"We LoVe RiLeY" fan club

10/01/2026

SO well said. 💛

September may be ending. But childhood cancer doesn’t.

For a child facing cancer, life can quickly become filled with hospital visits, treatments, medications, tests, appointments, and uncertainty.

But underneath it all, they are still a kid.

They still want to laugh.
They still want to play.
They still want to celebrate their birthday, make a craft, go on an Easter egg hunt, enjoy summer camp, spend time with their siblings, and simply be a kid.

And just like gold, every child is precious. Their childhood is precious. Their laughter is precious. Their memories are precious.

That’s why Why Me is here.

We support the whole family throughout the childhood cancer journey—providing a home away from home at Sherry’s House, food through our Family Pantry, sibling support through SibSquad, opportunities for teens to connect, family activities and celebrations, summer camp experiences, bereavement support, and so much more.

These services aren’t just about meeting practical needs. They create moments of normalcy, joy, connection, and childhood during a time when cancer can make everything feel anything but normal.

Because a childhood cancer diagnosis affects the entire family. And while we can’t take away the diagnosis, we can help make sure cancer doesn’t take away every moment of being a kid.

Childhood Cancer Awareness Month may be coming to an end, but our work continues every day.

Because every child is precious. Every childhood matters. And every moment of joy is worth holding onto. 🎗️

10/01/2026

🎗️🩶🦋

In this picture, Dave and I are at Monje lab looking at McKenna’s cell line for the first time

Yesterday we talked about how one act can make a difference. Today, I want to show you what that one act became.

🦋 2011
McKenna dies at just seven years old. We decide to donate her tumor tissue to Stanford for research.

🔬 2015
McKenna’s tumor-derived cells are part of the newly emerging patient-derived DIPG research models. This was a huge breakthrough as due to the location of the tumor in the ponds, biological specimens, had not been available.

🧬 2017
Stanford researchers describe the SU-DIPG models and with help from McKenna Claire Foundation make the cells freely available through the Monje laboratory under material-transfer agreements.

🌎 2018 and beyond
Researchers outside Stanford begin using SU-DIPG6 to investigate tumor-cell diversity, invasion and how different populations of tumor cells interact.

And this is where the story gets bigger.
McKenna’s cells didn’t stay in one laboratory. They began traveling.

From one little girl’s tumor…
to laboratories…
to experiments…
to discoveries…
and eventually into research happening around the world.

A gift made in the middle of unimaginable grief became a resource for science.

And the journey isn’t over.

09/29/2026

Shine brightly ✨

For families of campers who have passed away, Hole in the Wall hosts a Day of Remembrance each fall to gather with other families walking a similar path and honor their children. Camp is a place of joy and friendships and this day provides a supportive space for families to continue their connection and be reminded of their child’s experiences as they participate in a day filled with Camp activities.

09/29/2026

🎗️

Day 28:
We're living in an extraordinary era of cancer science.
Scientists are uncovering the genetic and molecular drivers of cancer at a pace that is opening new possibilities for treatment.
But childhood cancer isn't simply adult cancer in a smaller body.
Children's cancers generally have fewer genetic alterations than adult cancers, and many arise from changes involving normal development or distinctive genetic fusions. Their biology can be fundamentally different.
That means we can't always take what we've learned from adult cancers and expect it to translate directly to children.
Childhood cancer needs its own science.

At cc-TDI, we're using basic science to identify the specific biological drivers of childhood cancers—and then working from those discoveries to develop potential, more precisely targeted therapies.

Understand the biology. Find the driver. Build from there.
That's how we change what's possible for children with cancer.
Sciencing-out Childhood Cancer.
Help support the science https://cc-tdi.kindful.com/

09/14/2026

09/13/2026

📣

As you (likely) already know, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and if we're honest, it’s one of the heaviest months we experience. Families who’ve been able to set the torch down are forced to pick it back up again. Families who are grieving are forced to relive the worst moments of their lives. Pain that never really goes away is pushed back into the spotlight.

But if we don’t bring awareness… where does that leave the future for the kids still fighting?

September is hard. We fight every day to get people to look, to pay attention, to care, but so often, the ones who notice are the ones already living it. They are the ones who know and who carry this weight daily.

Awareness can’t just live in the childhood cancer community. We need those who haven’t lived it to rise up. We need neighbors, coworkers, classmates, teammates, and friends to step into the fight with us. Why? Because if awareness stops with the grieving, nothing changes.

At Fourth and Gold, we stand in grief with every family who has been impacted by this cruel disease, but we’re also standing on the frontlines, refusing to let childhood cancer keep winning. We exist to fund more humane cures, to push research forward, and to make sure no family has to live this nightmare in the future.

I know I know, we sound like a broken record when we ask you to not just scroll past our posts. Wear gold. Share the stories. Show up at events. Donate. Talk about it. Do something.. because awareness without action is just another sad statistic.

Our kids don’t deserve to be anymore statistics.

Free childhood cancer photo shoot registration: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DA9AF2DA1F5C70-65452785-fourth

Free glow walk registration: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DA9AF2DA1F5C70-65272236-fourth

Co****le registration: https://onecau.se/cornhole6

Free Gold ribbon handout registration: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0A4DA9AF2DA1F5C70-64887544-gold

09/08/2026

🍋

09/05/2026

"Childhood cancer is not just a statistic.."

STOP SCROLLING FOR 2 MINUTES. 💛

Because somewhere in the world, in the time it takes you to read this…

another child is being diagnosed with cancer.

Every. Two. Minutes.

Now think about your day.

In 8 hours, that’s 480 minutes.

That’s potentially 240 children receiving news no child should ever have to hear.

While someone is packing their kids’ lunch.
While another family is laughing around the dinner table.
While a child is opening a birthday present.
While a teenager is texting their best friend.
While parents are planning their weekend.

Life keeps moving.

But for one family, in an instant, everything changes.

The plans stop.
The questions begin.
The fear takes over.

And a child who should be worrying about homework, video games, sleepovers, or what to wear tomorrow…is suddenly fighting for their life.

Childhood cancer is not just a statistic.

It’s a child with a name.
A laugh.
A favorite food.
A favorite song.
A favorite stuffed animal.

And a whole life still waiting to be lived.

So don’t just scroll past this.

Share it.
Talk about it.
Raise awareness.
Support pediatric cancer research.
Stand beside the families living this reality.

Because if it takes only 2 minutes for another child to be diagnosed… maybe we can spend 2 minutes helping make a difference.

Every child deserves more time. 💛

www.fourthandgold.org to help us go for the cure of childhood cancer🎗️