary of D-Day.

In spite of his constant adversity, Webb never lost his smile, or his hair! His contagious and infectious positivity quickly won over the hearts of every nurse and doctor who treated him. It is impossible not to love Webb. Unless you are intimately familiar with his journey, you would never know from just looking at him that he was in the fight of his life. This is just another trait he shares with his great-grandfather. The same man who fought and killed for his country was a humble, gentle, and unassuming father of five children.

This June, Webb turned four. He continues to get better every single day, and continues to amaze his family, teachers, doctors, and therapists with his strength and perseverance. Laura and Scott would have never chosen this path for him, or themselves, but feel so immensely blessed. Sometimes life is beautifully poetic, even in the worst of circumstances.

Written by Webb’s mother, Laura Waddell

Mark Myers In CURE Childhood Cancer, News

Building Hope: A Home That Helps

Alex and his daughter, Sydney

Alex is a home builder and a proud native of Effingham County, Georgia. As a husband and father of eight children, Alex has a vested interest in the future provided to our youth. He has always had a philanthropic spirit and recently started a new venture to support children with cancer.

In March, Alex and his daughter attended a local event by CURE Childhood Cancer called Catie’s Gathering. The event honors the life of a local child, Catie Wilkins, who passed away after a battle with a brain tumor. Attendees decorate their tables with a theme and dress up to match. While it offers a festive atmosphere, it raises money to fuel childhood cancer research and support local families fighting the disease. After the event, Alex approached Catie’s mother, Jenny, with a desire to help.

“As a parent, seeing the children at Catie’s Gathering really hit home,” Alex said. “I realize that people fighting cancer are going through the hardest time, and CURE provides a beacon of hope during that time. I want to be a part of that.”

Build for CURE was born out of that desire to make a difference. His goal was for his company, Lawrence Alexander Homes, to build a quality home and donate every dollar generated from its sale to CURE. With this in mind, he began securing suppliers and tradesmen to work with him by donating materials and labor.

On June 19, 2024, the company hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the initial Build for CURE home in the Pinebrook subdivision of Rincon. More than seventy people attended, including many of the suppliers who will be involved in the home’s construction, most of whom have generously donated their services and supplies. Two special guests, leukemia fighter Myles and his brother Bryce, took turns with the shovels at the ceremony.

As construction began, many people visited houses in the subdivision, including a woman from Statesboro named Barbara Lynch. Barbara was planning a move to Rincon to be close to her daughter and grandchildren. She liked the subdivision and was prepared to offer a home under construction until she heard about the Build for CURE home.

“When I heard the story and purpose of the house, I felt like it was perfect for me,” Shared Barbara. “I lost my husband to cancer, and I’m absolutely tickled that money from the sale will go towards cancer research.”

Barbara will be moving into her special new home later this month, knowing she isn’t just buying a home. She’s a part of something much bigger – an idea brought to life through hard work, dedication, and a belief in building hope.

“None of this would have been possible without our trade partners,” Alex added. “They jumped on board right away and made it happen.”

Through Build for CURE, Lawrence Alexander Homes has transformed a personal moment of inspiration at Catie’s Gathering into a tangible way to support childhood cancer research. This proves that one person’s compassion can create meaningful change. As the first home nears completion, it is a testament to the power of community, generosity, and the enduring spirit of those who choose to make a difference.

Mark Myers In Childhood Cancer, Children, News

Staying Put

Why one mom chose hospital over home

Hyrum is a fighter. He is three years old and has Downs syndrome, epilepsy, and was recently diagnosed with leukemia. But he doesn’t let anything bring him down. Hyrum is a perky ray of sunshine who loves his family, meeting people while cruising the hospital floor, and oh, how he loves to sing.

“Music is his balm,” said his mother, April. “When a song comes on, he lights up completely. He isn’t extremely verbal, so music is how he communicates.”

