Our Warriors and Angels
“Our way is not soft grass; it’s a mountain path with lots of rocks. But it goes upwards, forward, toward the sun.”
Ruth Westheimer
Our Angels, forever in our hearts
Brody - Angel, Age 5
Acute Myleoid Leukemia is a cancer that affects a type of white blood cell in the bone marrow called a myeloblast. It is usually found in adults, so it is rare when found in children. Healthy myeloblasts grow into different kinds of white blood cells. In people with AML, the myeloblasts are immature and abnormal. This means they do not grow or work like they should. Sometimes, red blood cells and platelets are abnormal too. All of these abnormal blood cells (called blasts) can build up in the body. They crowd out healthy white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets. When there are too many blasts and not enough healthy cells, the symptoms of AML begin to occur.
Cecily - Angel, Age 22
Medulloblastoma is the most common type of cancerous brain tumor in children. Medulloblastoma (muh-dul-o-blas-TOE-muh) is a cancerous (malignant) brain tumor that starts in the lower back part of the brain, called the cerebellum. The cerebellum is involved in muscle coordination, balance and movement.
Ernesto - Angel, Age 5
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer diagnosed in children and represents approximately 25% of cancer diagnoses among children. Rearrangements involving the mixed lineage leukemia (MLL) gene (also known as the KMT2A gene), which occur in approximately 5–10% of overall childhood ALL cases, are common adverse prognostic factors of ALL.
Jordy - Angel, Age 3
Acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia (AMKL) is a rare subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). It is life-threatening leukemia in which malignant megakaryoblasts proliferate abnormally and injure various tissues. Megakaryoblasts are the most immature precursor cells in a platelet-forming lineage; they mature to promegakaryocytes and, ultimately, megakaryocytes which cells shed membrane-enclosed particles, i.e. platelets, into the circulation. Platelets are critical for the normal clotting of blood.
Lily Rose - Angel, Age 11
Neuroblastoma is a cancer that develops from immature nerve cells found in several areas of the body.
Neuroblastoma most commonly arises in and around the adrenal glands, which have similar origins to nerve cells and sit atop the kidneys. However, neuroblastoma can also develop in other areas of the abdomen and in the chest, neck and near the spine, where groups of nerve cells exist.
Lyanna - Angel, Age 1
KMT2A (also known as MLL) gene encodes a transcriptional coactivator that plays an essential role in regulating gene expression during early development and hematopoiesis.
Acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia (AMKL) is a rare subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). It is life-threatening leukemia in which malignant megakaryoblasts proliferate abnormally and injure various tissues. Megakaryoblasts are the most immature precursor cells in a platelet-forming lineage; they mature to promegakaryocytes and, ultimately, megakaryocytes which cells shed membrane-enclosed particles, i.e. platelets, into the circulation. Platelets are critical for the normal clotting of blood.
Riley - Angel, Age 16
Acute Myleoid Leukemia is a cancer that affects a type of white blood cell in the bone marrow called a myeloblast. Healthy myeloblasts grow into different kinds of white blood cells. In people with AML, the myeloblasts are immature and abnormal. This means they do not grow or work like they should. Sometimes, red blood cells and platelets are abnormal too.
Skylar - Angel, Age 4
Medulloblastoma is a type of embryonal tumor — a tumor that starts in the fetal (embryonic) cells in the brain. Based on different types of gene mutations, there are at least four subtypes of medulloblastoma. Though medulloblastoma is not inherited, syndromes such as Gorlin's syndrome or Turcot's syndrome might increase the risk of medulloblastoma.
Our Warriors
Alessio - Warrior
Diffuse leptomeningeal glioneuronal tumor (also previously known as disseminated oligodendroglial-like leptomeningeal tumor of childhood) is a rare and only recently described tumor of the central nervous. Morphologically it appears as prominent leptomeningeal enhancement, often without a readily identifiable parenchymal component, and leads to difficult to treat hydrocephalus.
Braeden - Warrior
Low grade glioma-pilocytic astrocytoma is a cancer with a family of slow-growing tumors, but can become very large, and arise from glial cells. They are found along the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord).
Bransyn - Warrior
B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is a cancer that affects your “B lymphocytes" - white blood cells that grow in the soft center of your bones, called marrow. B lymphocytes are supposed to grow into cells that help you fight infections.
Cody - Warrior
Juvenile Pilocytic Astrocytoma (JPA) is a slow-growing brain tumor that develops — usually in children and adolescents — from cells called astrocytes. Astrocytes are glial cells, meaning that they are a type of cell that supports nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, so a juvenile pilocytic astrocytoma is a kind of glioma.
Domenic - Warrior
Pre B ALL B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a cancer that affects your “B lymphocytes" - white blood cells that grow in the soft center of your bones, called marrow. B lymphocytes are supposed to grow into cells that help you fight infections.
Elliott - Warrior
B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is a cancer that affects your “B lymphocytes" - white blood cells that grow in the soft center of your bones, called marrow. B lymphocytes are supposed to grow into cells that help you fight infections.
Harper - Warrior
High Risk
Neuroblastoma is a cancer that develops from immature nerve cells found in several areas of the body.
Neuroblastoma most commonly arises in and around the adrenal glands, which have similar origins to nerve cells and sit atop the kidneys. However, neuroblastoma can also develop in other areas of the abdomen and in the chest, neck and near the spine, where groups of nerve cells exist.
Kayden - Warrior
Pre B ALL B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a cancer that affects your “B lymphocytes" - white blood cells that grow in the soft center of your bones, called marrow. B lymphocytes are supposed to grow into cells that help you fight infections.
Matthew - Warrior
Acute megakaryoblastic leukaemia (AMKL) is a rare subtype of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). It is life-threatening leukemia in which malignant megakaryoblasts proliferate abnormally and injure various tissues. Megakaryoblasts are the most immature precursor cells in a platelet-forming lineage; they mature to promegakaryocytes and, ultimately, megakaryocytes which cells shed membrane-enclosed particles, i.e. platelets, into the circulation. Platelets are critical for the normal clotting of blood.
Matty - Warrior
Pre B ALL B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a cancer that affects your “B lymphocytes" - white blood cells that grow in the soft center of your bones, called marrow. B lymphocytes are supposed to grow into cells that help you fight infections.
Raiden - Warrior
T-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is a cancer is an aggressive malignant neoplasm of the bone marrow. It is a type of blood cancer that begins in the bone marrow and can spread to other organs. It accounts for ∼20% of all cases of ALL and is somewhat more common in adults than children, although the incidence diminishes with older age.
Vincent - Warrior
Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumor (ATRT) is a primary central nervous system (CNS) tumor. It begins in the brain or spinal cord. ATRTs are all classified as Grade IV tumors. They are malignant (cancerous) and fast-growing.
“To be brave
is to cry
but still
to fight on”
-Julie Round