Childhood Cancer Talk Radio Podcasts

From Hawaii, the Island of Oahu, Michela Haywood and Krystle Ilar share their families stories of childhood brain cancer, giving us a window into their world. DIPG--the second most commonly diagnosed brain tumor in children, is an equal opportunity destroyer of hope. In the beautiful state of Hawaii, where family is everything, DIPG lurks to steal the hope of families as it does on the mainland US...

A look back and forward for the childhood cancer awareness movement, we begin with the Creating Hope Act of 2012, the Alexis Agin Identity Theft Protection Act of 2013, the Gabriella Miller Kids First Research Act of 2014, the DIPG Awareness Resolution, forward to the Give Kids A Chance Act. Mina Carroll gives her famous, drop-mike "Bean's Ball" speech which inspired today's H. R. 2210, the Fairne...

As 2022 begins, we share with our listeners 2 excerpts, a sneak-listen if you will, from "The Hill We Climb," a movie Grace Wethor, DIPG survivor and actress, has produced to promote advocacy for childhood cancer, premiering on January 24. We also share with you a powerful speech by the late Jace Ward, who lost his life to DIPG in July of 2021. The two advocates were friends, and continue to have...

Jeni Miller joins us from her home in New Lothrop Michigan to share the story of Braden “Buddy” Miller and the Foundation that is now his legacy.  The Team Buddy Forever Foundation is on mission to fund awareness of pediatric brain cancers while assisting families of children diagnosed with DIPG, giving them the necessary financial support and networking resources for treatment options during this...

This episode features an interview with Jessica Hester, CEO of Brooke's Blossoming Hope for Childhood Cancer Foundation, a tour-de-force organization inspired by the beautiful life of Brooke Hester. The foundation's two-fold mission first empowers others, especially children, to make a difference for children with cancer by raising awareness through service projects, education and advocacy initiat...

For this special edition of Childhood Cancer Talk Radio, our guest is a childhood cancer survivor of a diagnosis which, statistically speaking, takes most every life afflicted.  Numbers and statistics guide our perspective when we’re in uncertain territory.  Those who do survive against unbelievable odds bring us all hope, traversing the gauntlet of doubt, cynicism, and sometimes ostracization.  M...

This episode features a real-time discussion of what goes into the work of advocating for a childhood cancer license plate. Paul Miller, childhood cancer research advocate from Colorado, has successfully worked at supporting the Colorado plates for childhood cancer. Fabiola Flores, childhood cancer advocate and parent who lost her daughter to DIPG, lives in Los Angeles and is considering initiatin...

This episode highlights H. R. 623, important funding legislation for a crucial program at NIH for childhood disease research. Ellyn Miller, CEO of Smashing Walnuts Foundation, joins us to share the history of this legislation as well as the work today and forward into this new year supporting this and other activity in the childhood cancer advocacy community. Ellyn's daughter Gabriella passed away...

Paula Carter, founder of the Scott Carter Foundation in Tulsa, OK, joins us with Caitlyn Barrett, National Director of Research and Programs for CureSearch, to discuss their collaboration in supporting a new clinical trial for DIPG. The Scott Carter Foundation has been supporting childhood cancer research for three decades in honor of Scott Carter (Paula's son)and his 3 year battle with bone cance...

Catharine Young, Executive Director of the Shepherd Foundation (Alexandria, VA) visits with us to give history and background to the Cancer Patient Equity Act of 2021, H. R. 5377, newly introduced to the US House of Representatives. With a focus on equity for patients with rare cancers, which comprise a whopping 95% of cancer diagnoses in the United States, the Shepherd Foundation has created a ca...

Dr. Burzynski’s cancer research and patient care has been inspired by the philosophy of the physician Hippocrates: ‘First, do no harm’. The Burzynski Clinic (Houston, TX) approach to treatment is ‘personalized’ in an attempt to maximize effectiveness and minimize side effects for each cancer patient.  However the success of his specialized treatments with many patients has evoked controversy from...

On July 6, 2008, the lives of Dena and Billy Sherwood changed forever when their then 13-month-old son, Billy Jr., was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma, a very aggressive cancer of the sympathetic nervous system that most commonly occurs in infants and children under the age of five. In August of 2009, in the midst of their son’s aggressive treatment, Dena and Billy founded Arms Wide Open Childhood Ca...

