Brown Bag For A Cure July 4

Join us July 4, 2008 at the Beaverdam Ruritan Park on Teman Rd in Beaverdam, VA. Starting at 10:00 am, the parade will begin on Beaver Dam Rd. in the heart of Beaverdam and will end at the Ruritan Park on Teman Rd. At the park there will be food, fun and Brown Bag For A Cure with The Wall of Courage representing many of the children effected by brain tumors. There will be items for sale, a raffle, and silent auction items.

Beaverdam/Montpelier's very own Brain Tumor Fighter/Survivor - Drew Goodman will be there to help raise money for a cure! Come out and help Drew Goodman! Drew is a local 8 year old child living with a very aggressive, adult brain tumor. Drew was diagnosed in 2004 and relapsed in 2007.

Brown Bag For A Cure

Support Pediatric Brain Tumor Research

Today In America...

9 Children will be diagnosed with a brain tumor...
3 Children will die from their brain tumor
6 Children will transition into survivorship of their brain tumor.

Brown Bag For A Cure....is a simple, unique plan...

Together we will raise funds, give hope and enhance the quality of life for children with brain tumors.

How Can You Help?

Brown Bag Your Lunch...Give A Child Hope

Join our TEAM....

You join our TEAM by making a difference. BBFAC is about finding a cure for pediatric brain tumors and ending the suffering. Your part is simply, to honor your child or a child you know and help raise money for research, by asking your friends, family co-workers, etc to brown bag their lunch and donate what they would have spent on lunch out.

Our hopes are to raise money throughout the entire year, with our first donation on July 26, 2008 to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. The money raised will be combined and hopefully provide one large contribution for research. Together, as a TEAM we can make a difference and help eradicate this disease!

Our goal is 5000 people x $5.00 donation=$25,000 in donations by July 26, 2008

For additional information on Brown Bag For A Cure At The Beaverdam Ruritan July 4th Parade contact:

Kathy Straughn (kathy@brownbagforacure.org) or

Gina Goodman (OneAngelsMommy@aol.com).

Or visit the web site at .Brown Bag For A Cure

To make online donations visit Firstgiving or mail checks to The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation c/o Drew Goodman, PO Box 94, Beaverdam, VA 23015

Caitlyn Churak Earned Her Wings

Caitlyn Churak was surrounded by many family members, earned her wings at 12:20 AM, Friday, June 27th.

Cards may be sent to her family:
The Churak Family
PO Box 474
Palatine, IL 60078

To leave an online note for the Churak family. Go Here

Heaven Has A New Angel

Isaiah Martinez earned his wings yesterday. Please follow the link below to leave his family a few words of encouragement.

Click Here

Children With Brain Tumors Need You

Children, like Sarah are counting on you!

They need you to brown bag your lunch and donate what your would have spent on lunch out for pediatric brain tumor research.

Brown Bag For A Cure set a goal of $25,000 and we only need to raise another $5,000 to reach our goal...Yea!

That's ....
1000 caring people X $5.00 donation =$5,000 or
500 caring people x $10.00 donation = $5,000 or
200 caring people x $25.00 donation = $5,000

Heck we are not picky, we will take even a dollar!

I know we can do it...We need your help....No matter how you put it...Cancer Sucks...Brain Tumors Suck! Just ask Gunner...

We must do all within our power to find a cure. The only way we can find a cure is by supporting research and research costs a lot of money.

Can we put a price tag on saving our child's life? NO...I know I can't...You never know when a child you know may be stricken with one. I pray you will never know that feeling.

All donations go to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, the largest non-governmental funding agency in the world for pediatric brain tumor research.


Donate Securely Online Here

We have 32 days before the scheduled donation date.

Please give up lunch for a child you know or that you may never know. Thank you...

Trust me when I say...there is no greater feeling when a person stoops to help a child and when you make a donation, you are giving hope to thousands of children fighting the most deadly of all childhood cancers.

Look at these faces...Please give up lunch for them. Thank you.

BeLIeVE In A Cure...

WE NEED your help! These are just three of the thousands of children that fight a brain tumor everyday!

1000 Heroes x $5.00 Donation = $5,000 for RESEARCH...



Please be one of those Heroes and ask your friends to be one also. All you need to do is brown bag your lunch and donate the cost of a fast food meal.

Thank you..

What Can You Do...

I will leave that up to you...

Children with brain tumors need you...The majority of children with a brain tumor are left without many options. Why? There is no cure!

Help today with a donation or show your support by forming a TEAM for our mission. Our goal is to raise $25,000 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and we can use all the help we can get.

The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation (PBTF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization that seeks to find the cause of and cure for childhood brain tumors by supporting medical research.

When the PBTF was created in 1991, the diagnosis of a brain tumor was virtually a death sentence for a child. Because there was very little research being done into the disease, most treatments were ineffective or harsh, and most children did not survive to adulthood.

The PBTF has worked hard to change that reality. Researchers are developing new therapies that extend the lives of children, and we believe that their work will ultimately lead to a cure for this most devastating of childhood cancers.

As the world's largest non-governmental source of funding for childhood brain tumor research, they are dedicated to not only eradicating this disease, but to providing support to families.

