At the tender age of three years old, Christopher has been through a lot. In 2014, what seemed like just a lump in his belly was diagnosed as stage IV Wilm’s Tumor. He spent the next seven months in a fight that included chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. He became a frequent flyer with trips between the Atlanta and New York hospitals where he received treatment in which he lost a kidney, an adrenal gland, and several lymph nodes. But on March 15, 2015, Christopher was declared NED (No Evidence of Disease). He has spent some additional time in the hospital due to asthma, but is now doing great. In fact, after his latest scans, doctors decided to move him to the survivor program where they will monitor his progress annually.
Although the cancer is gone, he bears a large surgery scar on his abdomen along with several scars from ports that will always tell its story.
His family is dedicated to fighting childhood cancer so that someday, other children won’t have to endure the same torturous treatments that were forced on Christopher. One of the ways they do that is through CURE Childhood Cancer’s Lauren’s Run. Money raised at Lauren’s Run is dedicated to funding lifesaving pediatric cancer research and that money is raised by teams such as Team Courageous Christopher.
Christopher’s parents, Franz and Christa, have engaged in several fundraisers in his honor. Last year, their Lauren’s Run team raised over $9000! One of the keys to their success was a personal touch. They made this card and mailed it out to friends and family to tell their story and ask for a gift.
“It’s hard to ask for money,” said Christa. “But in the end, you just have to ask and remember that this is for children and so many are affected.”
She’s right. Statistics tell us that nearly 16,000 children will be diagnosed with cancer this year and nearly 20% of those children will not win their battle. More needs to be done.
Would you join Christopher and his family at Lauren’s Run? More importantly, would you join them in raising money for others to fight the battle? You can either join an existing team or start your own and bring your friends and family into the fight. The day is not just a run, it is a great family experience that culminates in the CURE Annual Picnic where there will be games, inflatables, face-painting, food, and much more.
It is really such a small thing. But the more people who do this small thing, the greater our total effort becomes until we create an avalanche of caring that finally finds a cure for childhood cancer. Your first step in following Christopher starts by clicking here!
