#NoMoreOptions seemed to be the most prominent theme at the 2018 3rd Annual Gold Gala for Cannonball Kids cancer (CKc) the night of March 3. The gala, presented by Westbrook, featured shining golden lights, sparklers, a massive collection of items for auction, and many parents with heavy but hopeful hearts coming together to raise awareness about pediatric cancer.
At the 2018 Gold Gala, CKc was able to raise $425,000 in just one night, falling only $75,000 short of their $500,000 goal for the event. The funds will be donated to four researchers dedicated to finding new ways of treating pediatric cancer. This was a record-breaking total for CKc, as there was more money raised and more people in attendance than any other previous gala.
The gala featured a variety of powerful posters and speeches made by those who have lost children or have had their children battle childhood cancer. These parents and educators touched on the disconnect between the treatment of cancer in adults and the treatment of cancer in children. The posters, paired alongside an illumination ceremony of lights, sparklers and torches, served not only to commemorate those children who have died from pediatric cancer but also to illuminate a new path toward knowledge and treatment for those facing cancer today.
CKc, with the “c” of cancer left intentionally lowercase to strip the word “cancer” of its power, is a nonprofit organization based in Winter Park, focused on furthering childhood cancer research to eradicate the deadly disease of cancer. Though cancer in children is much rarer than in adults, in the U.S., it is the leading cause of death from disease beyond infancy.
According to the CKc website, “In the United States, the government spends less than four percent of the annual cancer research budget on pediatric cancers, approximately $185 million. With 50,000 children actively in treatment in the U.S. right now, that’s less than $4,000 spent per child to find a cure. Is that the price you would put on saving a child’s life?”
Cannonball Kids’ cancer was founded in June 2014 by Michael and Melissa Wiggins, parents of Cannon Wiggins, who was diagnosed with Stage IV high-risk neuroblastoma at 20 months old. Michael and Melissa learned that so little time, effort and funding is devoted to finding cures for children’s cancer compared to adult cancers, and, as a result, children are unnecessarily and unjustly lost. CKc aims to stop the tragic reality of children suffering and dying because of the lack of research in the world of children’s cancer treatments.
The phrase “no more options” holds a lot of weight for so many parents watching their kids face pediatric cancer, and far too often, parents are faced with tough decisions regarding their child’s treatment. That can lead to devastating consequences and often painful loss. According to CKc, at least 250 children around the world die from cancer every day, and it is only through the work of increased funding for research and treatment that the staggering figure can be lowered.
CKc’s Trevor Scheerer Grant is named after an 8-year-old boy from Lake Nona, Trevor, who died from relapsed rhabdomyosarcoma in 2016. As is noted on the CKc website, “We believe that together we can change this reality. Funding pediatric cancer research isn’t just a nice thing to do … it is critically necessary to save the lives of children who need us to fight for them. We can’t fund research without your support. Research Is The Key.”
To donate to Cannonball Kids cancer, you can follow the link below and help them reach their $500,000 goal so that an additional researcher can receive the necessary funding to expand research trials and investigate new ways of treating pediatric cancer.
