LIGHT UP THE LAB WITH US

Each year, the lab team hangs strings of lights in the hallways to honor the children who have battled brain cancer under their team’s care. This heartfelt tradition serves as a poignant reminder that behind every scientific experiment, there is a child whose life could be profoundly impacted by their discoveries. The twinkling lights symbolize hope and resilience, encouraging the team to persist in their tireless efforts towards finding cures.

Before the end of the year, we will be hanging soft white lights and placing battery operated candles in our “Hall of Inspiration” to literally Light up the Lab. As you may know, the hallway includes photos of patients who were treated by Dr. Mark Souweidane and/or Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield, co-founders of the Children’s Brain Tumor Project Laboratory. We hope to raise $100,000 in honor of all children who have been impacted by a brain tumor diagnosis. Some of whose inspiring stories are featured below.

All donors who make a year-end contribution will be provided with printable acknowledgement cards that can be given to friends and loved ones in lieu of, or in addition to, gifts. We thank you for honoring our children and supporting our progress.

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WE’RE LIGHTING UP THE LAB FOR…

KAI

Kai Brown Coley is a brain cancer patient. He is also on the autism spectrum. But first and foremost, he is a fun-loving, kind-hearted, 11-year-old with an invigorating laugh and the gift of music at his fingertips. Kai has been through many setbacks since his original diagnosis in 2019. Still, you will often find him smiling or laughing, and nothing brings him more joy than playing piano. During the pandemic, Kai taught himself how to play via online piano tutorials, and he has been honing his craft ever since. He has composed over 30 songs, all of which have the depth and feeling of someone beyond his years. Notably, the song he plays here is one of his original compositions entitled, Thirteen.

LUCAS

Lucas was diagnosed with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), a universally terminal brain tumor, in July of 2008. He was 12 years old. Lucas was a gifted scholar and athlete. He worked hard at being a goalie for premiere club team FC Westchester and a catcher for his local club baseball team, both of which prepared him for the biggest fight of his life. Fearless and courageous, Lucas was determined to live fully with time he had.  And he did… “Mom, I’ve lived more in my 14 years than most have in a lifetime.”  This was Lucas.  He believed cancer made him a better person.

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BRAIDEN

We first featured Braiden during our Light up the Lab campaign in 2021, highlighting the holiday inflatables fundraiser that he coordinated in his hometown in support of Dr. Souweidane’s research. Last year was the first time we shared Braiden’s latest accomplishment, a TedX talk at Dartmouth High School. Braiden first met our team when he was a patient at Weill Cornell Medicine in 2016. Prior to that, Braiden had dozens of consultations pushing for chemotherapy because his tumor was considered inoperable. Instead, Braiden’s dad took him to New York to meet with Dr. Souweidane, who was the only neurosurgeon who said that he could remove Braiden’s tumor with confidence. Please watch as Braiden bravely shares his story of triumph on TedX DHS.

CHASE, ELIZABETH, AND FIONA

In support of the Light up the Lab year-end appeal, we are sharing a video that was previously recorded to reflect on the importance of tissue donation, and how three of our patient families feel about the important role it serves in researching pediatric brain tumors. Chase, Fiona, and Elizabeth lost their lives to rare pediatric gliomas, and their moms advocate for post-mortem tissue donation to guide research. The CBTP Lab at Weill Cornell Medicine has since been named a Regional Center of Excellence in the Gift from a Child program, enabling us to coordinate post-mortem tissue donations across the country. Help us Light up the Lab in memory of Chase, Fiona, and Elizabeth by making a donation today.

Chase’s mom also wrote a blog about the donation experience that you can read here.

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