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Two-year-old Gunner lives just outside of Savannah and spends his time trying to keep up with his five older siblings. It’s a full-time job, but he is in constant motion and doesn’t let anything get him down. Last August, he had sporadic fevers and stomachaches but still kept moving as best he could. His mother, Ciji, chalked it up to teething and the typical ailments a toddler gets. She wasn’t really worried about him until one day when she was rocking him and felt a bulge on his side.

“I knew something was very wrong when I felt that bulge, so took him to his pediatrician the next day,” recalled Ciji. “She said his blood counts were off and thought he might have leukemia. Our next stop was the emergency room.”

That news was terrifying for Ciji but proved to be incorrect. Scans and bloodwork revealed that leukemia wasn’t the culprit; Gunner had a Wilms tumor. At the hospital, a whole new set of rules were in place because of the pandemic, and Ciji was the only parent able to be with him. This meant that she had to tell her husband, Cody, about Gunner’s diagnosis over the phone.

“That was hard on both of us,” Ciji said. “Cody wanted to be in the hospital with us, and Gunner certainly wanted his daddy with him. We both understood why the precautions were necessary. But that didn’t make being alone to get that news any easier.”

A Wilms tumor is a rare kidney cancer that primarily affects children. Gunner’s was situated on his right kidney. By the time it was discovered, the tumor was enormous. His medical team rushed him to surgery with the hopes of removing the tumor along with his kidney. But the tumor was so large it had roots attached to vital organs, so they couldn’t even remove enough for a biopsy. Gunner was put on a six-week chemotherapy regimen with the hopes of shrinking the tumor so surgery would be possible.

A scan after the chemo showed that the tumor had shrunk significantly, making surgery possible. Doctors removed the tumor along with his kidney and a few lymph nodes. Even after the chemo, the tumor was the size of a softball!

Gunner’s surgery was followed by another six weeks of chemo and radiation to kill any remaining cancer cells, so the tumor never returns.

The pandemic added much stress to Gunner’s treatment. While his three oldest siblings wanted to be home to help, they were in school while Gunner was immunocompromised. One of his brothers was exposed to the virus and had to quarantine away from home. Fortunately, he didn’t contract COVID, but the family knew they had to keep him away to protect Gunner’s health.

Gunner recently completed his treatment and is back to chasing his siblings around the house. With six kids, there is always something going on. While Ciji looks forward to getting back to normal, her experience with pediatric cancer has opened her eyes to a whole new world.

“I know Gunner’s treatment has been relatively easy,” she said. “I sometimes feel guilty when I see other kids who aren’t doing as well. I’m very thankful for his health and I realize that we are blessed. I hope our story can encourage other people to stay positive when they get horrible news.”

I had childhood cancer in 1971 when I was less than two years old. At the time, the doctors gave my parents a poor prognosis for my survival due to the rapid spread of an aggressive rhabdomyosarcoma tumor. But my parents refused to accept the reality that there was nothing else that could be done. It was then that they had the good fortune of meeting Dr. Abdel Ragab, a young doctor at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. He gave my parents hope when they had little left. He told them not to give up – that there were still options for treatment that might save my life.

Due to his guidance and encouragement, I began a chemotherapy treatment that was a clinical trial. (Consequently, this trial happens to be the standard treatment for rhabdomyosarcoma today.) I also received the maximum dose of radiation which allowed doctors to remove the tumor threatening my life. As a result of these treatments, I beat the odds and survived. Since then, my life has included multiple surgeries, hospital stays, and procedures to address the side effects from the treatment that saved my life.

Dr. Ragab founded CURE Childhood Cancer in Atlanta in 1975, shortly after leaving St. Louis, where he treated me. Unfortunately, I lost track of Dr. Ragab over the years and hadn’t talked to him since my wedding, which he attended in 1998. Kristin Connor, Executive Director of CURE, called me in 2017 and asked if I would be willing to present Dr. Ragab the Spirit of Hope Award at the Believe Ball. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity. I was excited to see him again and honored to present him with an award to recognize his many contributions and his career dedicated to fighting childhood cancer. My parents flew to Atlanta, and we presented him the Spirt of Hope Award together as a surprise. As you can imagine, it was a powerfully emotional reunion. Unfortunately, Dr. Ragab lost his own battle with cancer less than a year later.

