Our Families
Family Stories
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Read inspiring stories shared by our courageous families. Search for a specific diagnosis or location to find a connection.
Aiden’s Joy
In the months before Aiden’s diagnosis, something just didn’t feel right. Once a thriving and energetic toddler, he began to show signs that, at first, seemed minor—but his parents knew better. It was the end of the COVID era, and Aiden,
Mighty Joey
“Her bloodwork is consistent with Leukemia” the six words that changed our lives forever. In November 2020, in the middle of the covid pandemic, I brought my generally just not feeling well 6-year-old Joey to her pediatrician’s office. As my third
Bella’s Joy
At 13 years old, in November of 2021, Bella had spinal fusion surgery. Several months later, her left shoulder began to hurt. Tracy, Bella’s mom, contacted the surgeon, who stated that shoulder pain should not result from the spinal surgery. Bella
Giza’s Story
When Giza was born in 2012 she was admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit due to birth complications–a harbinger for the many health issues she would face in her childhood. Tragically, before she even turned one, Giza was diagnosed with
Ava Rose
Ava Rose was born on August 2, 2014. She was a very healthy, playful little girl, growing and learning in all the ways toddlers do. However, when she was 22 months old, she slowly began to change in ways only a
The Bliss Family
Brittney Bliss was born May 27th, 2018, and she was the picture of perfection. She joined her older sister, Trinity, and our family was complete. Brian and I had tried for over a year to conceive and suffered a miscarriage before
Gabriel’s Story
When Gabriel was just four years old, in 2016, his mom, Rachel, noticed an unusual discolored lump on his body during bathtime. Gabe didn’t know how it came to be so Rachel contacted his pre-school and father to ask if he
The Iselin Family
A diagnosis of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) isn’t typically a life sentence for a child. In fact, the 5-year survival rate for U.S. ALL patients younger than age 15 increased from 80.2% to 87.5% between 1990 and 2000. It’s referred to
The Hanson Family
Isabella Hanson–sweet little Izzy–was born on November 23rd, 2018. Her mom and dad, Laura and Josh, and her big sister, Nia, were simply in love. Life was good and simple at the start. Nia, a talented dancer, had several classes a
Hope’s Story
Back in November of 2023, our friend Libby at Make a Wish NH contacted us about a little girl named Hope living in Rochester. Hope had a very rare brain cancer that I hadn’t heard of before, called Astroblastoma, MN1 altering
