My name is Sallie Evelyn Gilmer and I was diagnosed with Pre-B Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) on Dec. 12, 2008. I got sick in early November with what we thought was a cold. I seemed to get over the cold like symptoms, but I was less active than normal and had almost NO appetite. My Momma didn't think much of it because I was also cutting a molar. On December 6th I started with a runny nose and cough. My Mom thought I had a cold. On Sunday December 7th I started running a low grade fever that was still present Monday morning so my Momma called the Doctor and took went in. The doctor examined me and said the same thing, I have a cold. We went home and took Tylenol. On Tuesday afternoon the fever went up and Tylenol didn't help anymore, now I was running 103-104 then my Momma noticed all the lymph glands in my neck and back of my head were swollen. Too late for the doctor, but we talked with advice nurse at Emanuel. I took more Tylenol, my fever came down a little and I went to the doctor first thing Wednesday December 10th. My doctor looked me over again with the high fever and swollen lymph nodes and she found little purple/red dots so she sent us to the ER at Emanuel Children's Hospital. After running many test and chest x-rays they admitted me and I was extremely anemic. They started me on IV fluids and antibiotics. I had 2 bags of blood that night and a platelet transfusion. The Oncologist came in and talked with us about the possibility that I had Leukemia and set up a bone marrow biopsy to confirm it. The doctors had to do 2 bone marrow biopsy's because the cancer cells were so thick they couldn't get enough to tell us what kind of cancer the first time. On December 12, 2008 it was confirmed that I had
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or ALL. I started chemo the next day and celebrated
my 2nd birthday in the hospital. Since that time I have had many more bone marrow
biopsy's lumbar punctures and blood and platelet transfusions. I went into remission
in January 2009 but with ALL the treatment continues for 2+ years to make sure I
don't relapse. I went through 6 months of intense chemo that made me so sick I had
to be hospitalized several times and I spend sometime in the PICU when I got
something call neutropenic entrocolitis from the chemo. My Momma said I almost died.
I am doing much better now I finished the intense chemo in June 2009 and will start
Long term Maitenance in July 2009. My treatment end date is March 5, 2011. Please
pray for me and my family.

Caleb was diagnosed with ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) on August 10th. He had been complaining of leg and arm pain intermittently for a couple of weeks. A Pediatric Orthopedist thought he may have fractured bones and they casted his arm and leg. Children under the age of 5 often don't show fractures on X-ray, so based on mobility tests, this was how he felt best to treat him. After a short time, he began having severe pain in the un-casted leg as well. The doctor suggested running some blood tests which revealed the leukemia.He was immediately admitted to Health Park Medical Center where he underwent a spinal tap, bone marrow extraction, chemo therapy and port placement. He did wonderful with the procedures and had since been released to his home pending test results to further determine the next steps and severity of disease.He has since been upgraded to "High Risk" status as he has a low chromosomal count called "Hypodiploid ALL", which requires a bone marrow transplant. Caleb did great through transplant. We stayed at Duke in Durham for over 4 months. On our last clinic visit there was some "concern" with one of his tests that they were going to look into. Upon our arrival home we started back at clinic and on the 4th day back we learned that he had relapsed. This is un-presidented to relapse so close to transplant. Our option was Chemotherapy which would weaken him and he would likely pass with an infection or Hospice which he would likely pass with bleeding. Upon many days of contemplation and questioning all the Dr's and we decided to put it in God's hands and ask for his will do be done and most of all ask for a miracle. We chose Hospice care.On Wednesday, March 26th, 2008, Caleb was complaining of leg and lower back pain. We called the Dr and he came right over to the house. He wanted an MRI on his lower back to see if there might have been pressure from a tumor on his spinal cord that could cause paralysis. The next morning we hustled to the hospital for the MRI and due to Caleb's age he needed general anesthesia. Under the anesthesia his oxygen saturation dropped and they put him on a respirator. We were forced to make a decision to pull the tube. The Dr's warned us that he would probably not be able to breathe on his own...HE DID...After about an hour in the hospital they sent us home. Caleb hated the hospital. He always just wanted to be home. When we got home he was in and out of consciousness. We were able to talk to him...tell him we loved him (and he answered)...hold him...kiss him...and most of all love him. On Friday, March 28th, at 4:30 AM Caleb took his last breath and went home to be with the Lord. It has certainly been a long road. Caleb is now at rest and swinging around the streets of Heaven with a pain free body, and spider webs that work...Woo Hoo!!! We all
love and miss you so much Caleb. Love Mommy, Daddy and Baby Bella.