Diagnosed with leukemia in October, Hyrum reached remission quickly but is currently in a very difficult portion of his treatment called delayed intensification. This eight-week phase is important in preventing leukemia from returning later in his life. And while her medical team has told April there was a chance she and Hyrum could go home for a week in the middle, because of COVID-19, she asked if they could stay.

“Hyrum has had health complications most of his life and is no stranger to respiratory distress,” April explained. “Most people would be praying they could go home for a week. But his little body can’t tolerate any respiratory problems. I can’t risk his life to be social, so we asked to stay here.”

Hyrum’s home is a busy place with a large family of nine, and he loves every minute of it. When he got sick, his older sisters who dote on him created his #hopeforHyrum hashtag that got him some attention from one of his favorite actors, Dwayne Johnson. Of course, Hyrum knows him only as Maui in the movie Moana – which he loves because of the music. While he misses home, April knows this is the right place for him during the pandemic.

“Being on this floor is our safety bubble,” April said. “I’ve barely left the room in three weeks and we won’t leave the floor until we go home. I don’t want to go to the cafeteria and potentially bring germs back to him. So the boxed lunch deliveries from CURE are a godsend to us right now.”

Fortunately, her doctors agree that Hyrum should stay put. Since he isn’t the typical leukemia patient, they won’t treat him like one – especially with his risk of complications from COVID-19 being so high. And how is the isolation treating April?

“I put on a brave face because Hyrum needs to know that I’m steady for him,” April said. “But there is an isolation that doesn’t leave. There is a sense of security that this virus has taken away because it has removed the ability to have all of the emotional, spiritual, and physical support we need. Facetime is not the same as getting a hug or seeing my kids in person.”

Right now, Hyrum is handling the isolation fairly well. Hospitals have been a major part of his young life and he’s used to being there. His birthday is on June 1, and everyone’s goal is to finish this portion of his treatment and get him well enough that he can celebrate being four at home.

Mark Myers In Children, News

The Face of Immunocompromised

When word of the coronavirus began to spread, Annie Garner knew just what to do.

“I told my kids it was time to hunker down,” she explained. “Fighting germs is nothing new to any cancer mom.”

Annie and her family have been in that fight germs since April of 2017 – when their youngest daughter Chloe was diagnosed with an optic glioma. The discovery of a tumor behind her eye was a complete accident. She had a slight head tilt and her parents noticed her eye shaking. Since Annie’s husband, Noah, is in the Army, they took Chloe to the base physician, who said she didn’t feel prepared to diagnose it and sent them to the hospital.

“We were supposed to be there for a quick 30-minute MRI,” recalled Annie. “But that turned into five hours. When the doctor finished, he came in and told me she had a tumor.”

Because of their location, it is rare for such tumors to be surgically removed. Most of the time, the goal is to stabilize them so they do not grow. Her doctors began to closely monitor Chloe’s tumor, and nearly a year later, the tumor was declared stable. Unfortunately, tumor growth was evident at a scan four months later, and even more in the next scan. So Chloe began a chemotherapy regimen designed to shrink it.

But a year’s worth of weekly chemo yielded frustrating results.

“From October 2018 to October 2019, her tumor would be stable at one scan and then grow at the next,” Annie said. “The one result we never got was tumor shrinkage.”

This is when Annie learned how to hunker down and become diligent about providing a germ-free environment. Because of the way chemotherapy works, children in treatment often have compromised immune systems. Despite all precautions, it is very hard to keep children completely protected. Chloe missed several doses of chemotherapy because she was sick or had low white blood cell counts, and at her last scan they learned that her tumor had grown again.

Her medical team came up with a new plan that involved a drug called Avastin. So far it has been far easier on Chloe’s body, and her last scan in February yielded great results.

“For the first time, we heard the words, ‘significant tumor reduction’,” said Annie excitedly. “And she hadn’t even completed the whole cycle!”

