Charlotte was diagnosed with Stage 4 Hepatoblastoma in January 2023. After being born four months early and spending 143 days in the NICU, her care team transferred her to a different hospital to receive a G-tube due to severe feeding difficulties. During her pre-op workup, her parents requested a genetics consult, which led to an abdominal ultrasound. That scan revealed 12 tumors on her liver. Charlotte was soon diagnosed with Beckwith-Weidemann Syndrome, a rare overgrowth and cancer predisposition disorder. A biopsy confirmed it—Stage 4 liver cancer. She began chemotherapy immediately.
After six rounds of chemo, a liver transplant, and the removal of her gallbladder and adrenal gland, Charlotte is now cancer free.
Charlotte will be immunocompromised for life due to her anti-rejection medications. Because of the risk of infection, she avoids public pools, lakes, and rivers and follows a special diet similar to what a pregnant person would follow. Every illness poses a serious risk—she has been hospitalized for multiple viruses, each requiring a two-week admission.
Her diagnosis has changed everything for her family. Charlotte’s mom left her career to care for her full-time and will homeschool her to protect her health. They live carefully and limit public exposure to keep Charlotte safe.
Despite it all, Charlotte is pure sunshine. She’s hilarious, brave, sweet, and incredibly friendly. She loves Ms. Rachel and Elmo, finds it funny when someone fake sneezes or gets “accidentally” hurt, and could probably live on cookies alone. She is the kind of kid who makes a room brighter just by being in it.
Glenn’s cancer journey began when he was just 2 and a half years old. What started as fever and abdominal pain led to a devastating diagnosis: hepatoblastoma, a rare liver cancer. After undergoing liver resection surgery, his family hoped the worst was behind them, but cancer had other plans. Tumors quickly overtook what remained of his liver, and a transplant became his only option for survival. Thankfully, Glenn received his new liver, and today he is three years post-transplant and cancer-free.
But life after cancer still brings challenges. Glenn is now on lifelong immune suppression due to his transplant, and he also has hearing loss from chemotherapy. Blood thinners are a part of his daily routine, meaning contact sports and rough play are off-limits. His journey has included countless pokes, port accesses, infusions, procedures, surgeries, complications, and months living out of state for specialized care. His family has faced separation, uncertainty, and emotional exhaustion—but also incredible resilience and hope.
When asked how cancer changed their lives, his parents said it best: The real question is, how has it NOT changed us?
Despite everything, Glenn’s spirit shines bright. He’s hilarious, loves cracking (and hearing) jokes, and is endlessly curious. He thrives with building toys—LEGO, Magna-Tiles, and anything STEM-related. Most of all, he loves people. His laughter is infectious, and his courage is unforgettable.
Glenn is more than a survivor. He’s a builder, a jokester, a people-person, and a true light in this world.
Kaelyn is brave and strong! She was diagnosed with hepatoblastoma in the fall of 2023. Before diagnosis, she had stomach pain that would not go away. She has had chemotherapy, blood transfusions, and shots twice a day. We take things a day at a time and try to enjoy good moments.
Iker is a fun little guy, always happy and joyful!
Iker was diagnosed with Hepatoblastoma in November of 2022. He went to the doctor on November 18 and his biopsy came back on December 7, but based on other labs the doctors already figured is was cancer.
Prior to being diagnosed, his belly had gotten huge out of nowhere and he had started to complain about his tummy hurting at night time.
Iker’s treatments have included chemotherapy and surgery. He has been through a lot but having his mom with him has brought him comfort.
Mario (Matias) is a very calm baby. He loves music and Mrs.Rachel.
Mario is a twin with a syndrome called Denys-Drash. He was at risk for developing Wilms Tumor but had a bilateral nephrectomy. He has end-stage renal failure and during treatment for that, was putting out a milky discharge in his dialysis bag. His nephrologist ordered an abdominal ultrasound and found tumors on January 13, 2023. He was then diagnosed with stage 3 Hepatoblastoma. Prior to his diagnosis, he had been much more tired and extra fussy.
He has had 4 rounds of chemotherapy along with all of his other treatments. Mario was already medically complex so this has only added to his troubles.
For us emotionally, this has all been very heartbreaking.
