Meet Leonard – Medulloblastoma
In October 2015, Leonard started having headaches. They were constant and persistent. Soon after, he began randomly vomiting every two to three days. By November, he began to lose his balance and couldn't walk straight. A trip to the emergency room (and a CT scan)...
Meet Terje
Terje is the strongest person I know! She is always going into the doctors with a smile on her face, even though what she goes in for isn't always easy or pain free. She loves music and has played piano for several years and recently started the flute. She also loves...
Meet Luke – Acute Myeloid Leukemia
Luke is the happiest and most fun little boy ever! He has the cutest personality and is such a sweet and loving child. Just about anything makes him laugh and he LOVED flirting with all of the nurses when we were in the hospital. He absolutely LOVES mickey mouse! At...
Meet Carlos – Medulloblastoma
Carlos is very smart and has a sense if humor. He loves to watch WWE matches and pretends to wrestle with his little brother. He is not emotional about cancer or its effects, he just deals with things as they come. He has very high standards for himself and he is...
Photographer Spotlight – JoAnna Robbins Photography
This month the photographer spotlight is on JoAnna Robbins of JoAnna Robbins Photography. JoAnna has had a love of photography since high school, when she spent as much time as possible in the darkroom. She taught kindergarten for a few years before making the...
Meet Inseeya – Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Inseeya is shy, soft and introverted but also very stubborn. She knows what she wants and knows how to get it. She is fearless! She loves to laugh at her baby brothers and making silly faces while running after them. She likes dressing up and getting her hair and...
Jessie Rees Foundation {Fellow Fighters of HOPE}
Jessie Rees Foundation The Jessie Rees Foundation is inspired by Jessica Joy Rees. Jessie was a beautiful, smart, athletic and compassionate 12-year-old. She courageously fought two brain tumors (DIPG) from March 3, 2011 to January 5, 2012. On that painful January day...
Retinoblastoma 101 {symptoms, treatment and HOPE}
You know the phrase “four-letter word” to mean cuss words, curses and dirty words. For parents though, perhaps the dirtiest word is actually a six-letter word: cancer. As an adult, you probably already understand the general nuances of the cancer world; the medical...
Meet Violet – Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Violet truly radiates happiness and spunk like the sun. She is empathetic, kind, and incredibly strong. She has strong bonds with "her babies" and loves animals. In the fall of 2015, Violet was fussy at night, stopped eating, began to have night sweats, would not walk...
Meet Abbie – Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Abbie is AWESOME!!! Abbie is a spunky 13 year old. She’s fighting leukemia for the second time. Abbie was first diagnosed in Feb. 2011. After two years off treatment the leukemia returned. This time the treatment was much harder on her. She has had to endure so...
Meet Noel – Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Weeks after Noel's third birthday, we noticed bruising covering her little body. This seemed abnormal to us and we decided that we would talk to her pediatrician about our concern during her upcoming visit. Within days of noticing the bruising, she became very ill...
Meet Jillie – AML
Jillie is the oldest of 5 kids and has never met a stranger because she makes friends wherever she goes. She was active in 4H as secretary and raising rabbits. Jillie was in all pre AP classes as a sophmore. She was planning to graduate with both her high school...