Maria’s perfect day is spent outside running, playing, and soaking up the sun. But she’s equally happy inside, making people follow silly rules in her favorite board game, Quelf, and reading to her heart’s content. She does a lot more staying inside now, since her Leukemia diagnosis.

Our August Hero, David, faces his cancer diagnosis with an immense amount of composure and positivity. He continually inspires his family, keeping them laughing through the tough times.

Quick-witted Moxie is always ready to make a new friend, whether it’s a kid she met at school, a nurse, or even someone on the street.

Shaun’s silly antics created constant laughter. He loved playing with trains, construction vehicles, LEGOs, and dinosaurs. But above all, he loved firefighters, perhaps because they embody many of the same qualities he was known for: bravery in the face of daunting circumstances, integrity, strength, and infinite love for family and friends.

Olivia and Kimberlee are kindred spirits despite being years apart in age. They love art, dancing, and share a passion for the lemonade from McMenamins. Olivia fondly thinks of Kimberlee’s son as a nephew of her own. They’ve also been through a lot together, for seven years, Kimberlee was Olivia’s Chemo Pal.

Volunteers are the unsung heroes of any nonprofit, but for Children’s Cancer Association (CCA), volunteers and specifically our program interns, have a lasting impact on the children and families served. Mariah is one such intern, currently working with the Chemo Pal Mentor Program.

The Pate family lives an active life in the outdoors, backpacking, skiing, and stand up paddleboarding. Their home sits tucked away in the hills near Hood River with the beautiful Columbia River Gorge as their playground. Stephanie and Ben are the proud parents of 12-year-old Elijah and 14-year-old Faith.

First impressions can be deceiving — especially in the case of Amanda. Beneath this polite 16-year-old’s reserved demeanor, there’s a wicked sense of humor — just ask her Chemo Pal, Christina. “She’s so funny,” she said. “The text messages I get from her are hilarious!”

From the start, Phoenix was a lesson in finding the bright spots amongst seemingly insurmountable challenges. “On July 1st, 2007, after 36 hours of labor and an eventual urgent C-section, Phoenix came into our lives smiling,” shared his mother, Rebecca.

Before cancer, Lyla was like any other young girl. She loved puzzles, baking, painting and reading books about her favorite characters. But the trajectory of her life changed when she became increasingly sick.

Kira is a bright and thoughtful young lady with a great sense of humor and obvious love for her mother, Sara, father, Chris, and younger brother, Thomas. She also enjoys reading romance books (“not cheesy romance novels”) and has a passion for school. So, when Kira was told she had to stay at the hospital for testing and eventually treatment for Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL), she was understandably disappointed that she wouldn’t be returning to school.

Just try keeping up with Weston. This fun-loving little guy loves to hike, explore, and fly kites. He’s also particularly fond of cheesy bread, strawberry ice cream, and his baby brother, Reid.

Five-year-old Hannah is an intuitive, lively little girl who loves her dad’s pizza, the color pink, and playing with the neighbor kids — especially cops and robbers.

In 2018 you invested more in the community than ever before. With your help, Children’s Cancer Association (CCA) provided world-class programs to children and teens in the hospital and explored the future of joy in healthcare. 2018 was the year we decided transforming a moment isn’t enough – we need to transform the entire experience.

Football season had just finished when D.J,’s headaches began. The high school senior thought it was just a bad cold, but it turned out to be something far more serious—a brain tumor. In less than a week, his whole world changed. “I went from being a regular student excited about winter break to ‘Oh hey, you have cancer,’” he said.

Paris is an energetic 13-year-old with a caring heart and courage to spare. In fact, this adventurous girl has already been parasailing, horseback riding, and cage diving with sharks. “I guess you could say I’m pretty fearless,” she laughed.

Two days after my daughter’s second birthday, I was handed a teddy bear and told by a doctor, “I’m sorry, it looks like Heaven has blood cancer.” I hate that bear.

Seventeen-year-old November CCA Hero Dawson doesn’t speak much, but his giant smile says it all. This good-natured guy has had to face a number of medical challenges, including diabetes, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and pulmonary hypertension. A bad bout of pneumonia last year lead to full sepsis throughout his body and Dawson has been battling his way back ever since.

Brutally honest and openly passionate, former Chemo Pal George Yioulos, doesn’t hold back when talking about the people he loves. His gregarious personality can be jarring to some, but he has the knack for making everyone feel like a close friend, and it’s clear that he is genuinely kind and caring.

Lyla is a charming four-year-old with a smile that’s just as big as her personality. She loves painting, doing puzzles, baking, and reading books about her favorite characters.