Local Organizations
After being diagnosed with brain cancer in March of 2014, many local organizations played a key role in helping me get through my treatments, allowing me to make a full recovery. These organizations, mentioned below, continue to play a big role in helping kids like me get through similar illnesses as well as raise funds for essential research to find a cure for this horrible disease. Read more about my story and my continued efforts in giving back to these organizations and to our wonderful community!
Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic, as well as Make-A-Wish Organizations around the world, is a non-profit organization that grants wishes to kids with life-threatening illnesses. My wish was granted in March of 2015 to 'be a Washington Wizards basketball player for a day.' My wish was granted while I was in the middle of chemotherapy and while I was at one of my all time lows health wise. This day changed the course of my recovery and was one of the big reasons why I was able to get through the rest of my treatments! Read more about Make-A-Wish Mid-Atlantic here and check out the video of my wish to be a Washington Wizard!
(From the Special Love website) "Special Love is a nonprofit organization that provides cancer families a community of support, made up of other patients and families who know and understand the trials and triumphs of the cancer experience."
After my treatments for brain cancer concluded in June of 2015, I (with hesitation at the time) decided to attend Special Love's Camp Fantastic, a week-long camp for cancer survivors and current patients. Not ready to be away from home for a whole week and not knowing what to expect, I arrived to camp greeted by the most amazing doctors, nursing staff, counselors and fellow campers. This camp changed my life, and my parents saw a whole new, independent kid coming back from camp. Ever since, I have been sure to attend camp every summer, now (after aging out) as a counselor, helping kids like me enjoy the camp experience! Read more about Special Love here!
National Brain Tumor Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the Brain Tumor community across the United States. Each year, NBTS organizes and hosts the Race for Hope DC to raise awareness and funds for brain tumor research. The turnout each year is absolutely incredible, and it shows that brain tumor patients aren't in this fight alone! Learn more about National Brain Tumor Society here.
(From the CureSarch webstie) "CureSearch for Children's Cancer is a U.S.-based non-profit foundation that accelerates the search for cures for children’s cancer by driving innovation, overcoming research barriers and solving the field’s most challenging problems. [CureSearch] fights every day to make new, better treatments possible for the 43 children diagnosed with cancer each day."
The annual CureSearch walk is held outside the Tysons Corner mall in Northern Virginia and brings together our local community in the fight against childhood cancer! Read more about CureSearch and their mission here!