SEATTLE — A major foundation trying to fight childhood cancer is establishing itself here in Washington. Two mothers who lost their kids to cancer are spearheading the effort.
KIRO 7′s Ranji Sinha sat down with them for this week’s Healthier Together.
Lorna Day and Heather Shoultz are tied together by loss. Both had children who died from cancer.
Day vividly remembers the ordeal her son Sam went through while being treated for cancer.
“I’m very proudly Sam’s mom! He was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma when he was 9 years old,” said Day.
It was a similar situation for Seattle woman Shoultz. She recently lost her daughter.
“Eden was just a normal kid…had an MRI, they came back and said she has a tumor.”
Day’s son Sam died at 15 after several rounds of chemo.
And, Eden, Shoultz’s 18-year-old daughter, died this year after 17 months of treatment. Shoultz said her daughter fought the disease to the end.
“I think the most amazing thing (is) she never complained one time, ever. She truly believed she was going to beat it,” said Shoultz.
Now both are working for better treatment for childhood cancer. That’s the goal of the Sam Day Foundation, which Day started in Oregon and is expanding to her home state, Washington.
“I’m from Seattle. I’m a Washington girl at heart,” said Day.
She said bringing her work to her home state has always been a goal that she now feels is getting accomplished.
“It’s great to have a footprint here and to really have the -- I think the personality of our organization is Pacific Northwest-focused.”
The work has already paid off, with $145,000 raised for Seattle Children’s Ewing sarcoma research. Shoultz said her daughter was treated at the hospital.
“I remember the doctors telling her she had two weeks to live, and I looked at her and I said, ‘Eden, I’m going to fight for you. I’m going to fight for this, figuring out how other kids don’t have to go through this,’ and she died two days later,” said Shoultz.
Eden was diagnosed and treated for Ewing sarcoma, the same form of cancer that killed Sam Day.
Shoultz is still reeling from the loss of her beloved daughter.
“I would have taken that cancer any day and let her have 50 years ahead of her. Eden’s journey was only 17 months, and we feel like continuing to do things to raise money for research will keep Eden’s spirit alive.”
Day has used her foundation to advocate for more funding for research into childhood cancer.
“Pediatric cancer is terribly underfunded, and because of that, the progress that we’re making is decades behind,” said Day.
Statistics on research funding from The National Cancer Institute, and analysis by several childhood cancer advocacy groups, including the Sam Day Foundation, estimate that 4% of federal research money goes to childhood cancer.
That means for every dollar, 96 cents goes to adult cancer research and 4 cents goes to child cancer research.
Both women we spoke with know the treatment their children received is decades behind. Shoultz said that in the last year, her daughter received that treatment.
“I didn’t realize that the treatment she got is the same treatment they’ve been giving kids for 50 years. For Ewing sarcoma, there’s been no change.”
Day said that’s one reason she moved forward with her foundation.
“We can find better options for these kids.”
Despite losing their kids, both are making sure their children’s legacy lives on with the hope of beating childhood cancer.
Day realizes her son would have approved of her efforts after his death.
“I know he would be proud. I also know that Sam would have been focused on the other kids, and his attitude would have been, ‘trust that the parents are going to take care of this,’” said Day.
While Shoultz admits that her daughter never wanted to be the focus or front and center on things, Shoultz made a promise she’s trying to keep.
“I think she didn’t want us to sit around and cry. She wanted us to continue to live our lives, to go and travel and do things. She hated when we couldn’t do things because she was sick,” said Shoultz.