Childhood Cancer Awareness Month
How precision medicine changed Charlie's care
"It looked like she had swallowed a golf ball."
That's how Molly describes the bulge she noticed on 3-year-old Charlie's neck — a moment that led to a thyroid cancer diagnosis already spread to her lungs. At UCSF, the UCSF500 gene panel identified the exact genetic change driving Charlie's cancer, pointing her care team to a targeted therapy that shrank her remaining tumors before she ever needed more traditional treatment.
Today, Charlie is 5, playing soccer and getting ready for kindergarten.
Childhood cancer doesn't follow a calendar. Neither does the need for research.
Charlie's story is one of many that remind us why continued progress for children matters. Please make a gift today to help support healthier futures for kids like her.
Yes, I'll help kids like CharlieThis Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, every gift to the Children's Fund directly supports:
Research that finds answersFunding for genetic tools like UCSF500, which help doctors pinpoint what's driving a child's cancer and choose the treatment most likely to work. |
Care built for the whole childSupport for the specialists, nurses, and care teams who treat kids with cancer — and help them stay kids throughout treatment. |
Support for the entire familyResources that help families like Charlie's get through diagnosis, treatment, and recovery together. |
100% of your gift supports pediatric cancer research and care at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals.