Your Support Means So Much
These friends and family members helped us raise funds for childhood cancer research in honor of Alan! See the 2012-2024 list.
Alan was a happy boy with an indomitable spirit. Through the four and a half years of his fight, Alan remained cheerful, upbeat and hardworking in the face of his treatment. Unfortunately, Sarcoma cut his life short at the age of five, despite every effort. So we will continue his fight and help the doctors who tried to help him by funding Sarcoma research.
2025
$270
Funds Raised in 2025
2024
$1,479
Funds Raised in 2024
$232,077
Total Funds Raised
Since 2012
The Story Behind This Hero Fund
Alan, also known as Mister Cheeks because of his face-busting smile, was an impish monkey with a lot of personality.
Keeping such an active boy entertained during treatment was a huge challenge and he liked to boss us around just to keep us on our toes. Alan loved letters, monochromatic animals like Pandas, Zebras, and Penguins, Sponge Bob Square Pants, the games (and tickets) at Chuck E. Cheese, playing at Morgan’s Wonderland, watching donuts being made at Kripsy Kreme (and then eating them). But most of all he loved numbers. Reading them, counting with them, typing them, adding them. He was so brilliant with numbers that when we knew we would most probably lose him, we ached knowing that he would never be able to reach his full potential. Alan slipped away from us on January 17, 2013 at the age of five, after almost four years of fighting a sarcoma tumor in his hip.
We lost Alan because our doctors, despite every effort, simply didn’t have enough answers. While Alan was in treatment, we had the motto “Fight’s on!”. Alan fought for so long, from such an early age, that fighting cancer was virtually all he knew.
Alan's spirit was 'supernova bright'. A supernova is a very large star (which typically shines brighter with a much shorter life span) that comes to the end of its life cycle and explodes with an intensity that can exceed an entire galaxy of stars. And that explosion of light forms the building blocks for new stars and new planetary systems. We think of Alan’s life, his spirit, and all the people he had touched with his joy. Now that he is gone, we have to continue to fight childhood cancer in his name. The end of one life, sowing the seeds for other lives to shine.
So even though Alan is gone, we still rally behind the cry “Fight’s on!”. Continue Alan’s fight with us.
For more about Alan, please visit his blog, Mister Cheeks Goes to the Hospital.
Highlights & Happenings
-
-
Our visit with Dr. RainussoIn 2016 Dr. Nino Rainusso was named the Alan’s Sarcoma Research Fund St. Baldrick’s Scholar. Read more about our visit to Texas Children's Hospital and his lab here. -
Alan’s Legacy"Dealing with childhood cancer has sometimes been described as facing the dragon. The thing is, though, it is rarely possible to take on the dragon alone." Read more.
Photo Gallery
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders001.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders002.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders003.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders004.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders005.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders006.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders007.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders008.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders009.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders010.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders011.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders012.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders013.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders014.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders015.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders016.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders017.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders018.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders019.jpg
/file/website_content_images/hero_funds/alan-sanders/Thumb/alan-sanders020.jpg
Funding in Action
Donations made to Alan's Sarcoma Research Fund have funded a Research Grant for Cristina Antonescu M.D. and generously supported a St. Baldrick's Scholar Grant for Nino Rainusso, M.D. Both doctors are researching undifferentiated sarcoma.
The St. Baldrick's Foundation is guided by a Scientific Advisory Committee, comprised of leading experts in the childhood cancer community, to ensure that every dollar makes the greatest impact for kids with cancer.
Who’s Involved
These people make us smile - they’re the doers and money-raisers on behalf of the Alan's Sarcoma Research Fund. They’re shaving their heads, hosting events, starting fundraisers and more to make childhood cancer research possible.
2025 Teams
Get Involved Your Own Way
-
![]()
Create An Event
Start your own St. Baldrick’s head-shaving event to support our Hero Fund! A dedicated staff member will guide you every step of the way—and you’ll have fun doing something great for kids with cancer.
-
![]()
Be a Shavee
Register to shave your head and support our Hero Fund at any St. Baldrick’s event worldwide! No event nearby? Go virtual and shave anytime, anywhere.
-
![]()
Start a Fundraiser
Not into head-shaving? No problem! Start a fundraiser for our Hero Fund doing something you love—bike a marathon, host a bake sale, anything goes!
Need help? Email us at Funds@StBaldricks.org
