In the photo above, the year is 2011 and Moriah Richardson is grinning up at the camera with her beautiful brown eyes and round cheeks. She looks like a healthy, happy two-year-old.
Later that same day, she was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma, or DIPG, an inoperable tumor on her brain stem.
The diagnosis of this cancer was stunning, and even worse was the prognosis: Moriah was given a 10 percent chance of living out the year.
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She passed away in 2013, just two weeks before her fifth birthday.
DIPG is an illness that’s almost impossible to treat, with a typical prognosis of just nine months to one year.
Children afflicted with it may begin experiencing sluggish tendencies, vision irregularities and weakness in their arms or legs.
The tumors are in the area of the brain that affects the pons, controlling breathing, blood pressure and the heart rate.
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Families undergo several treatments, medications and a tough prognosis. Children that were once bright-eyed and excited about life, become tired, sluggish and in pain.
Parents often find themselves at a crossroads of whether to have ‘the talk’ with their child—a child that could be as young as two years old—about what exactly is going on with their health and its effect on their brain.
“I began noticing irregularities in photographs and was told by family members and doctors as well that Kristopher was only making funny faces,” said Kelia Quander, mother of four-year-old Kristopher who suffers from DIPG.
“When Kristopher began walking at one-year-old, I began to notice mood swings and I knew that something wasn’t right with his eye. After being told that Kristopher was doing just fine by several doctors, Kristopher was given an MRI.”
There are no yellow warning signs for childhood cancer. Once diagnosed, the lives of the entire family quickly come to a halt.
Ten percent of all childhood central nervous central tumors are caused by Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Gliomas.
Three hundred children are diagnosed with DIPG each year in the United States, and from doctor’s visits to diagnosis, families usually find themselves walking alone in unfamiliar territory.
It is this sense of uncertainty that inspired Sharday Richardson to create The Forever Moriah Foundation, so that impacted families would know that they aren’t alone.
For families undergoing the seeming helplessness of a DIPG diagnosis, the Forever Moriah Foundation stands as a shoulder to cry on; an outlet to celebrate the strength of each child who undergoes this experience and a helping hand, all led by a founder that underwent the same journey.
The organization works to design safe spaces for families with children diagnosed with DIPG, and believes that with a guiding hand every step of the way, along with encouragement, positively and hope, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
September was observed as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and the Foundation set the goal of raising $12,000 to benefit childhood cancer research.
Moriah would’ve turned 12 years old this year, and the organization’s wish is to continue to honor her by helping to fund a cure for DIPG.
Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer of children in the U.S. Every two minutes, a child is diagnosed with cancer in this country, yet only four percent of cancer funding is earmarked for childhood cancer research.
