Karla Gess will talk about her daughter Kadence who has been fighting Stage 4 Neuroblastoma for 17 months, and still has at least one year of treatment in front of her.

Grace Eline was taught values by her mom Aubrey and her father Dan at a very early age, that giving to others was far more important than wanting for yourself. Well before she was diagnosed with the Germ Cell Cancer Germinoma which took place when Grace was 9 years old, Grace had decided that rather than accepting birthday gifts, she wanted people to donate to the cause of Pediatric Cancer.  Now 16 years and completely healthy, Grace started the WITH GRACE INITIATIVE as a non-profit to help other Pediatric Cancer Warriors and their families as they go through their cancer battles. This outstanding young woman attended the State of the Union when she was 10 years old as a Pediatric Cancer Representative,  and has continued her work to help others, practicing the lessons that she was taught by her parents over 10 years ago. 

Nya Chambless is now 16 years old, has been an actor since she was 4 years old, and is the now the Award Winning 16 year old Director of the Short Film MY GUARDIAN ANGEL. Nya and her father Jerry, who is the film's producer, will talk about this film which details the true story of the friendship between Nya and Teeja Johnson, who met in pre kindergarten, became best friends , and then Teeja passed away from Neuroblastoma just 5 months later. This film was introduced to Film Festivals across the country and beyond in April of 2025, has won multiple awards, and features topics such as Inclusion, Acceptance, Love, Friendship , the scrooge of Bullying, and awareness of Pediatric Cancer. If you would like to see information on this film click on this link. http://www.griefdialogues.com/my-guardian-angel/

When Abby Fish, who was still under the age of 2 in the summer of 2025 was diagnosed with the Pediatric Brain Cancer Choroid Plexus Carcinoma, her mom Amelia and her dad Joel were told how rare and difficult this cancer was. When they then found out that Abby also had the genetic condition Li Fraumeni to go along with her Brain cancer, they were told that the chances of her surviving until she was at least 5 years old were less than 12 percent. After hearing that, they found the Burzynski Clinic in Houston Texas, and that Dr. Burzynski had treated a young woman named Kaityln who is now 25 years old, and had suffered from both the same cancer and same genetic condition that Abby has. Abby is now following the same treatment path that Kaitlyn did.

Karla Gess's daughter Kadence had been limping on her right leg for several weeks, and each time Karla or Kadence's father Jarret would take her to the emergency room, her limping would be dismissed and the only thing that she was told was to take Motrin. Finally a Pediatric Nurse saw Kadence, thought her color seemed off and ordered labs, which led to her diagnosis of Stage 4 Neuroblastoma. Kadence is now 5 years old and has been battling this form of Pediatric Cancer for 17 months with at least one year of treatment on the horizon.

After noticing that their 20 month old son Jacob was wobbling while walking and had fallen to the ground in February of 2024 , Jocelyn Espinoza and Samuel Steward, took their son first to a doctor in Tijuana Mexico, and shortly thereafter to Rady's Children's Hospital in San Diego where he was diagnosed with the Pediatric Brain Cancer ATRT. It has been over a year and a half since Jacob's diagnosis, and he is currently doing very well and living the life of a very active 3 1/2 year old boy. 

When Rylee Clark began to complain about troublesome headaches in 2020 when she was 12 years old, the original thought was that these were Migraines. That did not turn out to be the case however, as Rylee was diagnosed with Pineoblastoma, a fast growing cancerous brain tumor. Rylee's parents Michelle and Mike and her twin sister Reese will talk about this diagnosis, which led to the far too short life of their beloved daughter and sister.

Because he was Developmentally Delayed at birth, Aliyah Vida was not that surprised when her son Joshua, who was affectionately known as Goose,  slipped while walking to the bathroom and hit is eyebrow, causing a small bump.  Unfortunately this bump continued to grow, as did his feeling lethargic, and then not eating or drinking. Goose was then diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma in April of 2022, and this form of Pediatric Cancer led to his passing in April of 2024, before he was to turn 4 years of age. 

Just a few days after complaining of a headache and vomiting on his way to school the next day in August of 2017, Gunner Smith, who was a 4th grade student was having emergency brain surgery at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, after being diagnosed with a High Grade Multi Form Glioma. This operation was so serious that there was a question as to whether Gunner would even be able to wake up from this surgery. Gunner's parents Brittany and Brandon will talk about their son who showed so much bravery while he fought his disease and uttered these words after his diagnosis. "We Got This." Gunner passed away from this Pediatric Brain Cancer on May 28th of 2021.

Being put in a garbage can by a fellow classmate while in Junior High School, and having a teacher laugh at her as she was being forced to clean up the spill of a lunchroom tray which she did not cause, are just a few of the things that Mariah Forster Olson talks about in her recently published book HOPE OVER DESPAIR which details her life of the physical and mental after effects of her Neuroblastoma battle that she has lived with since her diagnosis of this form of Pediatric Cancer when she was a year old in June of 1980. Now at the age of 46, Mariah has proven without a doubt that it is possible to live a meaningful and successful life, despite being forced to endure the many unfortunate details that she describes so eloquently in her book.

Kerri Steele's husband Will ran 13 miles each day, went home to help get his young children ready for the day afterwards, and then put in a full day of work. Needless to say, it was a total shock to Kerri and Will when he was diagnosed with a rare form of  cancer that was determined to be terminal upon his diagnosis in February of 2010, and which led to his passing on Christmas Eve of 2012. Kerri will talk about Will, and about the difficult years ahead for her and their children who were 2,4, and 6 when their father got sick.