Childhood Cancer Talk Radio Podcasts

Featured in this episode which opens Childhood Cancer Awareness Month 2022, is Congressman McCaul's opening remarks to the Moonshot4Kids Childhood Brain Cancer Briefing on May 17, 2022. A unique window into testimony follows his remarks which will be included in a video briefing for Members of the House Health Subcommittee of Energy and Commerce regarding the importance of the DIPG Awareness Resolution as a catalyst for needed systemic change to better accommodate research for the deadliest childhood cancers. Ripley Martin and Gerald McDougall, Board Member and Chairman of the Board for the Carson Leslie Foundation in Dallas, TX, share their unique perspective on what challenges are faced in prioritizing research for childhood brain cancer for industry and pre-clinical research, #1 being that "people just don't know" the struggle in the pediatric cancer research space. Michelle LeBeau, Chief Scientific Officer for the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas shares with us CPRIT's leadership and innovation in pediatric cancer research, being second only to the NCI in its investment commitments. And Dr. Brigitte Widemann, Special Advisor the the NCI Director on pediatrics, shares with us the latest and most hopeful developments and innovations at NCI and the Cancer Moonshot Initiative. Dr. Will Parsons, Principle Investigator for the Pediatric Match Trial shares the latest developments for pediatrics in precision medicine and the shared challenges in medulloblastoma and DIPG research. This represents a fraction of the briefing material to be submitted to the Health Subcommittee and House Leadership this September in support of a floor vote for H. Res. 404, the DIPG Awareness Resolution.

Today’s show features the story of Megan Bugg, an inspired and determined teenage girl who was a fierce advocate and unstoppable force for childhood cancer awareness and research. Despite the tragic and recent end to her physical life, her spirit lives on in her legacy and loved ones to whom she’s entrusted the continuance of her mission, to end childhood cancer through raising awareness and funding research. In that order, Megan's never "why me" but instead "what I can do" philosophy of life kept her on track and successful in raising well over a million dollars for research and not resting until she was certain that her mission would be continued.

Megan's father, Dr. Kent Bugg coming to us from Coal City near Chicago Illinois, and a personal friend of Megan and previous guest of this show, Leanna Headley with Our Amazing Fighters in Richmond Virginia, each give us a personal window into the life of this inspirational and unforgettable young woman.

Meet Malena Rodriguez, a therapist transformed to spiritual counselor and intuitive healer, and the amazing Carr family in Miami Florida. Alex and Ana-Mari Carr lead Dean's Dream Foundation, inspired by their 2 year-old son Dean who tragically died of a deadly brain tumor. The Carr's story of loss yet acknowledgement of the greater dimensions of love and life, and Dean's continued existence with them, is truly inspirational. We appreciate their generosity in sharing a window into their experience in a live session with Malena. For more information about Malena's work, visit alignwithmalena.com. And, to donate to important family support and research for pediatric brain tumors, visit deansdream.org.

Amanda Hope Rainbow Angels, a finalist for the 2022 Greater Phoenix Chamber’s Impact Awards, is hosting its 10th Annual "Night of Hope" Gala on September 24, 2022. Lorraine Tallman CEO joins us to share the story of her daughter, the inspiration for the foundation.  During her three-year fight with leukemia and nine-month battle with a brain tumor, Amanda Hope dreamed that one day she would design a fun clothing line for kids just like her that would provide comfort and dignity during chemo treatments. Her life ended all too soon, but her dream lives on through the foundation's Comfycozy's for Chemo apparel; her legacy continues with the expansion of these programs and services.

The Tallman family's unique background and love for travel and other cultures lends insight into the development of this beautiful dream and the charitable work that the clothing itself supports, addressing the challenges and the needs of children and young people worldwide. Visit AmandaHope.org for more information about the upcoming event and/or to be involved with this ongoing philanthropic work with global impact.

Author and childhood cancer survivor Carolyn Breinich joins us to raise awareness for childhood cancer and share her memoir, Faith, Hope and Cancer: The Journey of a Childhood Cancer Survivor.  Carolyn shares from first-hand experience the many untold realities of surviving childhood cancer after having battled ALL, and the importance of faith, hope, and helping others in this success.

Armed with faith, hope and advocacy, Carolyn now lives a charmed life on the road, traveling the United States and enjoying its many wonders with her husband Lee and their two dogs.

Lily Larue Anderson was a dynamo of hope, light, and advocacy throughout her fight with childhood brain cancer. Her mother, Barbara Anderson, joins us to share her story and also to meet Heather Murison RN, a gifted intuitive healer and natural medium, where they allow us a window into a real-time transformative healing session.

We have created the "Your Angels Are Real" series to provide needed space for a spiritually inclusive platform where we can explore outside the confines of our 3-D world for greater understanding, consciousness, healing, and purpose.

In the true spirit of intuitive healing, Heather Murison says it best: "If you feel like this is for you, IT IS for you..."

Today we get an inside look behind the scenes at the amazing Balloon Wonderland, taking place July 16, 2022 at Give Kids the World Village in Orlando, Florida from an exceptional balloon artist and event decorator Yanira Colon, who was chosen to work with a team of artists on the event.

Along with Yanira, owner of "Perfectly Wrapped" in Ellicott MD, we will have the opportunity to hear from Stuart Davies, Big Balloon Build Creator and Producer of Balloon Wonderland, Omar Elkalyoubie, Development Manager for Give Kids the World, and also, Randy Smith, Director of Marketing for Pioneer Balloon Company.

Learn why the joy of Balloon Wonderland, a fundraiser for Give Kids the World Village, is so important for the many critically ill children who, with their families, are guests at the park.

Approaching a personal record (200) for platelet donation at Children's Hospital Colorado, Paul Miller shares his nearly two decades of experience advocating for kids with cancer and donating his own blood and platelets to the cause, and what he has witnessed in terms of childhood cancer prevalence. In a field where numbers are used to justify almost anything and mobilize needed funds for research, Marcelo Ortigao PhD, an associate professor of Preventive Medicine and Emerging Infectious

Diseases at the Uniformed Services University (USU), in Bethesda, MD. as well as a Fogarty Fellow at the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases/National Institutes of Health (NIH),

gives our listeners an eye opening description of what the word rare really means concerning the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children. Both give, with their experience, needed pieces of the confusing puzzle of how we regard children with cancer according to the world of numbers and statistics.