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Lauren’s Run & Picnic is getting close, and this year marks a very special anniversary. April 28 will be the 30^th time we’ve lined up to run this cherished race. It will also be a special day for a young girl running the 5k for the first time.

When Ella was seven months old, her parents noticed a change in her demeanor and a type of gastric reflux that started suddenly. Doctors put her on a new formula, but she continued struggling to eat and had to be taken to the emergency room. Soon, she was diagnosed with Langerhans cell histiocytosis or LCH.

LCH is a rare, cancer-like condition that forces the body to make too many of a specific type of immune cells. These cells can cluster and form tumors. Ella’s had clustered in her GI tract, blocking the movement of food. As she began her treatment, Ella was hooked up to a pump that delivered nutrition directly to her bloodstream.

“You learn very quickly when you start treatment that you can’t ask questions about the future,” shared Ella’s mother, Allison. “Her doctors didn’t know if she would ever be able to eat or have a normal life. She didn’t learn to eat until she was 18 months old, and her mouth muscles didn’t develop. She had to have intense speech therapy until she was three years old. But she is a picture of resiliency and is now ahead of where she should be developmentally.”

Ella is now eight and in the second grade. She plays soccer and loves to run. She especially loves road races; in fact, her whole family does. She has run the 2k at Lauren’s Run and is excited to do the 5k for the first time this year!

“Growing up, my family liked to run a 5k in Plains, Georgia together. It became our tradition,” Allison said. “My mother is one of seven girls, so our family is large. We’ve all adopted Lauren’s Run as our new family race tradition.”

Ella’s grandmother, Ellen Rose, has spearheaded the team – Cousins for a Cure. On April 28, many of Ella’s cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents will join the fun.

“She absolutely loves the picnic afterward,” Allison added. “She looks forward to the bouncy houses, cake walks, and all of the games. It really is a wonderful day.”

Cousins for a Cure is not only a running team; they are also a fundraising team, and Ella is right in the thick of it. Ever a competitor, she calls her grandmother regularly to see how the team is faring with donations.

Ella would like to invite you to run and picnic with her. Registration is now open for a day filled with excitement and inspiration! The 30th annual Lauren’s Run & Picnic, presented by AutoNation, will be held on April 28 in the shadow of the King and Queen buildings. Following the race, you’ll love the over-the-top picnic featuring delicious food from Chicken Salad Chick, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar, and award-winning BBQ from our friends at Duval Semi Trailers.

For more information and to register, visit laurensrun.org.

December can be a difficult month for families whose children are fighting cancer. Hospitalizations and treatment schedules, along with the financial burdens of childhood cancer, make it difficult, if not impossible, for parents to provide festive holiday experiences for their families or buy gifts. The CURE community stepped forward with compassion and characteristic generosity to make sure these families felt loved and supported during this festive time of year. We want you to know how much your support meant to our families.

More than 120 families were treated to an afternoon of fun at CURE’s Holiday Parties, where they enjoyed lots of special treats, dancing, face painting, crafts, and visiting with Santa.

“Thank you to everyone who sponsored, planned, and volunteered at the holiday party today. Our family had an absolute blast, and we appreciate everything you all have done for us!”

Through our Holiday Angel program, donors filled wish lists to provide mountains of gifts for 161 families – more families than ever before.

“This has been the hardest year of our lives, hands down. Throughout the year, CURE has provided much-needed bright spots during some very dark times. You made our Christmas when we didn’t think we would have one. We truly appreciate all you have done to help us.”

Your gifts allowed us to provide more than $50,000 in emergency financial assistance in December to families experiencing financial hardship as a result of their child’s cancer treatment. This crucial support played a vital role in helping these families maintain housing, utilities, and transportation.

“Please pass along – CURE’s help doesn’t just mean ‘something’ – it means EVERYTHING. We would not have made it these past few months, literally, without CURE.”

The holidays can be such a difficult time for families fighting childhood cancer. We can’t thank you enough for brightening their season with compassion and kindness.

Last September, five-year-old Carter woke up from his nap acting very strange.

“He was giggling, acting goofy, and couldn’t walk straight, “described his father, Brad. “Honestly, if I didn’t know any better, I’d have thought he was drunk.”

Brad and his wife, Becky, were so alarmed that they took Carter to an urgent care practice, then to the emergency room. After testing, the original thought was that Carter had some kind of viral infection causing brain inflammation which triggered the abnormal behavior. A prescribed steroid treatment seemed to work. But after a week off of the steroids, the same strange behavior started again.

After more comprehensive testing, Brad and Becky were told that Carter had a brain tumor around his thalamus. The thalamus relays information from the brain to the rest of the body. Pressure from the tumor caused it to misfire, sending strange signals across Carter’s nervous system.

The original diagnosis was a low-grade glioma, so Carter started low-dose chemotherapy immediately. Through CURE’s Precision Medicine Program, his doctors also sent a sample off for genetic sequencing to see if they could learn more about his tumor and develop a personalized plan to treat it.

Even a low dose of chemo can leave harsh side effects, and Carter was no exception.

“In January, we pushed up the date of his MRI because he was going downhill,” explained Brad. “That showed that he had hydrocephalus – fluid on his brain that was likely caused by chemo. He got a shunt installed, and the pressure was relieved in about a week.”

The results of his gene sequencing came back and proved very interesting and helpful. Carter’s tumor was a high-grade glioma, meaning the treatment he had already endured was unlikely to have cured him. The tests also revealed a mutation that is very different than the mutation 90% of high-grade glioma patients have. However, this mutation is common in lung cancer patients, and there is a drug that is successful in inhibiting its growth. Carter began radiation therapy combined with the inhibitor, and the results have been fantastic.

