Community Spotlight: Par for the Kids
Pictured above: Bennett at Par for the Kids with his dad Jason and other golfers.
In March 2018, our 9-year-old son, Bennett, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. After several months of balance and motor skill issues, our pediatrician sent him for an MRI. Our hearts shattered when the doctor pulled us into a quiet room and gave us the news no parent should ever have to hear:
“We found something on the MRI.”
These words changed our lives forever. The radiologist had found a tumor in the middle of Bennett’s brain. Once the initial shock of his diagnosis began to wear off, we met with a pediatric oncologist and neurosurgeon and quickly realized there weren’t many great treatment options. Chemotherapy treatments – many of which were developed for adults and different types of cancer – would just be a band-aid that could cause permanent damage to his heart and other organs and secondary cancers later in life. Radiation is also harmful to developing brains, especially in very young children. And while there have been cutting-edge advancements in adult brain tumor treatments, similar research has not kept pace for kids.
Children with brain cancer can’t wait another week, another day, another minute for your support. When you donate to the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, you help fund life-changing research and provide families with the resources and support they need. Don’t let pediatric brain cancer steal another future.
Realizing there’s no real cure for our son’s tumor was a shock.
We wanted to change things. We wanted to feel like we were doing something – not only for our son, but for the thousands of kids in our community and around the world who are living with brain cancer.
That’s why we started Par for the Kids, an annual golf tournament that benefits the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation. Since 2019, Par for the Kids has raised over $140,000 for pediatric brain tumor research. Every dollar brings us one step closer to more effective and less harmful treatments. Every dollar brings us one step closer to a cure.
Kids like Bennett don’t have time to wait another month, another week, another day for us to raise money to stop the deadliest childhood disease. They deserve an opportunity to live full lives right now. Join us in taking action today.
– Elizabeth and Jason Testa, Bennett’s parents
Related Stories
Advocacy Takes Many Forms – Gretchen Spreads PBTF’s Mission via Pageant Competitions
“I finally found my community, and it was life-changing,” says Gretchen about finding the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation and participating in a Ride for Kids event in 2017 when she was 16. “It took me almost 12 years to find people that I could actually have a conversation with [about my diagnosis and treatment], and my mom and dad felt that way too. It was an immediate bond with these families that we were meeting for the first time.”
Mick: A Childhood On Hold
"Children should not have to go through this disease and its treatments. You only get one childhood, and it hurts my heart to know that my son’s got taken away."
Related Updates
Accelerating Kids' Access to Care Act: Improving Healthcare for Children Across State Lines
The Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act, passed the U.S. House of Representatives on September 17 to improve children’s access to essential health care, while eliminating administrative burdens for providers and states.
Groundbreaking Voice of the Patient Report for pediatric low-grade glioma (pLGG) published by Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation
“This report lays groundwork to improve the experience of people living with this disease,” said Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN’s chief medical correspondent, one of the country’s leading neurosurgeons, and a member of PBTF’s Board of Directors. “I believe it shines a much-needed spotlight on the wide-ranging and extensive challenges that this type of tumor causes for patients and their families, and I am hopeful that this moment is a significant milestone for this community.”
Related Resources
Survivor Support Groups
About Pediatric Brain Tumors
