In November of 2022 our lives changed forever.  Elise was a happy 8-year-old girl who loved to run around outside with her friends, go to the beach, participate in cheerleading, and spend time with her sisters.  However, she became sick with vomiting in the mornings and headaches here and there.  Eventually Elise started missing school and sleeping through the days and nights.  We took her to her pediatrician who was unsure what was going on.  Eventually she was sent to a GI specialist who admitted her to the hospital.  That was the day that changed our lives.  During a CT scan they found a mass in her cerebellum.  She was airlifted to UNC Chaple Hill where she would go through an eight-hour surgery to remove the tumor.  She was diagnosed with Medulloblastoma, the most common form of childhood brain tumor.  Elise went from a happy go lucky kid to a child that was suffering from Posterior Fossa Syndrome.  She had to relearn to walk, talk, and eat.  Elise underwent 30 rounds of radiation and 9 cycles of chemotherapy over a years time frame.  It is my goal to make sure no other children have to go through what our family and many families before and after us will have to go through. 

"It is my goal to make sure no other children have to go through what our family and many families before and after us will have to go through. We fight to win!"  -Heidi Richardson

The Cure Starts Now (501c3 Federal Non-Profit) is one of the only cancer foundations dedicated to a “homerun” cure for all cancers, starting first with one of the most deadly and difficult cancers: pediatric brain cancer. Many experts believe that the lessons we learn from fighting pediatric cancer may in fact provide us the critical first step in winning the battle against all forms of cancer, both pediatric and adult.