Adalynn was a beautiful 4-year-old who courageously battled DIPG, a highly aggressive and inoperable form of brain cancer. Adalynn was the pure definition of a perfect little farm girl. Prior to diagnosis, she was the type of girl who stayed outside playing until dusk and came home covered in dirt with frogs in her pocket. She loved to play in the creek, paint rocks, ride her goats, play with her baby chicks, have picnics, ride her tractor and yellow bike.

About two weeks before her diagnosis, Adalynn was taken to the doctor when she started tilting her head. Thinking she had pulled a muscle, her doctor prescribed Tylenol and the use of heat. Adalynn began experiencing double vision, slurred speech, slight drooling, and small balance issues. As more symptoms started appearing, Adalynn’s mom took her to a different doctor for a second opinion and was sent straight to their local hospital for a CT scan. The scan revealed a mass in her brain, prompting the hospital to send Adalynn to Riley Children’s Hospital for an MRI which led to her diagnosis of DIPG on July 22, 2020. Adalynn’s parents made the decision to move Adalynn to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital after Riley Children’s Hospital told them only one parent could remain with Addie during her stay. Adalynn’s symptoms quickly progressed, by the time she got home from the hospital she could barely walk.

Adalynn also had a secondary cancer, Leptomeningeal disease. She was so unbelievably tough and resilient. She constantly beat all the odds with everything fighting against her. She underwent 40 rounds of radiation and participated in two clinical trials.

Adalynn battled valiantly for 10 months before gaining her angel wings on May 13, 2021.

Funding for pediatric brain cancer research is incredibly important to Adalynn’s family. Ten days after Adalynn’s diagnosis, her father’s cousin, Ty, lost his battle with DIPG following a vigorous 3-year fight. During his battle, Ty participated in clinical trials which provided invaluable research for the study of DIPG and the pursuit for the cure. Without funding for clinical trials and research, the cure for this horrific cancer will never be discovered. 

Did you know that it takes 25,000 miles to walk around the Earth?

We want to turn those miles into donations! 
Every $1 equals 1 mile closer to our goal of funding a pediatric brain cancer research grant, and 100% of your donations go directly to funding pediatric brain cancer research. Cancer doesn't take a break and neither do we. There is still vital research that needs to be funded this year. 

Want to see how we're doing overall? Click here!

1 in 330 children in the U.S. will develop cancer by age 20.

On average, 15,500 children are diagnosed with cancer each year.

Cancer is the #1 killer of children by disease in the United States, yet it remains one of the most underfunded diseases in the world.

The Cure Starts Now focuses on the Homerun Cure for all cancers by concentrating our research funding efforts on one of the deadliest forms of cancer, DIPG. With over $30 million in pediatric brain cancer research funding to date, you can rest assured that 100% of your donation will go directly to innovative research. Please join us in funding crucial research to save our youngest warriors.