“Carter has very minor side effects from this treatment, and his latest MRI showed that his tumor is stable,” said Brad. “We are so thankful for precision medicine. Doctors can now target his specific mutation instead of annihilating his little body with chemotherapy that most likely wouldn’t have worked.”

Carter recently celebrated his sixth birthday and started first grade. Because of the treatment, he has had to adjust slightly but has adapted well and is enjoying life again. He’s playing with his brother, riding his bike, and getting dirty… just like a boy should.

Every September, we celebrate Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and it quickly becomes a month of continuous buzz for CURE. There are so many components that our staff, partners, and volunteers stay busy all month long. We loved the constant events and activities and watching so many people get involved. You have been the biggest part of September’s success! We would like to share a little of what you did for children with cancer.

The month started in grand style at Dragon Con. CURE was selected as their charitable partner for 2023, and we had so much fun participating. Everywhere we went, we saw attendees and exhibitors raising money in creative ways. Then Con matched donations up to $125,000. In total, Dragon Con contributed a whopping $272,875!

Maybe you saw or purchased this year’s garden flag, helping to line streets and neighborhoods. While the flag was a small investment, we heard from many families whose children are currently fighting cancer that seeing these flags all over town made them feel so supported and uplifted. The flags also raised $215,216 to fight childhood cancer.

Every day, we shared the stories of three remarkable childhood cancer heroes through CURE’s Kids. Many read them faithfully and couldn’t help but be moved and inspired. The journeys of these heroes motivated many to give, and CURE’s Kids raised $113,000 to fund life-saving research and support families in the fight.

Our September partners stood with us to drive awareness and raise funds. Our supporters filled their plates with burgers, burritos, sandwiches, chicken salad, cookies, pies, ice cream, Italian ice, and cookie dough to benefit CURE. Fortunately, yoga, CrossFit, and martial arts classes offered ways to stay fit while supporting CURE. Several businesses encouraged patrons to join our Coins4CURE campaign and raised $36,000. From jewelry and coffee to hardware, clothing, teeth cleanings, and haircuts, a variety of businesses made it their mission to put children with cancer on center stage. Thank you to old friends and new ones who joined us.

Dozens of schools showed their energy and spirit through Gold Out games. These games shared awareness of the issues surrounding childhood cancer, and many raised much-needed funds to fight against it. Some honored specific heroes in their community with moving tributes.

September has shown us that our message resonates within the community, and it’s all thanks to you! Your contribution, no matter how big or small, has made a significant impact, and we are incredibly grateful.

Paul’s Unexpected Diagnosis

In the summer of 2020, a young boy named Paul and his family were enjoying a mountain vacation. Despite experiencing intermittent leg pain, Paul didn’t let it hinder his activities, and he didn’t complain. However, a hospital visit took an unexpected turn when an x-ray revealed a tumor in his right femur. His parents were left shocked.

“We thought Paul had a muscle injury, or possibly a bone infection,” Paul’s mother, Charlotte Marie, said. “We weren’t prepared to hear the words ‘cancer’ or ‘Ewing sarcoma’.”

More bad news came as further testing revealed more than 100 tumors in Paul’s lungs, and a lesion on his spine and left femur.

Paul’s Cancer Treatment

After nine rounds of chemotherapy, his lungs were clear, and the tumors on his left femur and spine had disappeared. The next step in his treatment was surgery to remove half of his right femur and replace it with a telescoping rod that will expand as Paul grows. Following the surgery, Paul underwent additional chemotherapy and radiation until he was declared cancer-free in June 2021.

“Paul put his head down and handled treatment very well,” shared his father, Jonathan. “We had a goal of getting to the finish line of treatment, and we focused 100% of our energy on that day. What we weren’t prepared for was the day after.”

The Unseen Toll of Childhood Cancer

After a year of being entirely consumed by Paul’s physical health, Jonathan and Charlotte Marie began to take stock of the unseen mental toll of his treatment. They describe Paul as an “old soul” who was slightly stoic before his cancer diagnosis. However, his experience with cancer has only increased that stoicism. He has also become very protective of his family and doesn’t want them to feel sad. As a result, he tries to manage his own emotions so that no one worries about him.

“In many ways, his innocence was stolen from him,” Jonathan said. “Instead of going to kindergarten, he was getting a port placed in his chest and beginning chemo. That’s a lot for anyone to deal with, much less a six-year-old.”

Finding Support with CURE’s Counseling Program

Paul’s parents turned to CURE for help, and Paul now works with a therapist to help process his feelings about his cancer experience and learn how to express his emotions. It seems to be helping him greatly. However, Paul wasn’t the only one who needed support.

“We started seeing a counselor through CURE’s Counseling Program,” said Jonathan. “Everything about the year in treatment hit us, and we weren’t prepared to process it all. It has been very helpful to carve out an hour to talk to someone who can help us work through these things. We also get to hear each other’s side of the trauma.”

“I feel like we woke up after treatment ended and had to deal with a great many issues we had buried while we focused on getting Paul better,” added Charlotte Marie. “I’m glad we weren’t alone and had a third party help us resolve these things. It’s been a truly invaluable resource. Jonathan and I are in a better place because of the counseling we’ve done.”

After working through a couple of very traumatic years, the future is looking much brighter for Paul’s family. Jonathan and Charlotte Marie would encourage others to seek counseling when needed as everyone can benefit from help processing such a terrifying and stressful experience.