On August 19, 2016 My sweet vibrant 10 year old little boy Riley was being rushed by ambulance to our state's children's hospital in Seattle. We had just discovered what we thought was an auto immune disease was actually a brain tumor that was critically pushing on Riley's brainstem causing him to lose all of his vital functions such as swallowing, eye sight, as well as his blood pressure became unstable and his heart rate. Not to mention at this point it had blocked spinal fluid flow to his brain. He was rushed to the picu and there began a journey of triumphs, lots of tears as well as numerous set backs. Riley was diagnosed with Ependymoma. We learned this is a beast of a disease and acts so differently from person to person. 1 in 4 generally reoccure within 5 years. Riley has endured 2 surgeries, 8 weeks of chemotherapy, 33 rounds of radiation to his Brain and spine, countless procedures, nights spent in the er, and numerous hospital stays. Treatment came at a cost to my sweet boy. He has deficits that will be life long and require physical therapy and occupational therapy for quite sometime. He also had complications from his last surgery that resulted in an unstable neck where he still has surgery pending as well as being on medication for the rest of his life to balance his hormones that were also damaged by life saving treatment. "Your child has cancer" is a word no parent ever wants to hear. It knocks the wind right out of you. We all want to see our children grow old and live their dreams. Childhood cancer almost robbed Riley of his dreams that late summer day. These kids have to live the rest of their lives with the side effects that are caused by life saving treatments. Thank you for supporting me and the more than 300,000 kids worldwide who will be diagnosed with cancer this year. By sharing the gifts of your time, talent and money with the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, you're supporting research to give all kids with cancer a better chance for a cure.