Trenton Kindred will carry an extra bit of hope when he walks across the graduation stage in his scarlet cap and gown. Not only hope for his future that was once in doubt, but he also carries a special hope for others that he and his family have nurtured since 2006.
When Trenton was only one year old, he was diagnosed with stage four neuroblastoma. His parents, Greg and Ginger, had to watch as their baby began a very harsh treatment and all its horrible side effects. They were told he had a 20% chance of survival and a 70% chance of relapse. Before reaching his 25th month, Trenton endured five rounds of intense chemo, two bone marrow transplants, 21 days of being put to sleep during radiation treatments, several surgeries, 27 port line infections, and six months of oral chemo.
Through it all, Trenton fought back. His determination and love of life helped him get through these rigorous challenges. In 2006, Trenton was declared cancer-free.
“Trenton’s experience has shown us the huge need for less-toxic cancer treatments specifically tailored to kids and their growing bodies,” Ginger said. “Our family hopes that in the future, no other family will ever hear the heart-sinking words ‘Your child has cancer.’ But if that does happen, there will be hope – a hope of a cure and less toxic treatments tailored to kids that will allow them to be kids that grow into healthy adults.”
Not ones to sit idly by and let others do the work, the Kindred family started the Trenton W. Kindred Research Fund, a named fund at CURE. The purpose of the fund is to support childhood cancer research. The Kindreds and their supporters are committed to advancing better treatment for neuroblastoma and, ultimately, to find a cure for this aggressive disease. To date, the fund has raised $303,465 to fight childhood cancer! That is a lot of hope that Trenton and his family have provided to other children in the fight.
And Trenton? He’s doing great these days. After graduating with honors, he will head to Oglethorpe University in the fall, where he will study Business Administration and Economics. He’s not 100% sure where that will lead but is hoping to further his education in law school as a corporate or commercial real estate lawyer.
“He continues to amaze us with his infectious humor, shyness, and love for life,” said Ginger. “He’s an old soul, and he is fearless. But he is also reserved and has a soft soul that we think comes from staring into the darkest of places at such a young age. He is truly a miracle, and our family lives each day not taking anything for granted.”
His name is John French and he’s been running for a while. In fact, he’s completed a few ultra-marathons, but never anything this long. On November 7 and 8, John will be running the Pinhoti 100, which is a point-to-point endurance run in eastern Alabama. While the length of the run seems preposterous enough, it also isn’t flat. In fact, the course has an elevation gain of more than 16,000 feet including a climb of 1575 feet from miles 35 to 41!
Hayden was in the 7th grade when he began to have trouble using his right hand and arm. A scan at the emergency room found a softball-size tumor pressing against his brain. While the size and location were troublesome, he began the fight with a very optimistic attitude. Over the next two years, Hayden endured 3 surgeries, 33 rounds of radiation, and 6 months of weekly chemo. Through it all, Hayden kept his wicked sense of humor. He hosted pizza and Xbox parties in his room at CHOA, cracked jokes with nurses, and dyed his hair blue when it grew back.
Zach and Ryan distributed the flyer around their neighborhood with instructions on how to purchase. The bows cost $25 each and the brothers have sold 76 so far this year! That means they’ve raised $1900 to fight childhood cancer!
Emma was born in 2004. She had strawberry blonde hair, and the biggest blue eyes; as she got older, those very eyes would give her away when she was being mischievous. At 12, she was learning French and already studying for the SAT – she wanted to be a lawyer when she grew up. Emma was awarded a full scholarship to a private girls’ school in England. They were just getting settled over there, when Emma fell one day and hurt her hip. She kept complaining of pain, but the doctors kept assuring my sister that it was just soreness from her fall and would eventually get better.
Anna sent out an email to the homeowners in her neighborhood and solicited local businesses to put the bows out. She even ordered extras for places like city hall and the local public schools to display. Her goal was to sell 100 bows and, consequently, show that Dawsonville cares about children with cancer. Anna surpassed her goal, selling 175 mailbox bows by the time she was through.
Ariana still has over a year of treatment remaining, but she will be doing it in Colorado with her sister as she starts the freshman year that cancer delayed. She’s ready to go and excited about what the future holds. Both of these amazing young ladies have fought their cancers and have now decided to fight for other children through September’s CURE’s Kids Fight Cancer One Day at a Time. Each sister wrote her own story to share in the hopes of raising money to fund better cures for children with cancer. The entire family is committed to making a difference in the fight.
“I always wanted to give back, and CURE was the perfect way,” explained Ralph. “We were there. We know how hard childhood cancer is on a family. While finding a cure for the disease is critical, helping families is important