My name is Serena and I born on November 30, 2004. On June 23, 2008 I was diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma when I was 3 years old. It originated in my left adrenal gland where a hard tumor developed and wrapped around the gland and interfered with the left renal arteries. My cancer has also affected my entire spine; every vertebrae in my vertebral column, my bone marrow and throughout most of my body. In the rest of the body, Cancer presents itself a little differently. It is not hard tumors. Our Oncologist described it like this: "Picture throwing a bowl of oatmeal against the wall. There will be patches where it is thick and patches where it is thin, and patches where the oatmeal doesn't stick at all. Outside of the adrenal tumor, that is how most of the rest of the Neuroblastoma cells present themselves."
I will need at least 7 rounds of High Dose Chemotherapy, Surgeries (2), Stem Cell Bone
Marrow Transplant (from my own body), radiation and finally a medication called Accutane.We are looking at 5 months of Chemo, an ongoing schedule of "cycles" of 3-5 days in Johns Hopkins for Chemo, then home for 3 weeks (assuming there are no complications) to recover between each cycle of chemo, followed by the rest of the procedures after the chemo shrinks the cancer to a smaller size. The Oncologist says if everything goes according to our "rough schedule"; I will be done with treatment in the summer of 2009. I have a long hard road ahead of me and we remain optimistic in spite of the statistics that we were quoted from websites and Doctors. Current treatment offers a 30 percent success rate. I am enrolled in a clinical trial which hopes to raise that number to 55 percent and even higher as the research and clinical trials continue. We can't wait for the day when that number is 100 percent and I will be one of the success cases to make that happen. I will be a survivor! I am too independent, adorable and important in this world! I am like a ray of sun light, I brighten a room when I enter it. Our family and friends are helping us focus on our cup being half full and NEVER half empty. We thank you for your prayers, positive energy and positive healing thoughts. Thank you for supporting us and most importantly, thank you for supporting me. It means the world to us!

My name is Mandy and on February. 5, 2007, I was 13 years old when I was diagnosed with a Pilosytic Astrocytoma (Brain Tumor). I had surgery February 22, 2007. Surgeons were unable to remove the tumor because of the size and delicate location. I began chemotherapy March 9, 2007 and went in every Friday and have just ended treatment in September of 2008. The tumor is benign, but has barely shrunk after all these months and is now monitored. Our hope is to have it remain stable and of course by God's will, go away. I now try to live life to the fullest and try to put a smile on each and every day as I hold a lot of pain inside. Nothing in my life is the same. The journey I am on continues to teach us all how to make everyday count. We don't know what the future holds, but we will never quit fighting. Thank you for keeping me in your prayers!

My name is Kieran Clyde Hathaway. I was named after my paternal grandfather and great-grandfather. I was born October 31, 2003, an Irish Scorpio in every way. My favorite color is blue and I love Matchbox cars, all the super heroes, Star Wars and Legos. I love to play outside collecting rocks and acorns. I was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma on February 1, 2007, at age 3 years and 2 months. After I had run a fever for three days, my Mommy took me to the doctor, who found a tumor on my left kidney. I was transferred to M.C.V. in Richmond, where they immediately started work-ups to find out what the tumor was. The diagnosis was stage 4 NB, n-myc amplified, and the tumor had metastasized to my liver, lungs, and bone marrow. After six rounds of high-dose chemotherapy, tumor resection, and a stem cell transplant, I was declared NED in September of 2007 and began going to Memorial Sloan-Kettering in NYC for radiation and 3F8 antibody treatment. I finished this treatment in October of 2008 and continue to be NED! I have been amazing through this whole experience. I survived a life-threatening infection in November-December of 2007 and sailed through neurosurgery in January of 2008 (for what was expected to be NB relapse, but the tumor was benign), coming out of surgery to ask for something to eat! I am the baby of the family and have two older sisters Haley and Hope and a large extended familywho love me to pieces! I will start pre-school in January and have my Star Wars backpack full of supplies and ready to go. Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers for me as I continue this journey to CURE!

