Help and Hope Happen Here

At the age of 2 in 1996, Ryan Tomoff was diagnosed with the first of his 3 battles with Leukemia. Ryan relapsed in 2000 and in 2004, before a bone marrow transplant finally set him on his way to beating this form of Pediatric Cancer. 12 years later in 2016 this time at the age of 22, Ryan had 2 bouts with tongue cancer. Since his last diagnosis Ryan has thankfully been free of any form of cancer.

Ryan's mother Terri will talk about her son's journey of 5 cancer battles  and how a community village of people, honesty, and spirituality contributed to how Ryan is doing today, and how the Tomoff family was able to both survive and thrive during such a difficult time which has gone on for almost 25 years.

Terri will also talk about her book FOCUSED FIGHT which details Ryan's life. This book was published in March of 2021 and has drawn rave reviews on Amazon.

Rachel McCallum was diagnosed with the brain cancer Anaplastic Astrocytoma when she was 5 years old in 1993. Now, 28 years later, Rachel will talk about the many difficulties that she has had in trying to lead the best life possible as a long term pediatric cancer survivor. She will discuss both her physical and emotional journey which has taken a big toll on her including physical ailments such as hearing loss , dry eye, and emotional issues that she has had with anxiety, depression, and different forms of grief. 

Tamara Miles lives in Sydney Australia with her husband and 4 sons. Her son Bryson is now 8 years old and 5 years past his diagnosis of Medulloblastoma, and her son Ryder who is 3 1/2  has endured 18 brain surgeries, none of which had anything to do with Pediatric Cancer. Tamara will talk about what has been a very difficult journey for Bryson and Ryder, plus the emotional strain that has affected both her and her husband Grant. 

Tamara will also talk about the problems that the hospitals in Sydney and other places in Australia face , as the government cannot afford to give these hospitals the money that they need to do as much as they can for the cause of Pediatric Cancer. 

Sadie Keller was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was 7 years old in February of 2015. Two month later she produced her first video while she was undergoing treatment, because she wanted to make sure that others would not be afraid of this disease. 

Her videos gained national prominence as they were shown by ESPN during their annual tribute to former North Carolina State coach and cancer victim Jim Valvano, whose V Foundation has raised many millions of dollars to fight cancer.

Sadie is now 13 years old, has been to the White House on two occasions on pediatric cancer related matters including a visit to the oval office, has been a guest on several Fox News broadcasts, a guest on the CNN Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, and a guest on the NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt. 

She has also co-written a book with Texas Congressman Mike McCaul entitled Better Angels, and was his guest as a Pediatric Cancer International Ambassador in Botswana Africa just before the Pandemic in February of 2020.

Sadie also is heavily involved in the Sadie Keller Foundation, for which she has created a number of novel programs  as she continues to do what she can to help these kids who are going through their own cancer battles, as she did 6 years ago.

 

Ricardo Garcia's son Richi was diagnosed with high risk Medulloblastoma when he was 6 years old in 2011 and living in Spain. The Garcia family moved to Brookline, Ma. after the diagnosis and now 10 years later, after going through treatment at Boston Children's Hospital and Dana Farber, Richi is doing well and leading a good life. 

Ricardo will talk about Richi's cancer battle, the Richi Childhood Cancer Foundation that he started in 2013, and the Biotech company Onceoheroes Biosciences that he cofounded a few years ago, which is is 100 percent focused on developing new drugs that will help pediatric cancer patients in future years. 

Tatum Fettig will talk about her daughter Teagan and her battle with Medulloblastoma, which she was diagnosed with just after her 2nd birthday in December of 2016. Now 4  1/2 years later Teagen is doing well and is about to enter 1st grade .

Tatum will also discuss the first non profit nationwide APP that she designed, which allows parents of pediatric cancer patients to communicate with one another. This APP has only been available since September of 2020 and promises to allow parents to take advantage of a whole new level of communication, as they meet their fellow peers who are going through the same or similar issues that they are experiencing themselves. 

Heather Serafin was diagnosed with the deadly Pediatric Brain Cancer DIPG when she was 15 years old in October of 2013. Her mother Beth will talk about her daughter who was able to live as full of a life as possible for the next 2 years, before her passing in October of 2015. She left a legacy of inspiration for others that will continue on for many years to come.

Heather was the "Head Cheerleader" for the non profit The H Life that was started with the dual mission of raising funds for pediatric cancer research and helping families who were similarly struggling with a pediatric cancer diagnosis. Although Heather passed away not too long after this non profit was started, she would be very proud to see an expanding non profit, with many different types of COFFEE being the signature product that is sold, along with almost 100 products that you can purchase on line, in honor and memory of Heather.

Debbie Wagers has spent 28 of the last 30 years as a Child Life Specialist in Nebraska but her impact has been made across the United States and in other parts of the world. Her ONE VOICE program which she started in 1996 , is now being used in 150 hospitals across the United States and is in 4 hospitals around the globe. Debbie also collaborated with Roger Holzberg who was on my podcast a few weeks ago, on his Reimagine Well and Immersive Therapy programs which are also in hospitals across the country. 

As if Debbie did not have enough on her plate, she is the Program Director for a summer camp for children with cancer and blood disorders, and is also the Local Program Manager for the Child Life Disaster Relief Program.

Debbie also was a leader in helping to reduce the median age of sedation for pediatric cancer patients from 5 years to 2.9 years at Nebraska Medicine.

Arianna Raso was entering her senior year in high school in 2019 when she was diagnosed with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma.  Nicole Raso was just 3 years old when she was diagnosed with Leukemia in 2000.  These first cousins will discuss their individual battles with Pediatric Cancer and what it has meant to them to be able to communicate with each other about what they have been through. 

They both are involved in events which raise money for other cancer victims. Arianna has her Arianna's Army Jimmy Fund Walk team which was able to raise over $17,000 during the pandemic in 2020. Because of that, Arianna was named the First Time Walker Of The Year. Nicole has just completed her second ride in the Pan Mass Challenge.

Both of these wonderful young women are great examples of how to face adversity and to make a positive difference in the lives of others. 

Kayla Funk was in Nairobi Kenya on a 3 month trip when she became ill and eventually had to return to her home in Birmingham, Alabama. Kayla was then diagnosed with Neuroblastoma which is a very rare Pediatric Cancer diagnosis for someone who was 18 years old at the time.

Kayla went through the standard treatment protocol which included chemotherapy and radiation. This treatment lasted 15 months and after her treatment was completed, her family was told that she only had 6 to 8 weeks to live. Upon the insistence of a family friend, Kayla went to see a Naturopathic doctor who put her on a regiment that included juices , smoothies, and different meals, which was a complete reversal of the treatment she had been on.

100 days after the 6-8 week period that she was told she had left, Kayla married her now husband Austin in Turks and Caicos. Five years removed from that experience, Kayla is now fully healthy and runs a non profit called Open Hands- Overflowing Hearts to help other pediatric cancer patients and their families.