These are the Reasons We Blog

Top Ten Fundraiser Ideas

Posted: May 21, 2013 | by Shelby Gosnell | Leave a comment

Looking for a fun way to raise funds for CureSearch? Below are some unique fundraising ideas that you can use to help CureSearch fund innovative and targeted research.

1.Bake Sales: bake sales are an easy way to raise money for your CureSearch Walk team. Gather up your team mates and have everyone bring a baked good!

2.Coin Collection: create some healthy competition between classrooms at your child’s school. Whoever collects the most change wins a fun prize for their whole class!

3.Food fights: always wanted to have a food fight, but afraid you were going to get in trouble? Pick an outdoor spot, gather your friends (and some towels) for a food fight to benefit your CureSearch Walk team! Ask participants to make a donation to CureSearch to join in on the fun. Everyone will have fun and raise funds for children’s cancer research.

4.Corporate Sponsors: do you know a business owner, local vendor, or corporation in the local community who would like to get more involved in the CureSearch Walk and gain community exposure? Ask them to sponsor your team or Walk! When they do, they will get their logo on your t-shirt or on your local CureSearch Walk website.

5.Big game/ Show/ Event night: show the super bowl, favorite college or professional team game, Olympics, Reality Show Finale, etc. Ask your friends to donate $20 to attend. You can then also play games like guess who will win, score the most points, or who will get kicked off and charge a participation fee for each entry.

6.House Warming, Bridal Shower, or Birthday: throw yourself or a friend a party and ask for donations to CureSearch in lieu of gifts.

7.Movie Night: pick up the hottest new release and have friends over to watch. You could even rent a projector to show it on a wall or outdoors during the summer. Admission is a donation to CureSearch!

8.Dinner/ Cocktail/ Wine and Cheese Party: throw a fancy party and charge guests a fee for attending. Try to have items donated or plan on a budget so you can donate as much possible to CureSearch!

9.Game Night: this can be anything from basketball to Monopoly to PS3 to poker. Charge an entrance fee and give 30-50% to the winner and the rest to CureSearch.

10.Zumba-thon: be healthy while you raise funds for CureSearch! Have participants ask their friends and family to make pledges for every hour they zumba.

Nurse Helps Educate and Heal Her Patients

Posted: May 16, 2013 | by Shelby Gosnell | Leave a comment

valerierigby Valerie Rigby, RN has been in the nursing field for more than 22 years. She started as a nurse in England, and eventually moved to the United States. While in England, Val helped develop one of the first pain and palliative care programs aimed at helping families learn more about a diagnosis and treatment plan, as well as arranging home care for them.

After Valerie and her family moved to the U.S., she began working at the Nemours/Alfred I. duPOnt Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware and fell in love with pediatric oncology nursing. She loves getting to know her patients and helping them through the difficulties of dealing with cancer. Val believes that continued education is essential to advancing care for children with cancer, and often refers her patients and their families to the CureSearch website for educational resources. She even helped write a booklet about radiotherapy so that children undergoing radiation treatment and their parents know what to expect.

Throughout her years as a nurse, Valerie has seen many advances, but believes that education is the greatest tool that she can provide to her patients and their families. She believes that when a medical team can offer this, the families are better equipped to deal with a diagnosis and treatment.

To learn more about the educational resources that CureSearch provides, visit http://www.curesearch.org/medical-information/.

Posted in Education Resources |

FDA Drug Approval Process

Posted: May 14, 2013 | by Shelby Gosnell | Leave a comment

The Food and Drug Administration drug approval process can often be confusing. New drugs go through multiple steps, including clinical trials, before they reach a patient. In this infographic, the drug approval process is explained.

To see the full infographic, visit www.fda.gov.

Posted in Education Resources |

Accelerate the Search: Find the Cure

Posted: May 9, 2013 | by Shelby Gosnell | Leave a comment

At CureSearch, we are excited to announce our funding portfolio for 2013! Over the last 25 years, CureSearch has been a leader in funding children’s cancer research and this year we are launching a new funding platform that will help accelerate the search for cures.

CureSearch will to continue to support clinical trials through the Clinical Trial Advancement Awards, a program that distributes funds to hospitals in the United States enrolling patients in Phase I, Phase II, and Phase III therapeutic clinical trials. At CureSearch we believe that clinical trials are the key to making a difference for children with cancer, today.

