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Written by Administrator
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- A Compelling Cause, by Kim Gumabay
- Ryan's Story, by Pat Schlosser
- A Message from Kyle, by Kyle Killeen
- Kayleigh's Story, by Lisa Brunet
- Larry and Judith, a Dynamic Duo, by Kate Lund
- My Daughter is a True Success Story, by Nerys Wilkinson
- Small but Mighty, by Lisa Genatossio
- Adult Survivor Explores Coping as a Process, by Kate Lund
- My Story: Persistence Brings Answers, by Kyle Killeen
- The Race, by Lisa Hesse
- Dash: The Big Dog of Super Heroes, a Foundation Spotlight
- A Sibling's Perspective, by Ashley Young
- Memories of a Childhood Brain Tumor, by Kate Lund
- How Precious Life Can Be, by Andy Conk
The following stories have been moved to the Remembrances page:
- Sean's Story, by Greg Crooks
- Swetha - An Angel from the Heaven, by Vasudevan
- What I Can Tell You About Losing a Sister to Cancer, by Katie Jennings
- Baby Jay's Journey, by Kathleen Boyles
- A Tribute to Emily Mau, by Sherry Mau
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Written by Administrator
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Written by Justin's Mom, Michelle Antonio-Martin.  All I ever wanted was a healthy child. Justin seemed to be the healthiest of all the nieces and nephews. He had the heartiest appetite, loved sports even as a toddler, and he was even referred to as the “bruiser.” He was such an easy baby. His laid back demeanor, and his warm smile could warm up anyone's heart.
Although he was doing well in his last year of preschool and was his usual cheerful self, I noticed some changes that really bothered me. He started to have random vomiting throughout the summer of 2004. My husband and I thought it could possibly be food allergies, reflux, or a virus of some sort, so we didn’t worry too much at first. But, then we started to notice a change in Justin’s personality. At times Justin seemed irritable; his eyes clouded and at times Justin even seemed easily worn out. It wasn't till one day on the Jersey Shore, that I remember and can never forget, my sister saying, “Justin doesn't seem right.” I realized that she was seeing something I could not.
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Written by Administrator
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By Brittany Truitt  I had recently turned sixteen. This was an exciting milestone for me. Getting keys to a car and being able to drive to and from school was a huge responsibility but one I had eagerly awaited. I was a cheerleader, tennis player, swimmer, involved in youth in government, student government, and piano. I was doing it all and life was great. Spring break was in a couple of weeks and I could hardly wait. One afternoon, I was doing homework on the island in our kitchen and laid my head on my books. My mom was cooking dinner at the time and looked over. “Another headache honey,” she said. “Yeah,” I replied. “Why don't you take Tylenol and lie down for a while.” “Yeah, I think I’ll do that.” I laid down on the couch and around an hour later my mom asked me, “Headache gone?” I replied, “Better but ….They never really go away.” Puzzled and a bit concerned she said, “Never?” I again responded, “No, they never really go away, it’s just that...sometimes they are worse than other times. Mom did not say much but made a doctor’s appointment for that Friday. |
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Diagnosed at Age 13, Our Son's Courageous Journey |
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Written by Administrator
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By Jaime Banks  In February 2005, our 13 year old son Matthew, a healthy soccer player and swimmer, started complaining of a major headache that was keeping him up at night and leaving him exhausted in the morning. Within ten days, we made three visits to our pediatrician. On the third visit, an MRI was ordered, and a tumor was seen on the scan.
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Personal Stories
It was hard to believe that a baby could be diagnosed with such a serious condition — a brain tumor. Russ was a happy infant who developed normally but by age one he was very thin for his age and had some slight jiggling in one eye. After two days of tests, a CAT scan revealed a large tumor in the optic nerves (affecting vision), and the hypothalamus (affecting sleep, appetite, mood and water balance). We were told it was benign because it was slow growing. I remember how traumatic it was to see such a little body put into such a big x-ray machine with so many lines hooked up to him. Little did I know that this was only the beginning of several years of invasive procedures for our little boy.