Through their efforts to raise public awareness, more attention has been focused on this deadly disease. Whether addressing congressional briefings or funding international conferences, the PBTF is an unwavering advocate.

Donate by mail with your check made out to Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation:

Brown Bag For A Cure
9282 Monongahela Trail
Ashland, VA 23005

Donate by credit/debit card online here.

Join us in our fight against the No. 1 cancer killer of children...

I beLIeVE in a cure and with your help, we will be one step closer.

Children Do Not Ask For Cancer

Last week several children lost their battles and went to be with God. How could they loose a battle? They had fought so hard. How could they loose a battle that their parents sacrificed so much for?How will their families and friends ever be the same? They will not.

That being said, it makes my mission that much more important to me and the families counting on medical research to save their child's life. Every step I take, I take for a baby, a child, and/or adult with a brain tumor or a child/adult that has been lost to one.

Have you ever been in a cancer clinic?

If not, maybe you could set aside some time to visit one. You could look around at all the little innocent boys and girls laying on the couches or sitting in the chairs, getting their chemo. Some are bald, some may have a little hair, some are wearing hats, some wigs, and some even have hair. However, they are all the same - they are fighting with everything they have to live and to live happy and thru it all, they keep smiling.

Those of us who do not have to live that life are so extremely blessed to have our health. We take so much for granted that we probably shouldn't, and these kids are just happy to still be here.

So this is my plea today to please donate to the mission of Brown Bag For A Cure, which is The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. All you have to do is Click Here to make a secure online donation.

Just the cost of one lunch. Together as a TEAM, we can give so much hope to these children. Children who just want to grown and live, carefree with no pain and no more treatments.

Brown Bag Your Lunch...Give A Child Hope

Join our TEAM! Together Each Accomplishes More...

We are about finding a cure for pediatric brain tumors and ending the suffering of our innocent children.

Your part is simply, to honor a child or a child you know and help raise money for research. You do this by asking your friends, family, co-workers and everyone you know to brown bag their lunch and donate what they would have spent on lunch out.

As a TEAM, we can make a difference and help eradicate this monster, called a brain tumor that kills more of our children than any other cancer.

You came to the blog because you know a child who is being treated for a brain tumor or you know a child that now lives in heaven because of a brain tumor. Maybe it is one of the 135 plus children listed in the sidebar.

Please give up lunch for one of them today. Just the price of a fast food meal goes farther than you think. You donation goes directly to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Brown Bag For A Cure does not keep any portion of it.

I hope and pray to see every child on this page honored by someone who was willing to make a difference and give up lunch for them.

Remember Me...Brain Tumor Awareness Video

Words Cannot Describe This Video

Thank you Mimi.

Heroes and Warriors

Websters dictionary decribes a hero as 1 a: a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability b: an illustrious warrior c: a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities d: one that shows great courage. A warrior is described as: a person engaged in some struggle.

I would say that children with brain tumors or any cancer are true heroes and warriors. Each day they demonstrate a courage that many of us will never know and they are engaged in the struggle of their lives. The struggle to LIVE...
Nationwide there are over 30,000 of these heroes and warriors, facing daily life with a brain tumor. When was the last time you heard about these heroes on the daily news?

We mourn the deaths of people in mass shootings, airplane crashes, natural disasters, etc. but we sometimes forget about the families, that will mourn the loss of their child, that did not have to die either. Just because their death does not make the news,does not mean these children are not heroes and brave warriors too.

The incidence of brain tumors is increasing, but the answer to why is unknown. There are more that 120 different types of brain tumors. Benign tumors can come back and often end in death. Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer death in children. 76% of all children diagnosed are under the age of 15.

These kids are fighting for a cure and time is crucial, as every minute counts. Until a cure is found, we must find better treatments. Brain tumor research is miserably underfunded. Research is the key to new and more effective treatments and research takes money....A lot of money.

Children need better treatment options...They need more help, more hope and less invasive treatments, more advanced theraphy and improved quality of life...for a healthy future.

Please help these everyday heroes and warriors by supporting pediatic brain tumor research. Every penny counts. All we are asking is that you "Brown Bag" your lunch and donate what you would have spent on lunch.

You came to this blog because a child you know and care about has a brain tumor. They could be your child, your grandchild, the child next door or from your church or maybe a child you don't even know, but pray for.

Please be a different kind of Hero (a person admired for his achievements and noble qualities) to these kids today. Lead by example with love and an out-reached hand by helping these children to climb their mountains and look to the sunlight again.

The clocks tics...Children die...Every dollar counts...

5000 Brown Baggers X $5.00 Donation = $25,000 for Research



Donate Online Here Please

Children Who Are Fighting To Live

Children Who Are No Longer With Us

Pray For A Super Miracle for Hadley

This morning I knew deep in my heart there was going to be an update, that I did not want to read. Sure enough there is was.

Little Miss Hadley Fox has officially reached the end of treatment options. Hadley's parents will meet with her team of doctors in Seattle during the next few days...but, when weighing risk vs benefit there aren't any options left that won't ultimately just steal away quality of her life. They are in agreement with her doctors that they have exhausted all options and have done their best to fight this beast.

