In 2021, Nathan's Cancer Slayers made an unbelievable impact. As a team we surpassed our fundraising goals twice over for the second year in a row, raising nearly $112,000! Since launching Nathan's team in May 2020, we've raised an unbelievabable $182,000 to fight childhood cancer in Nathan's honor. We are so proud of the amazing work we've accomplished, and are ready to do it again this year and continue on in Nathan's memory.

This year, Nathan's Cancer Slayers is proud to to team up with Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center again! All funds our team raises will support the research of Nathan's oncologist, Dr. Jeffrey Toretsky and Dr. Aykut Uren at Georgetown. Their team is working tirelessly to find a cure for alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive pediatric cancer that grows in muscle cells and which took away Nathan's ability to see, hear, chew and walk. Their novel approach targeting the fusion protein that causes cancer has already shown promising results in the lab and could lead to new targeted drug therapies for the most common childhood sarcoma in more than 30 years.

Our team works in memory of Nathan. Nathan was one of a kind, a great soul, and wise beyond his years. Loving and kind, funny, smart, interesting, easy-going, a little bit goofy and always positive. The kid who gently and patiently helped care for younger children. The student who loved his physical therapy class and wanted to start a career in medicine. The sharp-shooter, Tolkien fan, accomplished gamer, tenacious soccer defender, and flag-football champion. 

The loving son and brother who was crazy about our dogs--Milo, Buck, Stoney, Parker, and Major Tom--and enjoyed being with his family more than anything. Nathan loved his big bowl of cheerios every morning and was especially fond of pizza, pasta, and steak. He was passionate about college football and basketball (Go Blue! Go Dawgs!), a huge fan of Game of Thrones and Breaking Bad, an astute political observer, clever and quick with a comeback, super silly, always laughing and overflowing with love, empathy, and compassion. The cancer patient who bore so much, never wanted his disease to define him, shunned pity and made all the doctors and nurses laugh. He remained positive and a joy to be around throughout his struggle. When his mom complained bitterly that his cancer was evil, he disagreed: “Look, it made me lose 50 pounds of fat!” Or when the EMTs asked him to put his arms up, he said: “What, am I under arrest?!” Humor in the face of adversity. Classic Nathan.

That Nathan approached his illness with such strength, grace, and courage was hardly surprising. He was resilient and fearless from the time he was a toddler, riding his bike like Evil Knieval, skiing straight down steep mountain trails at high speed, and countless other dare-devilish acts. Even a fractured leg and two casts didn’t slow him down when he was two. And he was always calm, even under immense pressure. In middle school, when his best friend tripped on the steps and a porcelain cereal bowl broke, bizarrely severing his friend's artery, Nathan calmly applied pressure and called 911. His friend almost bled out, but survived by a whisker. EMTs came to the door a few days later and reported that if Nathan had panicked, even for a minute, his friend certainly would have died. They said he was a life saver, a hero.  

Nathan is loved more than words can say by his father, Mike, mother Michele, step-mother Salma, and especially his big brother Spencer, who withdrew from college to help care for him. His grandmother, Lala, spent the last six weeks with him, trying each day to help him live. Our dogs adored him. His grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins knew what an exceptional person he was, and all shuddered to imagine a world without him. He was and will always be loved immensely and offered a heart full of love himself. All will miss him dearly.

Please click here to read Nathan's full hero story, plus an amazing video!