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.

Joy for the Holidays (formerly known as Hope for the Holidays) was another resounding success for 2018’s season of giving. Lead by the Children’s Cancer Association’s (CCA) Link Program, and generously supported by Fortis Construction, this event harnessed the power of our dedicated community to provide joy to families during the holiday season.

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.

This #GivingTuesday, MyMusicRx presented its fifth Bedstock, the annual online music festival where artists perform from bed as a show of solidarity with seriously ill kids and teens spending the holidays from hospital beds. The festival raised nearly $35,000 for MyMusicRx, CCA’s flagship program, which delivers the healing power of music to seriously ill kids and teens.

A special moment at this year’s Bedstock included a performance by 14-year-old Emily. The song, “In My Heart,” was written in honor of Emily’s 10-year-old sister, Holly, who died last March from a rare form of cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma. Emily’s emotional tribute was inspired by the passion for music that Holly carried throughout her short, beautiful life.

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.

Bedstock is back and heading into its fifth year! This Giving Tuesday, November 27, be sure to tune in at Bedstock.com for the only online music festival where bands play from bed as a show of solidarity with sick kids spending the holidays in hospital beds.

When we founded Children’s Cancer Association 23 years ago after the death of my oldest daughter Alexandra, we knew first hand that hospitalized kids needed more than medicine. We set out to change the conversation in children’s healthcare at a time when no one else was talking about JOY in the same breath as pediatric cancer.

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.

This is the story of my son Jack’s short, wonderful life, my enduring friendship with Children’s Cancer Association (CCA), and the difference your gifts make in the lives of families like mine. Thank you for your support.

Andrea Corradini likes to say she discovered CCA by “happy accident.” Some 15 years ago as a Nike employee, she stumbled upon a CCA Gala in-progress at the Tiger Woods Center on the Nike Campus. She asked to join the party, somebody gave her a chair, and the rest is history – or we should say, herstory.

Over 500 students from six rival Catholic high schools walked arm in arm for the Children’s Cancer Association (CCA) this past month. Their annual Walk for Joy event brings them together under one cause, JOY. This year marks the highest number of participating schools since the event began in 2015 and they raised over $46,000 for CCA!

What better way to end the summer festival season than with Austin City Limits Music Festival? MyMusicRx had two successful weekends down in Austin with the help of our MyMusicRx champs and talented local and national musicians. This festival marks the countdown to our annual #Bedstock online music festival where bands play from bed as a show of solidarity with sick kids stuck in their hospital beds.

We are proud to introduce Children’s Cancer Association’s second collaboration with Cultivator, a platform for creators to tell their stories and champion the causes they believe in, using Nike sneakers.

We are proud to share that together we raised $1.2 million at the 18^th annual Wonderball gala on Sept. 29, 2018, to fuel our mission of prescribing joy to seriously ill children and their families. CCA welcomed more than 800 supporters to the Oregon Convention Center for a magical night inspired by the healing power of the great outdoors, aptly themed “The Outdoors are Calling.”

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.

The very first thing everyone notices about Emme is her infectious giggle. Her laughter is given freely, and she jokes with everyone she meets as if they were good friends. She’s been known to break out in song spontaneously and doesn’t even care if she knows the words. She’s just happy to sing out loud and proud! “She just has a special spirit inside,” says mom Nicole. For this and many other reasons, Emme was honored as a 2013 CCA Hero.

For five days this past August, young, aspiring basketball stars perfected their skills at the 7th annual Fundamentals Basketball Camp, founded and run by Jake Mount and his co-counselor John Winkler.