Amanda Tallman passed away from Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2012. Her mother Lorraine will talk about Amanda's life and her goals to design a unique clothing line to help her peers who were undergoing treatment for cancer. After her passing, Lorraine created the Amanda Hope Rainbow Angels Non Profit, in which COMFY COZY shirts were created for these kids undergoing chemotherapy. 10,000 Pediatric Cancer Patients from around the globe now have the benefit to wear these shirts, which help ease the burden of their chemo treatment. 

Art Therapy has proven to be a very successful activity for Pediatric Cancer patients undergoing treatment for cancer. Tracy Councill will talk about this program which she started back in1991. 30 years later, it has helped thousands of kids look forward to having at least one part of their protocol  be a fun and enjoyable activity to participate in.

This program has now expanded from 1 clinic to 8 clinics in hospitals across the United States and the fact that it is based in Washington D.C. has allowed both Democratic and Republican members of Congress to see how this program works. Each year, members from each party are invited to , and attend a celebration of the success of this program and how it helps these kids in so many ways. . For one night at least, partisan politics are put on the back burner  and this Pediatric Cancer cause is celebrated as it should be. 

Child Life professionals play a critical role in the lives of Pediatric Cancer patients as Bailey Kasten and Kelly Wagner will discuss in today's podcast. Among their many responsibilities, they need to work with the emotional and anxiety issues that patients and their families experience, along with making sure that these children feel safe and comfortable. They also need to be prepared to deal with the most difficult issues of bereavement should they be needed, as they are in close and direct contact with all family members during their child's hospital stay

Natalie Smith is now healthy as this 21 year old approaches her graduation from Georgetown University. Natalie would like to be a Pediatric Doctor so medical school will be in her future. She is also a very creative writer and please let me know if you would like me to send you a story that she has written , as I was unable to attach it to my show notes. I can be reached at [email protected]. 

Dene is trying to help present and future Pediatric Cancer patients with her Friends For Life  Guild that concentrates on funding research for cancers that are not that well known . She wants to do what she can to help  in the fight to find treatments that are not as toxic as current or past treatments, which will help these patients deal with possible side effects in future years. 

After an 82 month battle with Neuroblastoma, Vickie Buenger's daughter Erin passed away in 2009 when she was 12 years old. Vickie will talk about her daughter who up to the last week before her passing, was still involved in trying to raise money for the disease of Neuroblastoma, and was still trying to live the most productive life possible .
Vickie is now the President of the Coalition Against Childhood Cancer and will speak about her daughter and this organization, which is doing so much to raise awareness for these Pediatric Cancer patients who need so much help.

HELP AND HOPE HAPPEN HERE has been featured by Feedspot  https://blog.feedspot.com/childhood_cancer_podcasts// as one of the top 25 Childhood Cancer Podcasts which is nice to hear. A major reason is that I have been fortunate to interview some very interesting guests with compelling stories to share involving their experiences with Pediatric Cancer.

One of those guests is Mindy Dykes, who will talk about her son Connor's incredible journey which began when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor when he was 6 weeks old. Connor went through a 4 1/2 hour surgery in which he was not expected to survive and now, at the age of 14, is the oldest living survivor of a congenital glioblastoma.

In today's Podcast, Mary Beth Collins will talk about her son Joshua's battle with Neuroblastoma, which started just before his 2nd birthday. Now 24 years old and doing well, Joshua went through many side effects because of his treatment, which multiplied during his adolescent years and beyond. Mary Beth will talk about the critical need to focus on Pediatric Cancer Survivorship, as many problems persist for these kids even after the 5 year calendar to be cured has passed. 

Janet Demeter's son Jack passed away from Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma  or DIPG just before his 4th birthday in 2012. Janet will talk about Jack and her efforts to get the plight of this disease in the minds of Congress with her DIPG Advocacy group that she started in 2017. Janet will also speak about her worldwide internet radio show entitled Childhood Cancer Talk Radio 

Joe Andruzzi played in the National Football League for 10 years and won 3 Super Bowls with the New England Patriots in the early to mid 2000's. Joe was diagnosed with Non Hodgkin's Burkitts Lymphoma in 2007. In 2008, Joe and his wife Jen started the Joe Andruzzi Foundation as a way to assist families in need who are going through difficult times with their battle with cancer. 

This Foundation has now helped 30,000 patients in New England, giving  out $7.5 million dollars in grants, many as much as $800.00.  These grants are used to help pay household expenses such as rent, mortages, utilities, cable bills, water bills, gas bills, and other essentials.
Joe and Jen have found a true niche in helping these families afflicted by cancer, 

Dr. Mark Kieran was the Director of Pediatric Neuro Oncology at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute from 1997 to 2018, with his primary focus being on pediatric brain tumors. Dr. Kieran will talk about  some of the different types of these tumors and will talk about the differences between pediatric and adult brain tumors. With pediatric brain tumors being the leading cause of childhood cancer deaths, Dr. Kieran will also discuss the progress that is being made in helping to find new treatments and solutions to this very difficult type of pediatric cancer.