While Chloe is finally feeling good, her vision has been affected. She has optic nerve damage from the tumor, and her vision isn’t 20/20. But right now, she’s back to dancing and enjoying her favorite movie, Frozen. Her mother describes her as feisty and stubborn – traits that helped carry her through her difficult treatment.

Chloe still receives chemotherapy, and while her family has become good at being in quarantine, Annie worries when she sees others disregarding the World Health Organization’s advice during this pandemic. Her husband is currently deployed, so Annie has to fight this battle against germs alone.

“When experts talk about the immunocompromised people who have the highest risk of complications from COVID-19… that’s Chloe,” Annie said. “This is a dangerous time for her and other kids taking chemo. I just want people to think about others right now. Whether they are young or old, this matters for a lot of people.”

Annie urges people to heed the warnings to stay home.

“For the greater good – especially for all those like Chloe who are at high risk, please just stay home,” pleads Annie.

Mark Myers In Childhood Cancer, Children, News

Coronavirus: What Childhood Cancer Parents Need to Know

By now, we’ve all become familiar with the signs and symptoms of COVID-19, as well as the steps the average person should take to prevent the disease. Since the population that CURE serves is among the most vulnerable, we have compiled advice for parents who have children fighting cancer.

Many chemotherapy medications and targeted therapies used during a child’s cancer treatment can cause neutropenia, or depletion of the immune system’s white blood cells that fight infection. Because children with a weakened immune system may be unable to fight off the virus, parents should take steps to protect their children.

Experts recommend that everyone take common-sense precautions to prevent transmission of the new coronavirus. These precautions are nearly the same as the steps cancer parents take during flu season or when their child is neutropenic. Your medical team may offer other suggestions. As the situation is fluid, pay attention to emails and all other communications from your hospital.

If your child has prescription medications, try have a supply to last at least a couple of weeks and preferably a few months. The Food and Drug Administration is keeping track of medication shortages that may result from the epidemic. According to a recent statement, only one unspecified drug is now in short supply. No biological agents, such monoclonal antibodies or gene therapies, are made in China for the U.S. market, and there are no shortages. While it might be difficult due to insurance restrictions, try to get a 3-month supply or at the very least, renew your child’s prescriptions as soon as you are able.

Should I travel?

Most experts are encouraging cancer patients to stay off cruise ships and postpone air travel that isn’t directly related to their treatment. You should obviously follow the CDC’s travel recommendations – which are listed and updated here. When in doubt, ask your child’s oncologist.

What about school?

While the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is not recommending children stay home from school or avoid school group activities at this time, they understand that you know best. If you choose to keep your child home from school, they will support you by providing medical documentation that may be required by your school system. The same situation should apply at your treating hospital. You can read their full recommendations here.

What if a family member develops symptoms?

“Your family is important and you don’t want to avoid them, but if someone in your household gets sick, use some social distancing,” said Dr. Steve Pergam, infectious disease expert at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. “Wear gloves, have them sleep in a different room if you can, make sure you wipe down areas with some sort of bleach wipes and keep washing your hands regularly. That’s really important.”

It’s also crucial not to bring a sick family member into your cancer treatment center.

“We need less people who are ill, not more,” Pergam said. “You don’t want someone going in with you even if they only have minor symptoms.”

Finally, he said it’s important to bring just one caregiver with you to treatment, not your entire family.

Should cancer patients (and survivors) avoid public transportation and events?

Pergam said people currently in treatment should avoid taking public buses or trains if at all possible. But he also acknowledged not every family can afford Lyft or Uber or some other rideshare service.

“Talk to your care team about what options exist to support you getting there without taking public transportation,” Pergam said. “Some hospital systems have services set up for patients.”

If you have no choice but to use the bus or a train, take precautions and distance yourself from others.

“Protect yourself,” Pergam said. “Sit in the back of the bus or other areas with less exposures and if you see someone who seems ill, coughing, move away.”

Pergam said cancer patients a few years out of treatment “should be OK,” but whenever possible should also avoid crowded buses or trains.

