Meet the St. Baldrick's Foundation 2023 Ambassadors

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Jan 04, 2023, 09:00 ET

The St. Baldrick's Foundation introduces its 2023 Ambassadors to raise awareness about the need to fund childhood cancer research to find cures and better treatments.

LOS ANGELES, Jan. 4, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- The St. Baldrick's Foundation, the largest charitable funder of childhood cancer research grants, is proud to introduce its 2023 Ambassadors who along with their families, will share their journeys and realities of childhood cancer. Ambassadors act as spokespeople for St. Baldrick's Foundation to communicate and educate the public on the importance of supporting childhood cancer research.

Every year, St. Baldrick's selects five children to serve as Ambassadors who exemplify the wide diversity of kids who are affected by childhood cancers. They represent a variety of ages, disease types, geographic locations, and stages of their journey with cancer.

The St. Baldrick's 2023 Ambassadors are:

Mia - A spunky, fashionista and only 6 years old, Mia was diagnosed with undifferentiated embryonal sarcoma of the liver in January 2022. She endured 4 months of chemotherapy including surgery to remove 75% of her liver's right lobe. Although now considered cancer-free, she will have scans every 3 months to check for any recurrence due to the high-risk of relapse.

Jaron - Diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia at just 23 months old and endured 31/2 years of treatment, he doesn't let his diagnosis stop him from setting out to see the 7 Wonders of the World. Jaron, an up-and-coming YouTuber, is 10 years in remission and attends the survivorship clinic annually to monitor the long-lasting effects of treatment.

Hanna - At 16 years old, an MRI revealed that athletic and otherwise healthy Hanna had osteosarcoma. After an unsuccessful 10 rounds of chemotherapy, a hemipelvectomy amputation was her best option for survival. Following another 17 rounds of chemotherapy and months of physical therapy, Hanna is now cancer-free.

Jonah – Diagnosed with medulloblastoma at 4 years old, Jonah is 7 years out of treatment but still coping with the physical and emotional long-term effects. Muscle weakness, balance issues, inability to walk independently, and palsy are just a few of the side effects of his lifesaving treatment, but Jonah doesn't let that keep him down.

Martha – Diagnosed with metastatic Ewing sarcoma when she was 13, Martha faced the next seven years of treatment with remarkable courage and her trademark sense of humor. Forever 20 years old, Martha's legacy is one of strength, determination, and love.

St. Baldrick's Ambassadors serve as a reminder that childhood cancers don't discriminate and that one in five kids diagnosed in the U.S. will not survive.

Continue following the St. Baldrick's 2023 Ambassadors' heroic stories on the St. Baldrick's blog and social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn. To learn how to get involved, visit StBaldricks.org.

About St. Baldrick's Foundation

Every 2 minutes, a child somewhere in the world is diagnosed with cancer. In the U.S., 1 in 5 will not survive. The St. Baldrick's Foundation, the largest charitable funder of childhood cancer research grants, is on a mission to Conquer Kids' Cancer by supporting the most promising research to find cures and better treatments for all childhood cancers. When you give to St. Baldrick's, you don't just give to one hospital – you support virtually every institution with the expertise to treat kids with cancer across the U.S. St. Baldrick's ensures that children fighting cancer now — and those diagnosed in the future — will have access to the most cutting-edge treatment, by supporting every stage of research, from new ideas in the lab to the training of the next generation of researchers, to lifesaving clinical trials. Visit StBaldricks.org and help #ConquerKidsCancer.

SOURCE St. Baldrick's Foundation