The Childhood Cancer Blog

"Stupid Cancer"

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We wanted to dedicate this blog to all of our courageous childhood cancer heroes, especially the families of Declan Roberts and Genessa Mikolajski, who recently passed away. We send our heartfelt condolences to the families of Declan and Genessa as their children's courage inspires and motivates us to continue our mission of finding a cure for all types of childhood cancer.

Declan Roberts passed away on February 27 at the age of 4 almost a year after being diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma. Despite enduring a year of aggressive treatment, he remained spirited, fearless and always positive. Declan pretty much summed up how so many of us feel about cancer in his own words, “There are three things I can call stupid: Stupid cancer! Stupid medicine (YUCK)! Stupid shots!"

Sadly, we also recently lost another brave hero, Genessa Mikolajski, who was 13-years-old and battled bone cancer for three years. Through multiple treatments and surgeries, she continued to look at life with courage and happiness. We were privileged to meet Genessa during the taping of an episode that recently aired on TLC’s “19 and Counting” in which The Duggar Family held Alex’s Lemonade Stands outside their local mall in Arkansas, where Genessa lived. Genessa was making plans to have a lemonade stand of her own this summer, which her family still plans to hold in memory of Genessa and all kids battling the disease.

Our heroes like Declan and Genessa remind us of how important our work is and why it’s imperative to raise funds as well as awareness for childhood cancer research. Learn how you can get involved today to make an impact and help us reach our lifesaving goal.