“If you have to get on a bus, practice distancing,” he said. “Or stay home if you can. It increases your risk when you are in public spaces.”

As for other public gathering places, Pergam again advised caution. Instead of going out to a movie, watch something at home instead, he said. Get take-out or delivery from your favorite restaurant instead of showing up in person. Or cook at home. Many grocery stores offer delivery service. You can even ask your pastor if they can set up a computer so you can go to “virtual church.”

“This doesn’t mean you have to be a hermit, just limit close interactions, particularly in public spaces,” he said.

Read the entire article here.

It is important during this time to stay in communication with your cancer team and keep up to date on new developments. Talk to them if you have questions or concerns, especially if you have new symptoms or were recently exposed to someone who is ill. While this could be a prolonged process, the best thing you can do is to monitor your child’s health and protect your family.

The following sources were used to compile this article. All are being updated frequently – bookmark them and refer to them as often as necessary.

Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta: COVID-19 and Oncology/Immunosuppression

Diane Maples, Fred Hutch Cancer Research Center: Coronavirus: What Cancer Patients Need to Know

Liz Highleyman, Cancer Health: What People With Cancer Need to Know About the New Coronavirus

Miram Falco, American Cancer Society: Common Questions About the New Coronavirus Outbreak

Mark Myers In News

3 Steps to Financial Peace During Crisis

Alan Thomson, Certified Financial Planner

Peace: Stress-free state of security and calmness; the absence of mental stress or anxiety

Most will concede that peace in our lives is a bit of an elusive concept. Like many who are reading this article, childhood cancer assaulted my family’s stress-free state of calmness just over 15 years ago. Having spent my working days in the financial services world, I have come to believe that financial peace is no less elusive. Below are some thoughts on finding financial peace, particularly after our world has been under siege.

We reasonably believe the story that financial peace is a result of saving 20% of one’s income, living within ones means, and planning for the future. To be clear, these are all good things in and of themselves. However, they don’t hold the keys to financial peace. In fact, in the hardest times of our lives, these “keys to success” may only serve to frustrate our sense of financial peace.

Personal financial planning often centers on the balance of short and long-term goals with our needs and wants. When crisis erupts – such as when we watch our children fight for their lives, our short-term long-term scales cease to operate correctly. Indeed, for many of us the scale may completely break as we avoid making decisions with our personal finances.

After the trauma, how do we navigate back to a financial peace that eludes many in the best of circumstances? Though there is no definitive recipe, the below represent my thoughts and experiences. They are stepping stones I identified as a financial planner a few years after my wife and I lost our daughter, Hayley, to AML.

Grace Putting together a bookshelf or installing a new garbage disposal? Maybe those are times when we can skip step one. This is not the case after a crisis; all steps must be followed and the first is giving grace. Allow yourself and your partner and your family to feel extra helpings of grace with regards to financial decision making, past financial mistakes, or general avoidance. Everyone reacts differently to the challenges faced when peace is removed, and the stress may take their financial habits to different and possibly competing extremes.

Trauma may create doubt about the future and foster a carpe diem financial mentality. Conversely, traumatic experiences may also lead us to overprepare and hoard finances. Communication is essential to recovery, and during those conversations, let grace abound. Regardless of how family trauma tilts your short-term and long-term scales, recognize the changes and be generous with grace as you and your family navigate your new financial world.

Joy Most of us reasonably question how we will once again find joy after a trauma. We have seen the most innocent among us suffer deeply and joy may evade us for a season. What we have experienced, though, gives us a new insight as to where we find durable joy.

Ultimately, the suffering with which we have come face to face exposes the false joys and gives us clarity: clarity that our happiness going forward will be based neither on our balance sheet, nor income statement, nor upon any of the stuff our finances may afford. Rather, our deeper, more durable view of joy in our lives becomes elemental as we continue down our path towards financial peace.

