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Catie’s Fund

On her first birthday, Catie Wilkins was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, an aggressive brain tumor. With no warning, Catie and her family were plunged into a world of non-stop doctors and surgeries and chemotherapy and medicines.

Catie’s parents, Tré and Jenny, helped her navigate through 12 surgeries, 4 different chemotherapy protocols and 6 weeks of radiation. But her tumor continued to grow, even through these harsh treatments. Catie fearlessly fought her battle with cancer, but the chemotherapy had compromised her immune system so severely that she succumbed to a common virus before she reached her 5th birthday.

In Memory of Catie

While Catie battled cancer for most of her life, she managed to fit a whole lot of living and laughter into her all too short 4 years and 4 months. Catie was funny and tough, loving and mischievous. She was quick to tease her daddy and her laughter rang out when she got away with something. Her favorite place on earth was the beach where she loved to catch hermit crabs and play in the sand. She was an animal lover, with dogs and tree frogs topping her list of favorites.

It’s impossible to capture the essence of Catie in just a few words. She was, in some ways, just a normal kid. But she was an old soul with a wisdom beyond her years. Those who knew and loved Catie were forever changed by the enormity of her spirit and determination to live big in spite of what life threw at her.

Catie's Gathering

Catie’s Gathering is the signature event of Catie’s Fund. This is an event like no other! For this fun evening, hosts/hostesses purchase a table, invite their friends, and decorate their themed table. During the event, guests will experience music, a raffle, a silent auction, and a moving program about battles kids with pediatric cancer are fighting every day. This event is often a sell-out and all proceeds fund life-saving pediatric cancer research.

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Purpose of the Fund

Many survivors of pediatric cancers live with lifelong side effects from the treatments they received to survive. Simply surviving is not enough. More research is needed so that survivors of childhood cancers can not only live, but live well. Catie’s Fund was established to support research efforts, and to support patients and their families in their fight against childhood cancer.

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