Mallory was diagnosed with DMG after experiencing VERY subtle symptoms, brought to our attention by her devoted Pre-K teachers. We had no idea at the time that a casual hallway conversation at school in January would be the catalyst to our lives turning upside down. After morning drop-off, I passed one of her teachers on the way out and she mentioned that she had seen Mallory’s eyes crossing on occasion and asked if I had noticed it at home, to which I replied “no.” I thanked her for letting me know and that I would make her an appointment to see an ophthalmologist. I assumed she may just need glasses to correct her vision.

Over the next few weeks, we did start to notice Mallory’s left eye turning inward a bit, especially in the evening when we figured she was getting tired. On Superbowl Sunday, we had some friends over and noticed Mallory’s left hand shaking while cutting paper and holding her fork to eat. We chalked it up to social anxiety and having guests. On Wednesday 2/12, the Pre-K supervisor emailed us for a time to talk, and she too noticed something was off with Mallory’s balance. At this point, nagging in the back of our minds was a story about a local 12-year-old girl who was recently diagnosed with DIPG, and given the overlap of symptoms, we ignored the pediatrician’s advice to make a neurology appointment and took her straight to the ER at CHOP King of Prussia, where we were triaged quickly. Mallory passed the neurology exam and the attending physician decided to order a CT scan only after I suggested she speak directly with Lonnie’s brother, a PICU attending in NJ. What followed after was a series of unbelievable and completely devasting news where they discovered swelling in Mallory’s brain. She was transferred via ambulance to CHOP Philadelphia, where she was admitted to the PICU for an MRI the next day.

Mallory has had such an innocent outlook to this entire situation so far and is taking all of the appointments, time away from home, and change in routine in stride.  She completed 6 weeks of radiation treatment like a champ and we are grateful to see her experience joy every day.  We are surrounding her with tons of love, family and all of her favorite things as we endure this battle together. 

Mallory Sky, our perfect COVID baby, born June 19^th, 2020 is the daughter of our dreams. She is the first granddaughter on both sides of the family and is the sweetest most caring big sister to her 2-and-a-half-year-old brother, as well as big cousin to twin boys the same age. The sound of her giggle will stop you in your tracks.  Mallory teaches us something new every day, by recounting stories of real events, like explaining why fog forms and that giraffes are some of the only animals that eat full branches and not just leaves. She is the first person to call someone out on a mistake but in a forgiving and supportive manner. She loves animals (especially dogs) and just learned how to spell and write her name, making a really long tail for the "Y."  She plays teacher and doctor with her babies and stuffed animals and reads to them and tucks them in. Mallory likes to sneak up on people and say “boo” and giggle after they say hello and sings along to songs in the car. She loves hanging out at the beach, relaxing in the hot tub, and eating lots of snacks.

“By launching SE PA – Mallory Sky’s the Limit Chapter of The Cure Starts Now, we are committed to transform our pain into purpose and to help raise awareness, fund critical research efforts, and find effective treatment for all impacted children and families, maybe even during Mallory’s lifetime. There is absolutely no reason why DMG/DIPG cannot be included as one of the other 90% of pediatric brain tumors with a good 5-year survival rate. “-Kaplan Family

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.