Our Story
On January 1st, 2013, I heard the words that no parent should ever hear: “Your child has cancer.”
"Your child has cancer"
January 1st, 2013, I heard the words that no parent should ever hear, "Your child has cancer." In an instant, those four words changed my family's life forever. My son, Ryan, was ultimately diagnosed, at the age of 7, with High-Risk Pre-B ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia). This blood cancer impacts about 2,900 children representing 35% of all types of childhood cancer. It is the #1 disease killer of our precious children. He is now a teenager and very fortunate to be considered a survivor.
To become a survivor, he endured three and a half years of treatment and over 1,722 admissions of 14 different types of chemotherapy, some of which were literally gallons of chemo. He had 10 hospital admissions for a total of 40 nights. So many trips to the ER, I lost count. Three surgeries. Three bone marrow aspirations. Three anaphylaxis allergic reactions, including one that landed us in the ICU. 30 spinal taps. Nineteen blood transfusions. Chemical meningitis and two relapse scares. That is the reality. It is simply so hard to watch your child go through such a brutal treatment plan. You feel helpless but grateful for all the parents, researchers, doctors, nurses, and kids who have been fighting this battle before Ryan.
I needed an outlet…an outlet that allowed me to feel like I was making a difference and had some sort of control on a journey where there is so little. I decided to do something personally challenging for me to honor the struggle that my son was facing. I formed a small team, and we signed up to do the 2013 Chicago Triathlon.
Cutting Edge Research
All of our fundraising to date has gone to the cutting edge of pediatric cancer research. This includes immunotherapy and being a part of the first-ever FDA approved treatment that uses a patient's own genetically modified cells to attack the cancer- a real breakthrough.
In 2020, we collaborated with the University of Chicago Medicine Comer Children's Hospital to help fund the Pediatric Cancer Data Commons.
Led by Sam Volchenboum, MD, Ph.D., a pediatric oncologist, the PCDC is an international collaboration of leading pediatric cancer researchers who are pooling childhood cancer patients' data together using uniform data standards and rules for data collection. This standardization allows cancer researchers worldwide to access a greater volume of data to drive discovery and advance treatment.
You see today's treatment plan for kids like Ryan is three and a half years long, chemo-based, and brutal. That plan works 80% of the time. However, it does not work for everyone; of those children who survive, two out of every three experience life threatening side effects.
We simply have to do better.
The Good Thing Is...
We call ourselves "Team Bright Side." The name of the team came from one of the most valuable lessons my son has taught me. Ryan has faced many hard times conquering his chemo treatment plan, but he always says, "the good thing is" through all the challenges he has faced. Even in some very dark moments, Ryan can somehow always find the bright side. With his spirit in mind, our team was formed, and the momentum continues to build. In the last 11 years, we have trained over 1000 athletes to finish a triathlon, with over 750 crossing the finish line at the Chicago Triathlon alone. We have alumni who are adults and kids, cancer survivors and their friends, experienced athletes, and people who can't imagine themselves running a lap around the block. Combined, we have raised over 2 million dollars.
Together we are making a dent in the universe. Together we are truly saving lives.
Thank you for your support!