In November of 2017, Aubree was diagnosed with Stage IV high risk Neuroblastoma at the young age of 3 years old. Neuroblastoma is a cancer often found in the small glands on top of the kidneys. It can develop in the abdomen, chest, neck, pelvis and bones. Stage IV means that the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body such as distant lymph nodes, bones, liver, bone marrow or other organs. Symptoms may include fatigue, fever or loss of appetite. Often there may be a lump or compression of tissues in the affected area. Neuroblastoma is diagnosed in approximately 700 children in the United States. Doctors and scientists do not yet know what causes this cancer. The 5-year survival rate of Stage IV Neuroblastoma is 50%.

     Aubree began experiencing random, unexplained high-grade fevers and had no energy. I took her to see her doctor multiple times. X-rays were taken as well as blood work and ultrasounds. We also went to the emergency room but left with no answers. I requested that a CT scan be done, but was told that they felt my daughter was faking her symptoms and it would be selfish of myself to want to put her through that. I was angry and could not believe that no one seemed to be taking me seriously and instead trying to ignore that something serious was going on with Aubree. It finally took an infectious disease doctor to take a look at my daughter to know something was not right. An MRI was ordered immediately. Within a few days we were told that our sweet daughter had cancer. Hearing those words is the worst thing a parent could ever have to endure. The disbelief alone is paralyzing and then the fear sets in.
 
     A port placement was the first surgery Aubree went through and it was done directly after her diagnosis. Treatments began the next day and it was so difficult watching her in pain and terrified. It was even harder knowing there was nothing we could do to stop any of it. Frontline treatment was chosen and like clockwork we were in the hospital every other week. She would be home 1 week and then right back in the hospital for a week for treatments. Often during her time home, she would be placed back into the hospital for a week due to fever related to her treatments. She finished COG treatment in September of 2019. We then traveled to Memorial Sloan Kettering in New York City for a trial that was to keep her clear of cancer. We wanted to do anything we had to in order to give her the best chance at beating this ugly disease.

     Preliminary testing was done and it was found that Aubree’s bone marrow was still positive for cancer cells. This was a devastating blow for all of us. Treatments began again in March of 2020. We had to travel to NYC 10 days a month in the middle of a global pandemic. The anxiety alone not only for our daughter but for my husband and I was often almost unbearable. She finished hu3f8 antibody therapy in August of 2020 and immediately began their vaccine trial in September. This continued until September of 2021, when she was officially finished with treatments. Aubree was in treatment from November of 2017 until September 2021. She was the most courageous little girl I have ever known. She never gave up and was always so brave.

     Every day in the United States, 47 children ages 0-19 years old are diagnosed with cancer. 1 out of 10 children will not survive. Every year, an estimated 400,000 new cases of cancer affect children worldwide. That is over 1,000 new children affected every day. 1 in 285 children in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer by the time they are 20 years old. Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 19 in the United States. The number of diagnosed childhood cases annually has not declined in nearly 20 years. As of 2020, only 6 new drugs have been developed for childhood cancer. 44% of childhood cancer cases worldwide are never diagnosed. Despite the overall decrease in mortality, nearly 1,800 children and adolescents still die of cancer each year in the United States. These are just a few of the reasons why it is crucial to see the 4% federal funding rise to 8%.
     
     Sadly, Aubree now has life long side effects from her treatments, but there were no other options we were given. Medicines that saved her life also caused her damage. Aubree now has profound hearing loss, chronic kidney disease, brittle bones, decreased mobility and many other health related issues she did not have prior to her treatments. The cancer was not what caused theses side effects but in fact the treatments. Even with all the treatments she has been given she has a 50% chance of relapse. Relapsed neuroblastoma has a 0% chance of survival. This is why I am extremely passionate about advocating and raising awareness on childhood cancer and will not stop until more is done for our children. Cancer has changed our lives forever. It has not only affected our daughter but her siblings as well. They suffer from anxiety and depression due to witnessing what this vicious disease has done to her. Unfortunately, cancer does not care.

     The federal government is allocating a baffling 4% for federal funding for childhood cancer research. Not nearly enough funding to make any kind of change. By signing this petition, you will help facilitate lobbying and the advance of a healthcare policy that will reserve a higher percentage of resources for childhood cancer research. This could potentially allow researchers the ability to do more testing and studies in order to find a vaccine so that children would not have to be exposed to such horrific means of treatment. We are in need of 12 million signatures to advance and make this happen. Please sign and share this petition and stand with us to give these children a voice. 

TALLMADGE, OHIO