Lola was an adventurous and fun-loving girl who courageously battled a fast-growing and highly aggressive form of brain cancer known as DIPG. Lola was always a super friendly and loving person. She made friends wherever she and her family traveled. She had such determination and wanted to try and be a part of everything. Lola played soccer, basketball, and the flute. She enjoyed singing and dance and loved babies, cooking, baking, and fishing. But most of all, she loved spending time with her family, especially her siblings. When her two youngest siblings were born, Lola loved singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow to them. Her faith was always an important aspect of her life, and she insisted that her family prayed for all of the babies in the world.

The first symptom that raised alarm bells for Lola’s family was a slight droop in Lola’s smile that slowly worsened. Looking back, her family recalls symptoms of unusual clumsiness, headaches, and a behavior change, but all were attributed to her being a preteen and naturally clumsy. Lola’s diagnosis was so devastatingly heartbreaking and unbelievably hard for her family, but Lola asked that they not cry or be sad. She did not want pity, and her family tried their best to honor her request. Lola’s treatments brought challenges they never imagined, but Lola took them with a smile and allowed herself to cry when it was too much.

During her treatment, Lola was eligible to participate in a Phase 2 clinical trial at St. Jude but her parents were unsure if it was the right move since Phase 2 trials are about gathering information on dosage amounts and tolerance while monitoring the tumor. It would likely not be a cure for Lola, and her quality of life would suffer. Lola’s dad wanted to give it a try because he needed to know that they tried something, anything, to save their baby, while her mom was against the trial because she didn’t want Lola used as a test subject without a decent quality of life. Not being able to make a decision, they let Lola decide since she had always been wiser than the average 12-year-old. They gave her all the information, and she listened attentively. Her response blew them away. Lola said, “I think I will do the trial because I want to help all the children that get this after me. I don’t want them to suffer.” As parents, they couldn’t have had a prouder moment.

While Lola was on trial at St. Jude, it was difficult for her to participate in the things she loved most. When she had enough energy, she would bake with her mom. After they stopped the trial, Lola entered into a “honeymoon” period where she was symptom-free and was able to love life as if she had never been diagnosed. On her first day of not being required to take medication, she began planning all the things she wanted to do. Her family did their best to ensure that she accomplished as much as possible all the way up to the end.

Lola valiantly battled for 19 months before passing away on April 2, 2018, at age 13. Throughout her harrowing fight, she remained strong-willed and determined, never letting DIPG steal her loving nature. Lola wanted to be a part of finding the cure for DIPG, and her family now continues her legacy by fundraising for childhood brain cancer research so other families can have hope.

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 the deadliest forms of cancer. With over $15 million in pediatric brain cancer research funding to date, you can rest assured that 100% of your donation, after credit card processing, will go directly to innovative research. Please join us in funding crucial research to save our youngest warriors.