The following was taken from her carebrige:

We have helped Hadley fight this for over 4 years and now it's time to not worry about fighting it and focus all of our energy on living...making every single moment 'count'...drinking up every ounce of this sweet girl our family is blessed with...loving on her for just as long as we can. I've always gotten through the journey by having a plan of action...a goal. This is our next step...our goal. I want you all to understand that Hadley IS a miracle. She is OUR miracle.

I know there are a lot of people praying for Hadley. Please continue to pray for a "Super Miracle" for this sweet little girl.

I only know Hadley and her family through the internet, like so many of the wonderful children that you will find links to on this blog and website. That does not stop me from loving them and praying each of them will receive their "MIracle".

For now, we must all "beLIeVE In A Cure" and put an end to this monster that keeps attaching our precious children.

When you put your children to bed tonight, hug them extra tight.

Mobilization of Cancer Moms & Dads

So some of you might have read...Ted Kennedy came through surgery yesterday okay. As you know, he was diagnosed recently with a brain tumor, a glioma in the left parietal lobe. There has been speculation that his tumor is a gliobastoma.

A glioblastome is generally considered a high grade tumor. When speaking of brain tumors, doctors use "low grade" and "high grade and generally not "malignant and "benign". Any mass growing in your brain, either low grade or high grade is potentially lethal.

Now to get to the point of this post today. It will interesting to see if Mr. Kennedy's brain tumor has any effect on the cancer research budget. 13% of the billion dollar cancer research is currently allocated towards brain tumors. Only 4% of that goes toward pediatric brain tumors.

The brain tumor community is wondering just that. Brain cancer moms, dads, grandmothers, grandfathers and so on, it is time for a nationwide mobilization. It's time for us contact our elected officials and push for a larger allocation for pediatric brain tumor research and passage of the "Conquer Childhood Cancer Act".

America, trust me, you've never seen mobilization, until you've witnessed the nationwide mobilization of cancer moms and dads.

Chemo and radiation take such a toll on a person, and their family as well. My thoughts and prayers are with all the kids and adults, including Mr. Kennedy, who are under going treatment for the most deadly of all childhood cancers, a brain tumor.

Until our government is convinced that more money should allocated to pediatric brain tumor research, it is up to us the private sector of America to fund pediatric brain tumor research.

Monday Was A Great Day..I Made A New Friend

Today is Tuesday...This is what I did yesterday! On Monday I went to meet an amazing eight year old boy, Drew and his mom, Gina.

I recently became aware of Drew through this amazing tool, we all now depend on, the internet. Little did I know, he lives in the same county as me and his grandfather worked with my husband at one time. It really is a small world.

I made arrangements to meet Drew and Gina at their home. I arrived right on time and there waiting on the porch was Drew, just a waving and smiling. He ran to the car and smothered me with the best hugs and kisses. He now has me wrapped around his fingers.

We go inside and the hugs and kisses continue and he is quite the little gentleman, even kissing my hand! He always had a smile, even when mom sent him to his room, so we could chat!

At four years old, Drew was diagnosed with a highly aggressive, adult brain tumor, rarely seen in children. Drew's parents were told to go home and enjoy their time of 5 – 12 months. I am happy to say it has been 4 years and Drew is doing well. Drew is a very loving and fun child. He has never met a stranger. Drew loves everyone he meets. He is known to shower everyone with his love, hugs and kisses, as I found out first hand. You can read Drew's complete on my website: Brown Bag For A Cure

Drew's family has decided to join my TEAM and help with my mission of $25,000 for the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. We talked about several ideas and we are exploring numerous possiblities for achieving this goal.

You can read all about Drew on his Caring Bridge page and he loves the messages, so leave him one please: Drew's Carebridge

55 Acts of Kindness

As some of you know, my 55th birthday is coming up on June 12. No big party or celebration is planned. I have themed it a "55 Acts Of Kindess Month Long Celebration" where I will be doing various things this entire month to raise awareness and money for pediatric brain tumor research in honor of the big "55".

Wow...I used to think that was old, but it is not looking too old at the moment. I sent emails to some of my friends and I received the following back from a dear friend. (I did not ask their permission to post the email, so I am leaving their name off.)

Dear Kathy,
Since we met in July 2004, you have been a wonderful inspiration to me and a great friend. You have been a true supporter of children with brain tumors. I have witnessed your great big heart in action and your depth of conviction towards ending their pain and suffering is huge. I am continually amazed and impressed with all the efforts you put forth on behalf of the Kids and their families.

You are a true inspiration to others and we should all strive to follow your lead. Your outlook on life and optimism is just two of your many traits that inspire me to be a better person.

So, my commitment to you, is to honour your 55th birthday with a donation to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. I will contribute 55 cents for the 30 days in June. I am not waiting til the end of the 30 days, I will be making my online donation this week. Hopefully others will follow my lead.

I have read this email several times and still tear up everytime. Thank you for the kind words, my dear friend, you are truly one in a million and I value your friendship. You know who you are and I know you read my blog!

I believe that if you give, you shall be rewarded. Now everyone get out there and perform a random act of kindess today.