Due to Dr. Ragab’s tireless work, CURE has invested over $32 million over the last ten years in research to help save children like me. I joined CURE’s Board of Directors to help carry forward Dr. Ragab’s legacy and support CURE’s mission to cure childhood cancer in our lifetime. Until we achieve that mission, CURE will continue to support families during their most challenging time while advancing research that not only improves the outcomes for children but also reduces the life-long impact of today’s harsh treatments.

Dr. Ragab had an unwavering belief that childhood cancer can and will be conquered. It is this belief that saved my life and I will spend the remainder of it working to make his vision a reality. I hope you will join us in this critical mission!

With Hope,

Matthew Gephardt
President, CURE’s Board of Directors

When children get to the end of cancer treatment, ringing the bell to signify its end is perhaps the most joyous celebration of their lives. That wasn’t necessarily the case with 13-year-old Lily Stuckey. For her, ringing the bell after two and a half years of harsh treatment was a mixture of joy and sadness.

At the very end of 2017, Lily had been sick and had some visible knots on her neck. Even stranger, when a rare dusting of snow fell in her hometown of Savannah, Georgia, Lily didn’t have the energy to go outside to play.

“I honestly thought she was being lazy,” recalled her mother, Kelli. “It seemed like she was setting me up to try to stay out of school when the snow cleared.”

But a fever took her to the local emergency room where doctors discovered Lily had leukemia. She started chemotherapy right away and was plagued by “rare” side effects.  She lost weight on steroids, suffered with neuropathy in her feet and hands, and spent a month in intensive care because of brain swelling. Fortunately, Lily went into remission very early and stayed there, although the harsh side effects of treatment continued.

While Lily was plodding through treatment, another young lady in the same town was also diagnosed with leukemia. Described as sassy and spunky, Kylie Shiell became a friend almost immediately. Kylie and Lily hit it off so well, in fact, they even plotted to ensure they could get chemo infusions at the same time. As their friendship grew, they became a force to be reckoned with.

“When Lily got admitted, the doctor put on her chart that the girls couldn’t see each other because they both had fevers,” Kylie’s mother, Ashley, said. “When the doctor did rounds, the girls stood on either side of the hallway and cornered him to complain about his attempts to keep them apart.”

Lily and Kylie talked every day about life and their cancer journeys. In fact, they laughed about the hospital’s privacy rules.

“One time, we were in the room together and the doctor didn’t want to talk about me in front of Kylie,” Lily shared. “I told him, ‘You know we tell each other everything, so you might as well say what you’ve got to say.’”

Kylie overcame everything cancer threw at her. But an infection caused bouts of extreme pain and ultimately took her life on November 13, 2019. Lily was devastated and wrote a moving letter that was read at Kylie’s memorial service.

“She was the only one who understood what I was going through,” Lily said. “I miss her every day.”

When Lily celebrated the end of treatment, she rang the bell not only for herself, but also for her friend who she will carry in her heart forever. Of course, Kylie’s family was there to watch and celebrate the milestone with Lily.

“We wouldn’t miss it,” Ashley said. “We’re all family now.”

 

 

Emily Riedinger and Caroline Paris have been best friends since the fifth grade. While they met in school around many other kids, they quickly became inseparable and have been ever since. Somewhere along the line, they saw a video in which a girl talked of how inspired she was after finding ways to give back to her community. Both girls were touched and immediately began forming plans to do charitable work.

At the time, Caroline’s older sister Natalie was finishing up her leukemia treatment. The girls felt a natural draw toward helping children with cancer and, at Natalie’s suggestion, looked into what they could do for CURE.

“We found out we could assemble Boredom Buster Bags that would help kids during long hospital stays,” Emily said. “I mean, I get bored just being at home sometimes. I can’t imagine how bored I would get if I had to be in the hospital for days on end.”

So the two of them engaged their community and put together bags full of games and activities to entertain a child in the hospital for treatment. They got such great joy out of making these bags that they did it again the following year.

“When she was in treatment, Natalie got several of these bags from CURE,” Caroline said. “They really helped her through some long and difficult days.”

Making Boredom Buster Bags has now become a tradition, and the girls have also made snack bags, toiletry bags, and more. The past few years, they got their local Target, Kroger, and CVS involved to make bags and donate supplies. In December, Target on Windward Parkway put together forty bags as an employee project and added these to its donation.