Purpose represents the third stepping stone on our journey. When our worlds are shaken, so too are our priorities. We ask ourselves, why? Why us? Why our family? Naturally, we will struggle with our purpose, and specifically the purpose of our suffering. I firmly believe finding the purpose of our struggles is not terribly important. Believing there to be a purpose, though, is critical. By what other means can we possibly proceed into a future filled with just as many unknowns as our past?

When we recognize that there is purpose to our circumstance, we find encouragement to return to our short-term and long-term scales and re-calibrate them correctly. Our scales will never return to their original settings. We will recalibrate them informed by a past filled with heartache and grace, a present experienced with a more meaningful understanding of joy, and a future resting on the firm belief in a purpose to our challenges and our financial decisions. Yes, our scales will forever be set at a custom calibration… and that is a good thing.

Mark Myers In News

Lendmark Climbs to a Million and Beyond

Would you walk a track or climb stadium stairs for two hours if it would make a difference for children with cancer? That is the question put to the employees of Lendmark Financial Services by CEO, Bobby Aiken. And for the third year, the answer was a resounding “yes!”

Bobby is passionate about finding cures for childhood cancer. Over the past decade, he has known three different young men who were diagnosed with varying types of cancer. All three survived, but their individual journeys caused Bobby to step back and rethink his view of challenges.

It was Chip Madren who had the most profound effect on Bobby. Bobby and Chip’s father, Ken, have been friends since childhood. The Friday before Chip was diagnosed with Stage IV Metastatic Anaplastic Medulloblastoma and given a very slim chance for survival, the three were fishing together – a normal weekend. But the news that broke on Monday was staggering.

“In less than five days, we fished, laughed, ribbed one another, encountered a diagnosis of cancer, endured the first of many surgeries, and felt hearts breaking all around us.” Bobby recalled. “I’ll never forget the tears that filled the eyes of my family when I shared the news. Life kind of seemed to stop in its tracks.”

As difficult as the early days were, it is the path since then that served as an inspiration to Bobby.

“I watched Chip literally fight for his life and win,” he said. “Chip’s fight has made me a better person and has positively impacted many, many lives.”

Bobby is a stadium runner and has spent the last few years thinking about Chip and kids like him who are facing the challenges of cancer while running. He had an idea. What if he took his love of stadium running and turned it into a fundraiser, engaging his company’s employees, partners and vendors in the fight against childhood cancer. The Climb to a Million was born.

In its first year, the climb raised $282,000 and $505,000 in its second. On September 22, 2018, Lendmark employees from all around the country gathered at the Oconee County High School stadium as a part of the third Climb to a Million to climb, walk, and sweat. Unlike most extended workouts, the spirit wasn’t somber or intense. Rather, there were smiles, laughs, and encouragement as everyone put in their steps toward the goal of raising $500,000 to fight childhood cancer.

But it was more than a workout. The morning started with skits by fundraising teams such as Cancer Busters, Pirates of the CUREibbean, and Hawaii-CURE-O. There was even a rousing song that got the crowd hopping: C-U-R-E to the tune of YMCA. Following the fun, everyone hit the track to put in their steps. Working together, they again surpassed the $500,000 mark making the three-year total more than $1,300,000 to fight childhood cancer. They want the money raised to support CURE’s precision medicine initiative, which involves precise, gene-based treatment.

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“We are part of the precision medicine engine now,” says Ethan Andelman, Lendmark’s Chief Marketing Officer. “We want to see this innovative form of treatment become available for all children with cancer. We want to be a part of making that happen.”

While it started with the CEO, Bobby won’t take credit. “The Madren family is one of thousands that have to take on this fight every day,” he said. “It’s hard on every one of them and it’s a fight for every child. It takes every characteristic of strength, persistence, and faith; requiring reliance on one another and on those that surround them. They did it, they continue to do it, and they set the example for others to follow.

Click below to see the 2019 Climb to a Million.