In October of 2006 at age of two, I was diagnosed with brain cancercalled Medulloblastoma as is the case with many children who are diagnosed with cancer my disease had spread. I was left with at least five more tumors through out my brain and spine. This along with my young age put me in the high risk category for this type of cancer. My treatment plan included 5 cycles of chemo, stem cell transplant, six weeks of radiation, and 6 cycles of retinoic acid. The cancer responded wonderfully to the chemo and after 3 cycles I heard the words it's almost gone.By the time I finished my transplant I was considered NED(no evidence of disease).Because my cancer was so aggressive it was important to follow through with radiation and the retinoic acid despite the fact that I had already reached the NED status.I battled my disease with more grace and courage than you could expect from an adult. On more than one occasion when it was time to clean my very sore feeding tube site I would cry and say don't touch it mommy. Mom would only have to tell me once that it had to be done and then I would lift my shirt and through the tears I would say o.k. mom you can do it. This is just one small example of how brave I was throughout my fight. I am currently off all medications and feeling really well. I am back to being a happy playful little boy. My favorite things to do are playing in my sand box with my cars and trucks, bugging my 3 older siblings, and riding in the tractor with my dad.I have been blessed with wonderful family, friends, and a community that carried me and my family through a long difficult journey. I continue to be thankful for the many prayer warriors out there offering up prayers on my behalf.

Our14 year old son Kevin was diagnosed on November 7th, 2006 with Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma. An epithelioid cell is a mesenchymal cell whose morphology resembles that of epithelial cells and Fibrosarcoma is cancer of fibrous tissue. It usually affects the legs, arms, or trunk. It is most common between the ages of 20 and 60, but can occur at any age, even in infancy.The 2006 year has really been a traumatic year for all our families, but I never in my wildest dreams thought anything would ever happen to our son. In May we lost our nephew which was Kevin's cousin to cancer.In August of this year Kevin and I were riding in the car and he had his arm on the console and said, that feels weird. I asked him what does, he said, my arm by my elbow. There was a bump on his arm right below his elbow. We took him from Dr. to Dr. then were referred to a Orthopedic Specialist. On October 26th a biopsy was done on his arm. Kevin was diagnosed with Epithelioid Fibrosarcoma and they started chemo immediately because they said it was a very aggressive cancer, so they were going to fight it aggressively. February 8th Kevin had surgery to have the tumor removed from his arm. All the test results showed there was no more tumor. They had to take a layer of muscle out of his arm that the tumor was in. April 12, 2007 Kevin finished his chemo treatments. He had 6 rounds of chemotherapy, 25 days of radiation and a complete tumor removal . Kevin was in remission in May of 2007. Kevin passed away due to the side effects caused by chemo. The chemo Kevin was on destroyed two connective tissues in his heart and caused heart failure. Kevin earned his angel wings on 6-17-07. R.I.P Kevin.

