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What can you say about a 10 year old girl who digests news that would be debilitating for most adults with a smile and a plan to conquer?
Emily Berry is just such a child. Not even 5 months have passed since Emily and her family learned that an inoperable brain tumor was the cause of the young girl's recent loss of mobility in her right hand. Emily was found to have a Pediatric Low Grade Astrocytoma (PLGA), the most common form of brain tumors in children. There are not many treatment options. The treatments that are available don't come with a guarantee. In fact, they are invasive and sadly, often ineffective.
For parents Cory and Kevin Berry, the news from the neurologist on January 7 th of this year brought their world to a screeching halt and seemed to rob the room of all available air. "It was the worst day of our lives. You never think something like this will happen," explains Cory. Emily had a different response. As soon as the doctor left the room, Emily turned to her parents and said, “You know, I'm going to name it (the tumor) Delores. And Delores has got to go!” Cory and Kevin were stunned by Emily's words, but decided to jump on board.
According to the PLGA foundation website, there are more than 20,000 children with this type of tumor in the United States . That is roughly 1000 new tumors diagnosed every year, yet, this organization has traditionally received very little funding.
If the Berry Family has anything to say about it, this lack of funding for research will soon change.
“I definitely have up and down days,” muses Cory. “I want my old life back. I want to drive Emily to soccer and not to chemo. We need to make the most of each day. We have to do something good with this bad. Otherwise, we'll be eaten up by it.”
This is where ColorForACure.org comes in. Emily and her dad, Kevin created this site with the hopes of raising $1 Million dollars to fund research specifically for the type of tumor she and thousands of other kids are battling. The plan is simple…request $1 dollar from everyone who visits the site…and request that each person pass the site on to everyone they know. For every dollar you donate, one pixel is lit up on the page's ‘one million pixel picture'. (And you can choose your own pixel color) Emily figures a dollar isn't too much to ask to help fight these tumors plaguing so many kids.
Right now, that picture looks like a colored version of ‘Starry, Starry Night”…with more than 4 thousand pixels shining through the dark. (Check it out here!) When the Berry 's reach their $1 million dollar goal, there won't be one pixel of black remaining.
Every night, Kevin heads to the computer to update the days' donations and pixels. “It is therapeutic for him….it helps to get the message out there," says Cory.
How many times do you think you would have prayed, cried, wondered, or begged the words, “why me?” if this happened to you? If you're Emily, not once. Not one time has this little girl asked her parents why this is happening.
Despite undergoing 10 weeks of chemotherapy that did not have the desired effect, Emily has remained upbeat. Cory can't keep the smile out of her voice as she describes her oldest daughter, “She is a magnet for people. She smiles all the time and has her Daddy's sense of humor. She has grown up a lot. It is strange, but she has matured.”
Cory, Kevin and Emily are working with the specialists at Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital in St. Louis to find the next best step in her on-going treatment “She is my baby. It is just tough.” Cory's voice breaks knowing she can't hug and kiss her daughter's battle away.
Visit www.Colorforacure.org . Donate $1 towards the fight against Pediatric Low Grade Astrocytoma. Every single penny donated will go directly to the the PLGA Foundation, specifically for research. None of the money they receive through Color for a Cure will be used for administrative costs.
You can donate using secure Google checkout. Until December 31 st of this year Google will not charge any transaction fee for non-profit organizations (just one more reason for the Berrys to aim to hit the $1 million goal by the end of the year)
Pass Color For a Cure on to your friends, to your family. And remember to hug your kids.
