Happy Holidays
Happy Holidays!
To all of our American supporters, I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. (Yes, we have B+ supporters all over the world.)
Thank you to everyone who supported our very successful Giving Tuesday campaign. You helped us raise well over $125,000 on one day. This translates to 100-125 families of a child with cancer that we can now keep in their home, keep their power on, fix their car so that they can get to treatment, and so many other critical needs. Alternatively, $125,00 is nearly enough for one research grant that absolutely could play a large part in changing the landscape of childhood cancers.
Speaking of research, we just completed our latest research grant cycle and our world-class Scientific Advisory Board selected 10 impressive proposals. We will 'invest' - and that is truly what it is - $1,500,000 across these 10 grants...just in this cycle. I get chills when I realize that we have awarded over 200 research grants!
Last week, we hosted a few NYDM students on a visit to Dr. Chris Klebanoff at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan. Dr. Klebanoff gave us an update on what they've been able to accomplish with the grant that we awarded them in 2020. Our grants are like building blocks as it allows researchers to generate "preliminary data" which enables them to refine their work and, potentially, seek much larger grants from other sources. Without our foundational support, though, the work may not happen. Our support is really critical. Thank you.
Featured Families
I'd like to introduce you to 14 year old, Gabe. (It hits me especially hard when I read applications about 14 year olds...or children named Andrew.) Gabe is battling a very nasty (even relative to other cancers) cancer called Optic Glioma. Gabe was diagnosed in June 2021 and is one of - get ready for this - 14 children!!! We have never helped a family this large in the 15 years that we've been in existence. Gabe has 4 siblings in college. Thanks to you, we paid a month's mortgage bill to allow them to focus on Gabe and their other challenges.
I know what it's like to have a child diagnosed with cancer. I cannot fathom being told that you have two children with cancer. That is exactly what we faced a few months back when two brothers (4 years old & 6 years old) were diagnosed with different types of cancers. Because of the uniqueness of these cancers, they were also treated at two different hospitals hundreds of miles apart. Yes, you helped them as well. When we wrap up our December Family Assistance Applications, I expect that our total number of families assisted in 2022 alone will be somewhere between 3,500-4,000! I hope you feel very proud.
Even though this picture of B+ Hero Caleb is a little blurry, I just love it and have to share it with you. Feel the love!
Thank you for your continued support. I am proud of the impact that we’re making…but there is SO much more to do. Please consider making a year-end donation if you can. No offense to all of the local hospital toy drives around the country at this time of the year, but while I’m a little biased, I think keeping a roof over their head or helping them get treatment to get better takes priority…now and always.
B+
Ali & Andrew’s Dad