Swifty Family Forum a Rousing Success
I think you can imagine the trepidation I felt going to a two-day meeting of families all of whom had lost a child to brain cancer. My stomach hurt at the thought of facing that much pain in one room. Guess what? We laughed, we cried, we shared 3 things everyone should know about our…
Sing Along
I laughed so hard watching this video as we re-wrote the lyrics to California Dreamin’ for this email. For the full, groovy 60’s experience listen to the Mamas and the Papas as you sing along to our new verse. All the gifts aren’t in (all the gifts aren’t in)But I’m here to say (but I’m…
Gifts that Benefit You and Swifty
Swifty invites you to explore year-end gift giving options that are good for you and good for pediatric brain cancer research! Donating Your IRA Distributions Some of our more “seasoned” donors have found that giving a gift directly from their IRA is an easy and efficient way to support Swifty. Individuals who are 70 ½…
Collaborative Centers of Excellence
Establishing a Swifty funded tissue navigator in Dr. Monje’s lab at Stanford completes a coast-to-coast network that began in 2016 when Swifty helped start the post mortem tissue donation program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). Last week I told you how the tissue navigator will allow Dr. Monje to focus more of her…
California Dream
Today is Michael’s birthday and the kickoff of Swifty’s Annual Appeal, and so I’d like to tell you about our California Dream. It’s a dream that takes us to Michelle Monje’s lab at Stanford … I’m going to get all STEM on you now, so get ready! You may remember from past years, that Michael’s…
Memories From Cross Country
In seventh grade cross country, our coaches assigned everyone with the task of running at least 30 minutes a day over the weekend. On a Saturday morning, I was running along, and I see a dad and his son slowly jogging towards me. I get closer and realize it’s my classmate, Michael Gustafson. I didn’t…
CBTTC Pediatric Brain Tumor Atlas
You may have missed this announcement; lost in the shuffle of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Maybe you saw the announcement and didn’t quite understand the importance of the launch. The Pediatric Brain Tumor Atlas is a major step forward in advancing collaboration and accelerating research. We are proud to be part of this organization and…
I Want To Talk About Michael
Wow, I cannot believe that Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is finally coming to a close! Most of you know that helping kids with cancer is the passion that fuels every decision I make and action I take. I am years away from (hopefully) becoming a pediatric oncologist, but I have the power to advocate and…
Cancer is a Journey, Not a Battle
I cringe every time I read or hear someone is “fighting cancer or battling cancer”. This language implies a war, which means there is a winner and a loser. I’m betting you know someone who died from cancer and you also know that person was anything but a loser. I realize it’s difficult to know…
When I Think of Michael
When I think of Michael, many of the images I have of him are often frozen in the seventh grade. That school year, by some stroke of luck, he, Bridget and I all had lockers next to each other. Everyday when I got to my locker, I could always count on Michael to greet me…
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