ISF Newsletter, October Edition: Your Donation Dollars Have Been Busy!

Written by Rachel Wood, Director of Marketing

ISF Newsletter, October Edition (Don’t receive our newsletter, sign up here)

Your donation dollars have been busy!  There are so many promising things happening at Levine Children’s for pediatric cancer and it’s all due to your support!  Since Dr. Sholler’s arrival, the Isabella Santos Foundation Rare & Solid Tumor Program has taken off and is growing very rapidly.  Since July 2020, the program has had more than 36 referrals, many emerging internationally.  

If you follow us on our social channels, you recently met Walt, who’s family relocated to Charlotte from their Wisconsin Native American tribe, in need of more options to treat his stage IV high-risk neuroblastoma.  We also introduced you to Mason, who is traveling from Indiana, and recently completed MIBG therapy for relapsed stage IV high-risk neuroblastoma.  These families are just two examples of how hard your financial donations are working, and they have expressed their sincerest gratitude for giving them hope.

Since the solid tumor volume has almost doubled at Levine Children’s in just 3 months, the need for specialized personnel has increased so they can remain focused on research and novel therapies.  And because of our donors and sponsors we are able to help Levine Children’s with those needs!  

We are incredibly thrilled to introduce you to Dr. Trivillion, an oncologist specializing in sarcomas, who joined the ISF Rare & Solid Tumor Program team.  We are also pleased to announce through the generous support of our 3 Wish Society, their 2020 annual financial commitment has lead to the hire of Hillary Absher, MSN, CNP.  Hillary is the new Clinic Coordinator for the ISF Rare & Solid Tumors and MIBG Therapy.  She is the face of the program and helps all new patients and their families coming to Charlotte with their transition and the many details of moving through a new healthcare system.

With your help, we know Charlotte and Levine Children’s is going to become the pinnacle of pediatric cancer research.  All to help provide more options for all these kids fighting rare cancers!  How exciting for our city and surrounding regions.

This program is off and running and we are not stopping there.  Our hope is to fund several other high priority items for this program at Levine Children’s, in addition to a few national trials by the end of the year, but we can’t do it without you!  

How can you support ISF and our programs?  Join us as a monthly donor… or help us recruit friends and family to give year round.  The Club Level’s monthly donors make automatic donations at all levels, which makes it easier for ISF to plan long-term, budget more efficiently and create more life-changing outcomes for kids fighting cancer.  Monthly donors are a great way to ensure your favorite charities survive during these uncertain times. Maybe have 2 less Starbucks a month and bring some good to kids in your community? 

To throw in a little incentive, join our Club Level Monthly Donor Program and be entered into a drawing to win a signed Christian McCaffrey Panthers jersey (size XL).

We appreciate all that you have done for us throughout this really strange year.  From donations, to business sponsorship support, benefit days or give back programs and to just simply sharing our stories on social…. every single gesture counts and we are truly grateful!