My name is Samuel Anderson and I am two years and six months old now. I was born May 2,2006. On August 31, 2007 ( 16 months old) my parents took me to East Tennessee Children's Hospital because I was hurting and they didn't know where or why. While there we weretold I had a tumor and that they suspect it to be Neuroblastoma. I was admitted thatday. After a biopsy was done I was sent to PICU because I had to be kept intubated. OnSeptember 5, 2007 I was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma Stage 4 e-myc amplified. Tumorwas found in my femur, skull, orbits, sinuses, behind eyes, chest, marrow, and on my rightadrenal gland- It grew to one liter in size! I was to get six rounds of chemo , I got thefirst round but the tumor on my adrenal gland was growing too fast so I was flown toVanderbilt in Nashville, TN for emergency radiation in hopes it would keep me alive. I wasonly breathing to my forth rib. It worked. The tumor went from one liter in size to thesize of a coke can! I went back to ETCH to finish chemo. I had the second round. Duringthe third round my kidneys failed. I was intubated and sent to PICU again. My parentswere told I may not live two hours. I fought hard and seem to get better as far as kidneys were concerned, so I was unhooked from intubation and that night my kidneys failed again!
Once more my parents were told I may not live two hours. I was intubated again and had todo hemodialysis for awhile. My cancer had to be put on hold while my kidneys healed. I nolonger could do chemo. When we did the scans all the tumors were gone except a small oneon the right adrenal gland (pea size). On December 31, 2007 the tumor was removed and itwas dead! My Drs. said I would not live to see my second birthday because this cancer willbe back and harder to fight. It had been one year and at 2 years old I was NED (no evidence of disease) this is not the case with most of my friends that battle this cancer most havelost their lives fighting for just one more day. Since January 2, 2008 I have been cancer free. In July of 2009 I started having trouble with my leg. After running some tests the doctors think my cancer has come back. I now have relapsed Neuroblastoma. Many times treatment doesn't work. We need a cure to be found and soon. I am a miracle by the grace of God. Answered Prayers gave me another year, but hope one more time I can beat this and have many more years. I don't want to lose another friend to this mean disease. We babies should not have to die at the hand of cancer when we can find a cure. Thank you for your prayers for me and my family, Prayer is why I'm still here. Please continue your prayers so that my cancer will go away forever. Samuel

On November 27, 2006 Marissa was diagnosed with stage 4 high risk Neuroblastoma. Marissa's only symptom was a black eye that appeared out of the blue & wouldn't go away.After several tests, two tumors were found in Marissa; one in her abdomen and one next to her left eye. Cancer had also spread in to her bone marrow. Marissa's treatment included; 7 rounds of high dose chemo, 2 stem cell rescue/collections, tumor resection in her abdomen on 3/26/2007, 3F8 Antibody therapy, 14 rounds of radiation - 2 times/day, 6 rounds of retinoic acid (Accutane), 8 rounds of lower dose chemo, 12 rounds of radiation to her entire skull, as well as many scans, bone marrow biopsies and other procedures.Marissa relapsed on October 19, 2007 with 3 spots on her skull. This cleared after full skull radiation and 8 rounds of Irinotecan/Temador. It took 6 months for the spots on her skull to clear. On April 10, 2008 after her MIBG scan we found that Marissa now had a new spot of NB in the marrow on her spine between L3-L5. The NB was also in her bone marrow, but was microscopic. There was question if the NB was in her spinal fluid. On April 21, 2008 Marissa started more high-dose chemo. On June 5, 2008 we were told that the cancer had spread EVERYWHERE in her body and there were NO MORE treatment options. Marissa was sent home from MSKCC on hospice. Marissa became one of God's Angel's on Friday, June 13, 2008. Marissa is survived by her big sister Mackenzie her Mom Tracy and Dad Randy.She is forever loved, missed and will always be our Rissy Roo. Marissa was laid to rest on Tuesday, June 17, 2008.

On November 27, 2006 Marissa was diagnosed with stage 4 high risk Neuroblastoma. Marissa's only symptom was a black eye that appeared out of the blue & wouldn't go away.After several tests, two tumors were found in Marissa; one in her abdomen and one next to her left eye. Cancer had also spread in to her bone marrow. Marissa's treatment included; 7 rounds of high dose chemo, 2 stem cell rescue/collections, tumor resection in her abdomen on 3/26/2007, 3F8 Antibody therapy, 14 rounds of radiation - 2 times/day, 6 rounds of retinoic acid (Accutane), 8 rounds of lower dose chemo, 12 rounds of radiation to her entire skull, as well as many scans, bone marrow biopsies and other procedures.Marissa relapsed on October 19, 2007 with 3 spots on her skull. This cleared after full skull radiation and 8 rounds of Irinotecan/Temador. It took 6 months for the spots on her skull to clear. On April 10, 2008 after her MIBG scan we found that Marissa now had a new spot of NB in the marrow on her spine between L3-L5. The NB was also in her bone marrow, but was microscopic. There was question if the NB was in her spinal fluid. On April 21, 2008 Marissa started more high-dose chemo. On June 5, 2008 we were told that
the cancer had spread EVERYWHERE in her body and there were NO MORE treatment
options. Marissa was sent home from MSKCC on hospice. Marissa became one of God's Angel's on Friday, June 13, 2008. Marissa is survived by her big sister Mackenzie her Mom Tracy and Dad Randy. She is forever loved, missed and will always be our Rissy Roo. Marissa was laid to rest on Tuesday, June 17, 2008.

