Sarah is a fun, bright fifth grader at North Elementary. She loves school, church, Girl Scouts, sports, animals and the outdoors. She is naturally tough and fearless. She is always determined, has a matter-of-fact attitude, a healthy sense of humor and doesn’t give in.

Sarah was enjoying a typical summer of camps, bicycling, swimming and softball. On Thursday, July 25, 2013, she began feeling sick. After a couple days of progressing illness and trip to the pediatrician, we drove Sarah to St. Louis Children’s Hospital Emergency Room. Within hours, we learned that she had three brain tumors which have since been diagnosed as AT/RT (Atypical Teratoid Rhabdoid Tumors). It is a rare and aggressive cancer.

From July 27th to December, Sarah had been through three surgeries, six weeks of radiation, thirteen weeks of high dose chemotherapy, two seizures, an infection, two stays in ICU, dozens of transfusions and more than a hundred nights in the hospital.

At the beginning of January 2014, Sarah’s check-up MRI showed mixed results, so her original treatment program was stopped. Sarah is now receiving treatment at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital as part of a research trial.