Help and Hope Happen Here

Len Forkas's son Matt was diagnosed with Leukemia while in 3rd grade. Matt became depressed that he was not able to go to school and communicate with his classmates and friends, so Len created a Video Conferencing System which allows these patients to be in touch virtually with their peers on a daily basis . This non profit is called HOPE CAM and 4500 children and adolescents have been able to use this system, which greatly helps minimize the problem of social isolation. 

Shelle Arnold attended her first Relay For Life Event in 2007 in support of her 26 year old daughter in law Becky who was fighting Ewings Sarcoma. In 2008  Becky passed away and Shelle got fully involved in this event as an organizer and eventually was chairing this fundraiser in several counties in Kansas. Shelle also became involved in the Rock Chalk Roundball Classic as a Board Member for this fundraiser which was started by Kansas Jayhawk Play By Play Announcer Brian Hanni. This event  has raised more than $1 million dollars for the fight against Pediatric Cancer.  

Jocelyn Croxen was 7 years old in September of 2019 when she was diagnosed with T Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Both Jocelyn and her mom Tracy will talk about Jocelyn's ordeal, along with what she has done as a Pediatric Cancer advocate which includes her raising $100,000 for this cause, her special treatment at a Luke Combs concert, and her being named Girl Of The Year by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society in 2021. Jocelyn is now 12 years old and is living her best life possible. 

Jaycee Vallier was diagnosed with Chloroid Plexus Carcinoma, a form of Pediatric Brain Cancer on January 30th of 2020. This cancer has both limited options and a very poor outlook upon diagnosis. Unfortunately, as Jaycee's parents Curtis and Trish tell their story, these conclusions turned out to be accurate and despite going through so much for over 500 days, Jaycee lost her battle on July 3rd of 2021. Curtis and Trish will talk about their beloved daughter plus their non-profit- Battlecorn Care Packages, which they started while Jaycee was still alive and was able to help other pediatric cancer patients.  

Rachel Krieger is a Primary Nurse Practitioner and when her son Oliver presented troubling physical symptoms when he was 9 months old, Rachel took him to the pediatric emergency room at New York University where an MRI revealed a large tumor on his Cerebellum in April of 2019. This tumor turned out to be the Pediatric Brain cancer known as Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor or ATRT. Oliver has gone through some very toxic and difficult treatments including a full brain and spine radiation procedure. Oliver was considered stable in 2022 and is still considered stable as he approaches his 6th birthday.  Rachel will talk about her son's fight and about the Non-Profit Ollie's Orchestra that she and her husband Max started to help pediatric cancer patients. 

In 2021 Ann Ramer and Bobby Krabill, members of the State of Ohio's Board of Health joined forces to create a State Cancer Plan which is focusing on Pediatric Cancer to help increase awareness of this disease and make it much easier for families who are going through this battle to navigate all of the issues and questions that can come up during this time period. This plan is now in its 3rd year of a 10 year program which has already made great strides for these families in Ohio, and promises to continue this path for many years to come. 

When Ramona Jarvis's 19 month old daughter Leila was running on and off fevers, she was told by Leila's doctors that these were caused by viruses and that her fevers would go away. Unfortunately that was not the case and during that summer of 2017 , Leila was diagnosed with High Risk Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. After a harrowing regiment of treatments which included 132 days of being an inpatient, Leila was put on a DFMO Clinical Trial at the Arnold Palmer Children's Hospital in November of 2018 which ended in 2020. Today, Leila is 4 years past this Clinical Trial and thankfully is both doing and feeling well. 

Ashley Guthrie's eldest son Davis was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia when he was 6 years old and now at 16, is well into his survivorship years after his pediatric blood cancer battle. Ashley volunteered at the Children's Hospital in Chattanooga Tennessee while Davis was in treatment and is now the Clinical Liasion and Board Member of the Austin Hatcher Foundation for Pediatric Cancer. This Foundation was started by Amy Jo and Dr. James Osborn after the passing of their son Austin in 2006 from Brain and Spinal Cancer. 

Just by chance on a Saturday evening in 2021, Courtney Marzilli noticed a lump on her then 6 year old daughter Chloe's thigh. This lump turned out to be a tumor and Chloe was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma just before she turned 7 years old. Chloe went through a 42 week Chemotherapy treatment protocol at the Jimmy Fund Clinic in Boston and completed her treatment in the fall of 2022. Now 10 years old, Chloe is doing well physically and thankfully is leading as good of a life as posssible.

Pain and suffering were a major part of Estella Patrick's life ever since she was born with Spina Bifida in 2004. Fortunately Estella had surgery to correct this Spinal Cord disease when she was 3 months old and now is an extremely talented and successful artist and illustrator. Her illustrations have appeared in 3 books which have been published by authors who are well known members of the Pediatric Cancer community.