Not only will we continue to support clinical trials and provide educational resources, we will for the first time invest significant dollars into preclinical and clinical research aimed at accelerating the cure for children at the greatest risk of losing their battle with cancer.

Posted in Research |

Day in the Life: Anisa Hoie

Posted: May 7, 2013 | by Shelby Gosnell | Leave a comment

Anisa Hoie is a pediatric oncology nurse at Omaha Children’s Hospital and also a committee member for the Omaha CureSearch Walk. Anisa has been a nurse since 1983 and involved with the CureSearch Walk for 7 years. Throughout her years as a pediatric oncology nurse, she has seen a lot of advancements in treatment, leading to more survivors. She uses her passion for helping kids to motivate her at work and while she plans the Omaha Walk. CureSearch recently caught up with Anisa to learn more about her role, and what led her to this profession.

Q:What led you to becoming a nurse?

A:I have always enjoyed interacting with people. When I was in college, I was deciding between a nursing or music major, but felt that I my passion was in nursing. I was inspired by others in my family who had chosen that profession and all the good work that they did

When I graduated from college and started looking for a job, my only criteria was that I didn’t want to work on the oncology ward since in the past I had only interacted with adults with cancer. But, after I started working at Omaha Children’s Hospital and began working with children I knew that was where I wanted to be.

Q:What is an average day like for you at the hospital?

A:I spend most of my day in the clinic caring for patients and making sure that they have everything that they need. When a patient arrives, I see how they are doing and work with them throughout their visit to make sure they are getting the best possible care. I enjoy getting to know patients throughout their treatment.

Q:What is your favorite part of being a Nurse?

A: My favorite part of being a nurse is celebrating milestones with patients. Whether it is celebrating birthdays, graduations, or even weddings, I love being a part of our patients’ lives. I also love that working with kids means being able to “play” like a kid and doing so allows me to bond with them in a special way.

Q:What is your least favorite part about being a nurse?

A:Unfortunately, not all kids respond to treatment well and some don’t survive. The hardest part is seeing this happen, wishing that there was more I could do. I am close with the nurses I work with, and we all know that while going through the hard times is painful, we can always learn from these children. Our goal is to help those families and patients through this part of their lives and hopefully get to celebrate milestones with them after treatment.

Posted in Day In The LIfe |

First National Clinical Trial for Incurable Children’s Cancer Launched by Van Andel Institute

Posted: May 2, 2013 | by Shelby Gosnell | Leave a comment

GRAND RAPIDS, MI – The first national clinical trial ever approved to study all incurable children’s cancers is underway at Van Andel Institute.

Of the 10,000 pediatric cancer cases diagnosed each year, about 25 percent are considered incurable even with aggressive treatments. The study will analyze the molecular makeup and genetic mutations of individual tumors to create a targeted treatment plan for each patient.

“We are very excited to have this study at Van Andel Institute,” said Dr. Giselle Sholler, the pediatric oncologist leading the research.

The Food and Drug Administration approved the study, which will include up to 50 patients and will be conducted at 15 hospitals around the country, including Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital.

Shepard Kelly and his Family Take on the Ultimate Fight

Posted: April 30, 2013 | by Shelby Gosnell | Leave a comment

Shepard was diagnosed with B-cell ALL on August 23rd, 2011; after his parents noticed that he was not his typical self and had a slightly bloated stomach. After a call to his pediatricians office, his parents decided to take him to the ER. He was quickly admitted and the hospital staff started running tests to see if they could pin point what might be causing his symptoms. After five hours at the hospital, Shepard was discharged with no insight into what might be causing his issues.

After his trip to the hospital, Shepard was mostly back to normal but continued to have bouts of fatigue and stomach pain. On the 22^nd, he woke up in extreme pain and his pediatrician instructed his parents to take him to the hospital. After more tests were run, doctors noticed an abnormality in his blood that looked like leukemia.

Shepard Kelly

A month after his second birthday, the diagnosis was confirmed and Shepard began his journey with leukemia. This journey would include nearly nine months of intense chemotherapy followed by maintenance for over two years. While the journey has not been easy for Shepard, his resilience has been incredible. Though he is only half way through treatment, he and his family are confident that he will beat leukemia.

This year, Shepard and his family are raising awareness for children’s cancer as Ultimate Hike Heroes. To learn more about the Ultimate Hike and how you can join the fight against children’s cancer, visit www.ultimatehike.org

Posted in Meet the Children |