In April of 2016, our lives were changed forever when our 1 year old, Amelia, was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma. She had a tumor the size of a mango growing in her abdomen.  After multiple tests and evaluations, the team of doctors at Children's Hospital determined that the best course of action was to schedule a resection of the tumor ASAP. From the time she was diagnosed to the surgery date was less than 3 weeks. The goal was to attempt to remove the entire tumor to eliminate the need for radiation or chemotherapy. The challenge would be that the tumor could be too difficult to remove from organs that it may have attached to.

On the day of the surgery, we were surrounded by family and friends as we anxiously awaited the completion of the surgery. Through the grace of God and the amazingly skillful hands of Dr. Marcus Malek, we were blessed with the news that he was able to remove the entire tumor! Amelia's surgery was on April 22nd, 2016 and thus spent her 2nd birthday on April 24th in the hospital. Over the past 5 years, we have had multiple follow-up MRI's and urine marker appointments. We have been beyond fortunate that every time, her results have come back clean! The farther out from the resection, the less likely that the cancer will re-occur. This year, Amelia hit a new milestone. She is now 5 years with no evidence of disease and will join the Survivorship Clinic!! 

It is impossible to express how thankful we are for the care that we received at Children's Hospital. From the night of the diagnosis to the day of our last scan, the entire staff has been nothing short of amazing! The administrative staff, nurses and doctors always exceed our wildest expectations. Special thanks to Dr. Brittani Seynnaeve who has owned Amelia's case and been there every step of the way to ensure the plan for her care was a world-class experience. As mentioned above, we owe more than we can ever repay to Dr. Marcus Malek whose extreme surgerical talent prevented Amelia from any further trauma by removing the entire tumor! The nurses who cared for Amelia during her hospital stay were so compassionate that it felt like they were our relatives! We continue to receive the same level of special care at every follow up appointment by the entire team at Children's.

Not every family is as fortunate as we have been. However, we, as a community could not be more fortunate to have this level of care in Pittsburgh. We take part in fundraising events to help give back and ensure that all children in need can receive the care that they deserve.

This year, nearly 16,000 children will receive the devastating diagnosis of cancer. While the outcomes in pediatric cancer have greatly improved in the past several decades due to philanthropic investments in research, many forms of aggressive cancer still exist, and pediatric cancer remains one of the top three leading causes of death in children under 14 in the United States. UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh is one of the leading hospitals in the United States, treating over 1,000 patients each year. Leading the way in childhood neurologic cancer and clinical research, UPMC Children's is noted as one of the Top 20 pediatric cancer programs in the United States.Our goal is to raise funds to help ensure UPMC Children's is able to provide expert, compassionate care for sick children locally, regionally, and globally. Join us to support this great cause.