The Misleading Statistics
When I hear 90% cure rate for childhood cancers I want to scream or possibly throw up! That stat is SO misleading. That stat is talking about surviving 5 years. Living with cancer for five years IS NOT CURING cancer! Especially if you are 6 years old when you are diagnosed. This steers research…
Reflections On My Hike
In the summer of 2015, before starting my third year at Pomona College, I decided to hike the Pacific Crest Trail. More specifically, I decided that a long walk along the western geological spine of the continental United States from Mexico to Canada was a goal that could not be left to slowly erode over…
Hands
Looking down at these hands of mine I see calluses rimmed with dirt dotting their landscapes, cuts and scabs joining my mountainous knuckles to the valleys in the topography of my palms, and vast clearing of exposed flesh encircling my nails. I see bloodied skin dangling from my right pointer finger from the time it…
For Too Many Kids September Doesn’t Mean Back to School
I can’t believe I’m writing about Childhood Cancer Awareness month again. I can’t believe this is the sixth Sept that Michael is gone. No Back to School for him or the thousands of other children who have lost their lives to cancer. What a shame…how unjust If you have children grumbling about going back to…
Why is Tissue Not Sexy?
Denver is a great city… just not as “hippie/granola” as I pictured. We went for ISPNO… the International Symposium on Pediatric Neuro-Oncology and came away feeling encouraged and excited that tissue donation is absolutely the right focus for Swifty. ISPNO is held every other year and doctors and researchers from all over the world attend. …
Accepting Help From Others
I’ve been taught that when I am faced with a difficult situation, or when things don’t turn out as I would have liked, to ask myself, “What lesson am I supposed to learn from this?” Since losing Michael it feels almost like a mantra…. There have been many lessons to learn and a particularly difficult…
Caitlin’s Experience
Caitlin Holzer was part of a duo who recently shaved their heads and raised over $8,000 for the Swifty Foundation. Not only is her fiscal impact impressive, so is Caitlin herself. Her activism in the causes she cares about accurately exemplifies her remarkable character, and her passion for giving back depicts the inspiration that she…
Why We Need a Tissue Navigator
The importance of tissue donation begins when a parent hears the life shattering news, “your child has brain cancer.” Had we known how important tissue is not only to scientific discovery, but also to a child’s cancer treatment plan, Michael may have had a very different journey. Let me explain. Cancer treatment is becoming more…
That’s Your Boy
It’s Michael’s birthday week! To celebrate I want to share an AMAZING story with you that I still can’t believe happened. In the past several years I have been frequenting pediatric cancer conferences (should have been a STEM major not a CPA, but who knew?). At a meeting in August, the question discussed was how…
Michael’s Master Plan – Impact
Twenty years old! Michael would be leaving his teen years behind next week but in my mind he will forever remain a teenager. His twin sister Bridget shows us each day what Michael could be accomplishing had he survived. And the reality is, despite his death, he is still making an impact every day. Michael’s…
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