Calling all supporters, runners and walkers!. On May 2nd we are participating in the annual 5K Race for Hope, here in Washington DC to raise money to help find a cure for brain cancer.
Our personal story
Our daughter Isabella was diagnosed with a brain tumor (Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma) in September 2008, age 6. Thankfully she was basically asymptomatic. She underwent 14 months of chemotherapy with strength and courage. The tumors shrank and are now stable. She has now been off treatment for 10 weeks and we pray this will continue to be the case before there is any change and we have to consider further treatment.
The facts
Everyday 9 children in the US are diagnosed with a brain tumor. Twenty years ago the diagnosis of a brain tumor was virtually a death sentence for a child. Because there was very little research being done into the disease, most treatments were ineffective or harsh, and most children did not survive to adulthood. But in 2010, 3 children diagnosed with a brain tumor in the US will transition to survivorship everyday. There is hope.
Many are excited about treatments currently being researched and developed. They expect to see advances in several areas: less traumatic surgeries, new chemotherapeutic drugs and combinations of drugs that effectively could replace surgery and radiation therapy, chemotherapy with fewer side effects, treatments that marshal the body’s own immune system to kill tumor cells, and gene therapy. Researchers are developing new therapies that will extend the lives of many (adults and children) affected by a brain tumor and will ultimately lead to a cure.
We know there are many valuable causes out there, so we are truly grateful for anything you can donate towards finding a cure for brain cancer. Please consider supporting Team Impavido on May 2nd in the Washington DC 13th annual Race for Hope.
Donating on-line is a very easy process, but let us know if you have any difficulty. Go to www.curebraintumors.org and search for Team Impavido or click on this link: http://www.braintumorcommunity.org/site/TR?pg=team&fr_id=1490&team_id=34940
With many thanks,
Emma & Gregorio
