Landon was born on June 6th, 2012 and was an easygoing snuggly baby who always wanted to be near his mama. As he grew up we got to see his spunky and feisty personality more and more. We loved watching him grow into a fiercely loyal and protective kid with a huge heart. He would go out of his way to make others feel included. He would give the shirt off his back if he thought someone else needed it more. He would defend other children (especially ones younger than himself) when someone was being unkind, often to the point of getting himself into trouble. He drove us crazy and also made us so incredibly proud! In kindergarten his school took part in the Pennies for Patients fundraiser, which raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He was appalled and devastated to learn about cancer, and specifically that kids could get cancer. Despite being at a stage in life where he did not like to talk to strangers and would hide behind be rather than engage, he decided he needed to raise money for those kids battling cancer. He wanted to raise "one million dollars to help the kids who are really super sick so they can get strong again". He asked me every day after school to go around the neighborhood asking for donations and would knock on every single door to deliver his speech about why he was asking for donations... all on his own. He ended up raising the most money of any kid in his entire school. He did the same thing in first grade. Little did any of us know, he would be diagnosed with cancer the following year while he was only in the second grade.
 
In early 2021 Landon started complaining of headaches and in March they became so severe they would be coupled with vomiting he would scream and pain. We went to the pediatrician who promptly referred us to neurology who then sent us for an MRI. We were assured it was "probably childhood migraines but this is just to be sure nothing else is going on". We truly believed the MRI would show nothing and we would leave the hospital and have pizza and cake and move on with life. Unfortunately what they discovered was a large mass in his brain and instead of being sent home, he was sent directly to the PICU and scheduled for surgery to remove the tumor the following day. Our lives had changed in an instant and would never, ever be the same.
 
Landon fought so hard, like the kickass warrior kid that he is, for 21 months straight. He completed the initial treatment protocol with flying colors, appearing to be beating the cancer the entire time. It was at his "end of treatment" scan the day before he was to ring the bell that his team discovered the cancer had already returned. Relapsed Medulloblastoma is incurable, so this news meant his cancer was now considered terminal. Despite knowing that there was no chance we would see our boy grow up, it was hard to let go of the hope that he might be the miracle. He battled the monster in his brain and spine for another 9 months before it eventually took his life. 
 
Landon's biggest dream throughout his battle was that someday no kid would ever have to fight cancer. We hope for the same thing. The only way to ever get there is to continue research efforts. There are so many doctors out there trying to find the cures, and there are so many more with brilliant ideas and the desire to conduct the necessary research but without the necessary funds. Our federal government only allocates 4% of federal funding for cancer research to childhood cancers. This is not enough. We want to help fund MORE. We want to give more doctors the funding needed to keep searching for the cures. We want to see more research happening more quickly. 
 
Thousands of children will be diagnosed with cancer this year. And thousands more next year. Somehow, this has to stop. And research is our only hope. This is why we are asking everyone to come together and help us make more research happen. Will you help us fund more research? Will you help doctors find cure and save more children? 
 
Will you be Landon's Ally?