Luca’s chocolate brown eyes always sparkled with mischief, and his laughter filled his home with joy from the day he was born. He literally melted his family’s hearts. He was always smiling and loved to be in the middle of the action. Luca loved his family and spent every waking moment with them. He enjoyed cutting the lawn with Papa; gardening and cooking with Momma; playing piano, making blanket forts, and playing soccer with his big brother; and reading books, cuddling, taking selfies, and baking with his sisters. Above all, he possessed a passion for life and embraced every moment, surrounded by love and affection.

One Thursday, shortly following Luca’s fourth birthday, his parents noticed that his eyes seemed to be crossed, but he exhibited no other symptoms. Due to his father’s urgent impending open-heart surgery and the approaching weekend, his parents planned to call the pediatric ophthalmologist the coming Monday. Luca had no other symptoms until Sunday morning when he seemed to trip over his feet and appeared unsteady, but remained otherwise cheerful and active with no other signs of illness. But hours later, that all changed when he could no longer feed himself. Minutes later, he vomited and passed out, prompting his parents to rush him to the emergency room. A CT scan found that he had a hemorrhaging tumor, and his condition worsened over the next few days. Following an extensive MRI study, Luca was diagnosed with a highly aggressive and fast-growing form of brain cancer known as DIPG.

With Luca’s father at a different hospital undergoing open-heart surgery at the time Luca was diagnosed with DIPG, words fail to describe the stress and drama of those first weeks. At barely 4-years-old, Luca was unable to comprehend what was happening to him. Before diagnosis, he was a perfectly normal and healthy preschooler, and his parents could not wrap their heads around the fact that he was stricken with a terminal illness. After his diagnosis and radiation treatment, Luca was blessed with a few months of a semi-normal life. During that time, he and his family did not waste a day in making special memories.

Luca lived 11 months post-diagnosis before passing away on March 10, 2020, just two weeks after his fifth birthday. Luca lived his life cherishing every moment and making the most of every day. His determination to be happy and continue smiling despite his illness is an inspiration to so many.

Funding DIPG research is critical for finding discoveries in understanding and treating DIPG. Funding equals progress, and progress is how we reach a cure, something we can only hope for right now. Those who have lived the nightmare of DIPG can appreciate the miracle and power of hope. It is unacceptable for the evil of DIPG to continue to ravage our best and brightest before they even get their start in life. Funding for DIPG research means one day, families will have better options for treatment. Funding means one day, DIPG won’t be a death sentence.

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

On the 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™ to 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 of warriors.