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It's finally summertime in Chicago and Emma’s Memory is celebrating! On May 7th, we saw our inspiration become a reality. The Emma Finke Window Seat was revealed on the new wing of the oncology floor at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. During our time at Lurie, we were able to show Emma the beautiful Chicago skyline from various window seats around the hospital. These seats offered our family respite from the spiraling world around us. Shortly after Emma passed away, we wanted to name a window seat after her to offer comfort to those who would come behind us. We wanted our donations to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Program at Lurie Children’s to have a permanent and visual reminder to those in treatment that they are not alone. This became our inspiration for fundraising in Emma’s name and starting Emma’s Memory. We set out, not having any idea what to expect or how long this might take. And in just over a year, we did it! We wanted to take a moment to say thank you. To the doctors, nurses, and everyone who helped take care of us during our time at Lurie Children’s, you are our inspiration and our reason for raising money for pediatric brain tumor research. Thank you to our family, you are our life support and we could not have done this without you. Thank you to our friends, donors, and supporters, you continue to amaze us and we are eternally grateful for your continued support. Just because we have achieved our goal, it does not mean that we are stopping. Pediatric cancer research remains significantly underfunded. Pediatric cancer research receives just 4% of the annual budget from the National Cancer Institute. Pediatric brain cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death for children in America. In the last 20 years, only 3 cancer medications have been approved for children. Our children deserve more than this and this is why we will continue fundraising until these statistics change. As Brain Tumor Awareness Month comes to a close, we encourage each of you to take a second to #GoGray in May for our brain tumor angels and our brain tumor warriors. You can buy tickets to our events or support our marathon runners. - Sadie & Kyle Finke
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Friends,
2018 has been quite the year. This year has included what will hopefully be the worst day of our life, but has also been filled with a joy and gratitude that may also go unmatched. As the year comes to a close, we wanted to take a moment to reflect on our year, acknowledge some big news, and most importantly to say thank you. Our daughter Emma left this world on February 2nd, 2018. In our moment of loss, we were able to donate her tumor to the brilliant doctors and researchers at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. And shortly there after, we started Emma’s Memory. The mission of Emma's Memory is to help fund pediatric brain tumor research and prevent such tragedy from happening to other children and families. Since March, Emma’s Memory has raised over $200,000 for pediatric brain tumor research at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago. We could not have done it without your support. We have nearly 1,000 supporters from all over the world. We have hosted 3 fundraisers in Greenville, St Louis, and Chicago, attended races, and other events sponsored by the oncology community. Whether you have attended our events, run along side us, donated your time, money, creativity, or simply offered your love and support, YOU have made a difference! And we cannot thank you enough. It is truly remarkable how people come together during a time of crisis. But just because this year is coming to a close, does not mean this crisis is over. It is entirely too often that we hear of kids who are still leaving us too soon. And for those children who are still with us, life after pediatric cancer remains uncertain and challenging. So, we will continue this fight until our kids have a happy and healthy future and their families can hug their kids for years to come. We have another whole year of events planned as we work towards our goal of $300,000 to benefit the Pediatric Brain Tumor Program at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Visit emmasmemory.org for updates, events, Emma’s Memory gear, and future plans. Finally, Happy Holidays to you and your family. Cheers to a brighter New Year! Thank you, Sadie, Kyle, and Emma Finke |
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