2019 Climb to a Million

Mark Myers In News

How One Mom Uses Her Platform to Encourage Others

Words like “maybe” and “might” can be difficult to hear because they contain no absolutes. They are wholly dependent on something going right by chance or luck. When used to describe the potential success of a medical treatment, “it might” will fall short every time. Possibly, maybe, hopefully…none of these instill confidence – especially in a mother sitting beside her sick child’s hospital bed.

Anita Corsini learned this difficult truth when her son, Rocco, was diagnosed with cancer. After months of struggling with rashes, a distended stomach, and increasing lethargy, a photograph finally drove her to seek answers.

“I looked at a picture of him at the pool beside his friends,” Anita said. “It dawned on me that Rocco’s belly was different. I was concerned because it didn’t look like a normal, soft little belly.”

Her intuition was correct. By the time they arrived at the hospital, Rocco was declining. Doctors found a tumor on his kidney but couldn’t perform a biopsy because he was too sick. A scan indicated Rocco had a Wilm’s tumor, a childhood cancer of the kidney for which the prognosis is very good. He began the standard protocol right away but had a violent reaction to the toxic treatment. While the tumor was shrinking, the chemo caused an unusual reaction. The tumor began flaking off and releasing potassium into his bloodstream – which can lead to potentially deadly heart issues.

Although Rocco was very sick, the tumor did shrink so the doctors scheduled him for surgery to remove as much of the tumor as they could. They also removed a portion of his kidney and a week later discovered that his tumor was not Wilm’s at all. Rather, he had Burkitt’s lymphoma, a rare and aggressive form of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. There had never been another documented case of this type of cancer being on a kidney and nowhere else in the body.

With this new information, they had to start over – new doctors, new protocol, and new fears.

“I saw how the first chemo devastated him and knew that this one was more aggressive,” recalled Anita. “I looked at the doctor and told her I was afraid this treatment would kill him.”

“It might,” the doctor replied.

It wasn’t said callously or with an intent to scare. It was said in honesty. Anita and her husband, Ken, knew that while it might kill him, it might work as well. It was also Rocco’s only chance. So with prayer, tears, and hope, they proceeded, and slowly Rocco began to improve. Both Ken and Anita are people of faith and they give credit for Rocco’s improvement to a higher power. Over the course of the treatment, things such as the misdiagnosis, his unexpected responses to chemo, and numerous trips to the ER gave Anita the quiet confidence in her heart that God was still in control despite circumstances outside of the norm.

While Rocco’s cancer improved, long hospital stays took an emotional toll. He truly hated being there until a nurse came up with the “Rocco Bucks” system. For every procedure he was forced to endure, Rocco was paid in bills featuring Angry Birds characters. It changed everything. He got to spend his Rocco Bucks on whatever toys and trinkets staff had available and he even got to camp out in his room for a few bucks a night. The distraction kept him going and soon he was cancer-free.

As life slowly started to get back to normal, a production company called the Corsinis and asked if they wanted to interview for a house-flipping show. The family business, Red Barn Homes, has been flipping houses in Atlanta for over a decade. Despite their experience, Anita was so confident that they wouldn’t be chosen that on the day of the Skype interview, she rushed home from the gym and threw her hair in a ponytail. Undeterred, HGTV offered them a show: Flip or Flop Atlanta, which is in now in its second season in the prime slot of 9 pm.

As a special part of the show, Anita decided to add something to honor all children and families who are connected to childhood cancer. Drawing again on her faith, she staged a pair of angel wings for the reveal at the end of every show.

“Angels in the Bible aren’t just messengers. They are powerful warriors who comfort and protect at God’s instruction. I use wings as a symbol of hope and encouragement to all in the community to remind children and their families that they are not alone.”

Rocco is eight now and doing everything an eight-year-old boy should be doing. Mercifully, he has even forgotten most of the hardest parts of his treatment. But his parents haven’t forgotten and are dedicated to helping others who are on a cancer journey – whether it is through service, prayer, or a strategically placed pair of angel’s wings.