1Voice Foundation, based in Brandon, Florida has been innovating and implementing helpful programs for children with cancer for over 2 decades. We have the unique opportunity to hear from Founder and CEO Mary Ann Massolio, who shares with us her dedication, from her own tragic loss, to serving the childhood cancer community and research community with multiple innovative programs to support the ma...

Kristena Kitchen joins us from Maryland and Bryanna's Love Foundation to share her upcoming book launch for "Cotton Candy Clouds" on Thursday, September 9th at 7pm ET Live on Facebook. Kristena's daughter Bryanna tragically lost her life in 2018 to ETP-ALL, a rare type of childhood leukemia for which there are not yet targeted treatments. Bryanna's Love Foundation provides programs to support kids...

Twenty-three year old Tori Moreno is fortunate not to remember too much of her early diagnosis with DIPG, but she remembers enough. Treated at the controversial Burzynski Clinic in Houston, TX, Tori did well on the treatments as an infant, and she is now a long-term survivor of the deadliest pediatric brain cancer. Tori generously discusses with us what survivorship is like today, and what it was...

Without adequate national awareness of the urgent, unmet needs of children with cancer, the failure of the medical research system to adequately address childhood cancer will continue as progress remains a high-grade uphill battle. Randy Hinton is a childhood cancer advocate from South Carolina, and father to Haley who he lost in the 2000s to DIPG, a deadly and prevalent brain tumor in children. D...

On January 4, 2021, 6 year-old Jacob Senediak of Pittsburgh, PA died due to complications from his fight with DIPG, a deadly childhood brain cancer which spares mercilessly few of its victims.  His father, Mark Senediak, joins us on Childhood Cancer Talk Radio to begin a discussion about efforts his family and others connected with "Jacob's Fight," the fledgling foundation developing through this...

Jessica Elder, LMSW, LCSW-NY has been the Bereavement Program Manager at Children’s Brain Tumor Foundation for 11 years. Originally from Pittsburgh, PA she acquired a Master of Science degree in social work from Columbia University in 2004, and spent 5 years working as a pediatric oncology social worker in an NYC Hospital. She then earned a post graduate training certificate in child and adolescen...

Retired SFPD Police Captain Rick Schiff joins us to share his experience in the mid 1990s with his daughter Chrissy who was diagnosed with a rare and deadly form of brain cancer. Since losing her to the effects of her original lethal-dose conventional treatments, he has tirelessly advocated for patients seeking treatment at the Burzynksi clinic in Houston, TX. The fundamental question is, why do t...

Today we hear from two strong, resilient, beautiful women who have beat the odds for a childhood brain cancer that normally proves to be inescapable and merciless. Jessica Ressel-Doeden from St. Louis Missouri here in the USA, and Celeste Sabagh in Cordoba Argentina have not only DIPG in common as long-term survivors, but a success with treatment from Dr. Burzynski in Houston, TX. Their paths to h...

Today's show features interviews with Tammi Carr and Jenny Mosier, leaders of their respective foundations, Chadtough, in Ann Arbor Michigan and Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation in Bethesda Maryland, recently merged into the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation. Each foundation leader has trailblazed on her own, and in collaboration with others, research in pediatric neuro-oncology and in raising...

After losing his precious son Talin to brain cancer, Gerry Tye of Sydney, Australia took a leadership role in creating support and networking for the childhood cancer community, specifically for DIPG and childhood brain cancer during a critical period of growth between 2012 and present. Founder of the DIPG Research Group and administrator for DIPG Awareness for Family and Friends groups on Faceboo...

Mariah Olson was diagnosed in 1980 with neuroblastoma at the age of one year, and is a living testament as a survivor to the difficulties that so many children with cancer endure as a result of toxic, out-dated treatments they receive. She also attests to the pycho-social challenges of growing up with severe medical issues which affect children with cancer. Most importantly, she is a testament to...

Mina Carroll with the Storm the Heavens Fund literally coined the “We Must Do Better” phrase, for children with cancer, in confronting the terrible reality in our society today that children are for all practical purposes neglected for research funding by the system in place. Mina's beautiful daughter Philomena was afflicted with DIPG, the killer childhood brain cancer with a less than 1% long-ter...

PNOC Foundation Administrators Allyn Campbell and Rachael Cassells join us to discuss the May 1 DIPG/DMG webinar and how people can register at www. PNOCF.events, and other upcoming webinars for the special month of May.  For Brain Tumor Awareness Month, we share childhood brain cancer statistics and facts, and why awareness for childhood brain cancer is so important for research, and outcomes. AN...