Hi, my name is Paige Secora and on 8/17/07I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia also known as A.L.L. it is the easiest of all childhood Leukemias to cure. I am currently receiving treatments at Children's Hospital of Minneapolis, Minnesota.On the morning of 8/17/07 I woke up with a bad headache and my left rib hurt more than it ever has. I went to the doctor and at first they thought I might have Lime Disease, but after a series of blood test they referred us to Children's Hospital of Minneapolis and they told me that they thought I had Cancer. I was scared out of my mind. On 8/18/07 I had a bone marrow biopsy done and it turns out I have Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. I am going to be getting chemotherapy for 2 years. I had to get it once a week up to June of 2008. I now only get it once a month. It looks like I'm going to make it and I praise the LORD for that. Thank you to everyone who reads my site and PLEASE KEEP PRAYINGfor me.

Ryley was diagnosed with high risk ALL Jan. 30th, 2007. Jan. 16th, 2007 all 3 kids had their routine dr.'s apt.'s and looked good. Ryley had been a bit clingy, but I thought it was because of the baby. Then a routine hemoglobin test at our WIC apt. sent everyone in panic. She was rushed over to our Dr.'s office for a lab, then an unscheduled dr's visit. Where we found out that she was not as healthy as we thought....... 1st time I heard Leukemia diagnosis associated with my baby girl. Then we were off to Children's where we met our Dr. and got the official Diagnosis, High Risk ALL~Leukemia. Treatment started the next day and she got a port shortly after. Ryley was an early responder. It took about a month for her to go into remission. She has completed the most intense part of her treatment plan. Her end of treatment date is 6-9-09. She did Nitrus 9-2-08 in SSU. Hopefully last short stay apt. Ryley is now having all of her spinal taps in the Oncology Clinic where she feels more at ease. She has been through more trauma and pain than I ever imagined a child could bear. She is doing alright. Her speech is now about what it was when she was 18 mo's (before getting sick). We are having a hard time getting a speech therapist, but she needs
one! Her chemotherapy will be done in just a couple of mo.'s, but she will continue to see specialist for her entire life due to what she has been through. Otherwise she should be able to live a normal life after cancer, thankfully. What she has been through has been trying on the entire family. Thanks to all of you who have helped us get this far! Words can't express my gratitude, Thank You So Much! Every kind act no matter the size, was a blessing we hold dear that helped not only get us by but through her treatment, her pain, and now instead of cry's we hear laughter from our little girl who we hold so dear. I hope for a day when all our children are cancer free till then please continue to help find a cure and donate blood today. For the biggest gift someone may ask for today is LIFE! Without the gift of blood products they may not have the chance to fight to see tomorrow!

Trent was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma August 2005. We had been camping and his left leg swelled; I thought it was a bug bite or bee sting. Trent has always been a picture of health and no way was I prepared for the diagnosis of cancer.He went through 10 months of very intense chemotherapy, plus 5 weeks straight of radiation to his abdominal area. We were in the hospital more often than not. Trent and I moved on strongly together...In July 2006, he was declared in remission, he had surgery to get his port taken out in August.In October, after many headaches in school and antibiotics for 'sinus infection,' he had a CT scan which showed a brain tumor the size of a tennis ball.�It was removed the next day
and he started with chemotherapy again.He had 4 straight weeks of radiation to the brain Nov 2006. We stopped the chemo for a few weeks and took his Wishes & More trip to Disney World. The chemo regimen started when we got back and lasted thru July then 4 new brain tumors were found. His Oncologist was able to put him in a Phase II Study thru Dana Farber; in October, his scans showed the tumors had shrunk to half. Our excitement lasted until December 1st, he had a seizure and his CT showed many more numerous tumors in his brain. He has been on every chemo made for man, they had done all that they could do. �This is so totally unfair; Trent has done everything asked of him. Trent passed away from this horrid cancer at 9:30am on Tuesday, February 26, 2008.