ST. LOUIS – The Kids Shouldn’t Have Cancer Foundation in Memory of Jonny Wade donated $75,000 to the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation, continuing in their mission to conquer pediatric cancer.
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The donation is to support pediatric brain cancer research through the Children’s Discovery Institute, and the funds will be specifically directed towards a recently-approved clinical trial.
“This contribution is particularly special to our family because it is the foundation’s first donation specifically aimed at finding a cure for pediatric brain cancer – the terrible disease that took our sweet son, Jonny, from us. His selfless wish that no other child should have cancer was the inspiration for the foundation, and I feel that we are honoring him directly by finding a cure for the disease that killed him,” said founder Kimberly Wade.
The Kids Shouldn’t Have Cancer Foundation has made incredible efforts to fulfill Jonny’s wish in a short period of time. The foundation has been in existence for only ten months and has already raised more than $200,000 for pediatric cancer research.
The donation will support research to be conducted by Karen Gauvain, MD, PhD, pediatrics and Gavin Dunn, MD, PhD, neurosurgery. They will be leading the first-ever clinical trial to treat pediatric patients with recurring or relapsing brain tumors with peptide vaccine, a personalized vaccine developed by targeting genetic abnormalities in each individual tumor. Currently there are few pediatric brain cancer treatment options available, so the researchers hope the study will lead to a more effective treatment.
Each peptide vaccine costs $75,000 to develop and administer. Gauvain and Dunn say they will be able to enroll 10 to 12 children in the clinical trial with their CDI funding along with the Foundation’s donation. With additional funding from another source, they would be able to test the immunotherapy on more pediatric patients to collect more data they can take to the National Institute of Health and the FDA.
Todd E. Druley, MD, PhD, accepted the contribution on behalf of the St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation. He is a pediatric oncologist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital and also an assistant professor of pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine.
“By creating the Kids Shouldn’t Have Cancer Foundation in Memory of Jonny Wade, the Wade family is personally and keenly aware of the necessity for the philanthropic support of pediatric cancer research. It really is the only way we can cultivate and maintain the kind of scientific collaborations we need to understand why kids get cancer and use this knowledge to improve prevention, treatment and cures for all children with cancer,” Druley said.
About Kids Shouldn’t Have Cancer Foundation in Memory of Jonny Wade
The Kids Shouldn’t Have Cancer Foundation was founded in memory of 8-year-old Jonny Wade shortly after his passing. Despite the circumstances, Jonny believed he could make a difference for other children affected by cancer and made a selfless wish to his parents: “I don’t want any other kid to have cancer.” Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death for children under the age of 15 in the United States. The 501(c)(3) nonprofit’s mission is to conquer pediatric cancer through research and political action, with an emphasis on responsible spending. Visit kidsshouldnthavecancer.org for more information about the foundation and for photos of the family and events.
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