Gift From a Child
Gift from a Child is a national initiative supported by families who have lost children to brain cancer, private foundations, researchers and medical professionals. It currently receives its funding from the Swifty Foundation. Gift from a Child’s mission is to increase post-mortem pediatric brain tissue donations through advocacy as well as the education of families enduring the worst … the loss of a child.
When a child’s life ends too soon, donating tissue is a way for a family to take a final stand against cancer. Many families have reported their decision to donate their child’s autopsy tissue was one of the few positive steps they could take during those final tragic days. Tissue donation is a contribution to improving outcomes for children with brain cancer that only families can make.
Michael's Story
Before his death at 15, Michael Gustafson hatched what he called his "master plan" - and laid the foundation for what Swifty does today.
Improving Research
Why are children's brain tumors so tough to beat? The cancer changes as you treat it. Here's how we discover better treatments.
Improving Collaborations
Swifty is helping to build a more collaborative and innovative cancer community. There is so much more we can do together!
What's Happening? Opportunities To Take Action
The Swifty community is full of people like you. Together, we're moving toward hope one event at a time.
Disturbing Facts About Childhood Cancer
Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death BY DISEASE for children in the U.S. …. It exceeds deaths by all other diseases combined. Only 4 pennies of every FEDERAL dollar available for cancer research goes to fund PEDIATRIC cancer research.
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How is brain cancer different in kids?
All brain tumors can change in response to cancer treatment – but this is especially true for kids, whose bodies are growing and changing anyway. You could be diagnosed with one type of cancer, but have a very different type years later.
To improve treatments, researchers need to better understand the ways kids’ cancers change and transform over time. This means studying as much donated tissue as possible, from as many cancer stages as possible.
But it’s often difficult for families to donate tissue for research – and when they do donate, it’s difficult for researchers to share their findings widely. Swifty is helping to change that.
Recent Blog Posts
Together Toward Hope
Young Investigator Award
Swifty is proud to partner with Alex’s Lemonade Stand to help fund their Young Investigators Innovation grant. Dr. Eric Raabe’s from Johns Hopkins is researching the most devastating kind of Medulloblastoma, MYC-driven medullo. The good news is Dr. Raabe’s lab has been successful with finding an oral drug with better brain penetration that will kill…
Press Release: Gift from a Child
For Immediate Release March 13, 2019 Swifty Foundation Launches Research Initiative Called Gift from a Child WOODRIDGE, Ill.—Swifty Foundation, a pediatric brain cancer research foundation based in Woodridge, Ill., has announced the launch of a new research initiative called Gift from a Child. The mission of Gift from a Child is to increase post-mortem brain…
Saying Goodbye to Normal
by Rachael Kittleson Kelsey’s Mom www.KelseysPromise.org As normal goes, we were a normal family…two daughters, two dogs, a neighborhood full of kids, family dinners, carpools, homework, and messy rooms. Our oldest daughter Kelsey was a great kid. At 14, she was a high honors student, athlete, musician, and volunteer who loved Journey and Queen, The…