PORTLAND, Ore. — A foundation started by a Portland mom who lost a child to cancer is raising awareness about the need for better treatment for children.
Lorna Day created the Sam Day Foundation after her son, Sam, was diagnosed with Ewing sarcoma. He was 9 years old.
"We found a tumor in his left leg just below the knee, and he went into five types of chemotherapy for about 10 months, and during that time, he had his left leg amputated below the knee," Day recalled.
Sam went into remission for a year. But despite the aggressive treatment, the cancer would soon come back.
"They had to amputate part of his other foot as well — and that led to another four years of battling cancer," Day said. "We lost him when he was 15 years old in 2016."
The Sam Day Foundation focuses on funding research for childhood cancers, and Eleanor Wilkinson started volunteering with them. Then, in an unfortunate coincidence, her son was also diagnosed with cancer.
"He was actually playing in a Little League baseball game, and he got tripped by a runner and stepped on his leg and that led to this excruciating pain happening in his left femur," Wilkinson said. "Taking him to an orthopedist to then an MRI and then a biopsy — and on July 18, 2023, he was diagnosed with cancer with BCOR sarcoma cancer."
Her son, Benjamin, started treatment right away, including several rounds of chemotherapy. He had surgery to remove the tumor that left him with a titanium rod, and he still gets checked every three months for any cancer.
Now, Day and Wilkinson are fighting for more research and better treatment options for children with cancer.
"We have not progressed the protocols and the drugs and the treatment for these kids. It's a little bit mind-blowing as a parent because even though Benjamin's body was able to handle the chemotherapy well, there are a lot of kids that aren't that lucky," said Wilkinson.
Day has the same concerns.
"My son Sam had Ewing sarcoma, and he was on five different types of chemotherapy. The oldest one was developed in 1959, and the newest was developed in 1983, so it's now been over 40 years since we've seen advances," Day said.
Lorna and Eleanor said they won't lose hope and will keep advocating for children with cancer.
"I think we have so much great technology and resources around cancer research now that we can apply more to kids where kids' cancers are being left behind," Day said.
The Sam Day Foundation is holding their annual Buddy Run on Saturday, May 18, at Doernbecher Children's Hospital. You can sign up for the run or donate to the Sam Day Foundation by clicking here.