Since they had been inspired by the video they saw in middle school, Emily and Caroline wanted to share the joy of giving back with kids their age. That led them to a new endeavor to raise funds – t-shirts that said, “[be the light.]”

“By buying t-shirts, the kids got something out of it,” Caroline said. “It makes people feel like they’re a part of something big when they see others wearing them around school.”

While they’ve been inseparable for seven years, they’ll soon be going different directions. Caroline plans to study to become a physical therapist at Berry College, and Emily hopes to enroll in University of Georgia’s child psychology program. Unsurprisingly, giving back plays a part in Emily’s future plans.

“I’ve struggled with anxiety since I was young, and there was someone who really impacted me,” Emily said. “I hope that once I have my degree, I can help others like I was helped.”

We truly appreciate these two young ladies’ dedication to making hospital stays a little easier for the children we serve. They are certainly a “light” and good example for all of us.

 

Take away the stadium stairs, the track, and all the fun of Lendmark Financial Services’ annual Climb to CURE and you might think the event would fold altogether. Yet it did not. Despite the fact that the event looked drastically different this year due to COVID -19, the 2020 climb was the most successful to date. Its overwhelming success is a credit to the company’s leadership, teamwork, passion, and determination to make a difference.

The Climb to CURE is the brainchild of Bobby Aiken, CEO of Lendmark Financial Services, who watched one of his childhood friends struggle through his son’s cancer treatment. Chip Madren’s fight became 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.”

Being an avid stadium runner, Bobby decided to combine his love of running stadium stairs and his passion for helping children with cancer. He created a company-wide fundraiser – the Climb to CURE. With his own commitment to contributing to better outcomes for children with cancer, Bobby inspired employees, partners, and vendors to join the fight. That was five years ago. Nationwide, Lendmark employees and partners gave and hosted mini-fundraisers. The effort culminated with an in-person stadium climb involving 200-300 people the first four years. Altogether, those efforts raised an amazing $1,843,000.

This year’s COVID-19 requirements of social distancing and limited gatherings forced Lendmark to change the format of the Climb to CURE. Instead of the traditional in-person stadium event, they created a seven-day virtual step competition and fundraising challenge.

“While the local offices missed the fun and spirit of getting together, this year’s format allowed branches from coast-to-coast to fully participate. Being virtual was a different dynamic that spawned a lot of creativity,” said Kelsey Treadwell, Lendmark’s Marketing Manager.

Lendmark has 366 branches across the country, and many of them raised money in traditional ways. But some held unique fundraisers perfectly suited to this unique year. In Princeton, Kentucky, the branch formed a partnership with an Auntie Anne’s truck which donated proceeds of pretzel sales. The Pueblo, Colorado branch organized a motocross race complete with sponsors and merchandise which raised $8,000. Employees in the Clarksburg, West Virginia branch hosted a bingo night. Even though they had to limit attendance to half-capacity, they were able to raise the highest total of any branch at $11,000!

The company also stepped up in a big way by creating an incentive raffle. For every $100 a branch raised, they received a raffle ticket. The winning branch received quite a prize: all employees get to attend the company’s Choice Awards next year in Scottsdale, Arizona. Lendmark’s partners and vendors continued their support of the company’s efforts by giving generously. To culminate the event, Lendmark held a virtual “climb”. Employees laced up their tennis shoes and walked 13,186,408 steps, totaling more than 6,500 miles. Incredibly, the Climb to CURE raised a record-breaking $617,195!

The funds raised by Lendmark support CURE’s Precision Medicine Initiative, which involves precise gene-based treatment. CURE is leading the way in advancing this innovative therapy. Our work would not be possible without Lendmark’s support.

“People want to know where their money is going, which is why we focus on precision medicine,” said Ethan Andelman, Lendmark’s Chief Marketing Officer. “We’ve embraced CURE and their Precision Medicine Initiative in the hopes that it becomes the first line of treatment for kids with cancer.”

In October, CEO Bobby Aiken made a stunning announcement: Lendmark’s goal for the 2021 Climb to CURE is $1 million! With the passion and dedication they’ve shown, Lendmark has proven there is no mountain they won’t climb for kids fighting cancer.