Game Over: c*ncer

Can one person really make a difference in the fight against childhood cancer? Absolutely. And these stories prove it.In this special 50-episode celebration of the Game Over : c*ncer Podcast, hosts Dana Nichols and Val Solomon of Cannonball Kids' cancer Foundation (CKc) look back at inspiring stories of generosity, philanthropy, community involvement, and the people helping advance pediatric cancer research.Childhood cancer changes lives in an instant. But when families, donors, volunteers, and advocates come together, they can help create meaningful change.Through powerful moments from our first 50 episodes, we explore what inspires people to support childhood cancer research, why they continue giving, and how even the smallest contributions can create a lasting ripple effect.In this episode, you'll discover:Why people choose to support pediatric cancer research and childhood cancer nonprofits.Why volunteering your time and talents can be just as valuable as financial donations.How creative fundraising ideas, from handmade ornaments to running marathons, can support cancer research.The importance of community involvement, philanthropy, and giving back.How donors and supporters help make innovative childhood cancer research possible.Why every contribution matters, no matter how small.tWhether it's a child selling handmade ornaments, a runner raising awareness through a marathon, or a donor helping fund critical research, every story shares one message: you don't have to change the world alone to make a difference.At CKc, we believe children fighting cancer deserve better treatment options and a future filled with possibility. Through funding innovative pediatric cancer research and educating communities, we're working to transform the future of childhood cancer.Subscribe for more conversations about childhood cancer awareness, pediatric oncology research, nonprofit philanthropy, cancer research funding, and the inspiring people working toward a better future for children with cancer.Like, comment, and subscribe to help us spread awareness.Subscribe to Game Over: c*ncer for more conversations about pediatric cancer research, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, childhood cancer advocacy, innovative cancer treatments, and the people working to create meaningful change.----------------------------------Learn more about Cannonball Kids' cancer Foundation and support pediatric cancer research: cannonballkidscancer.org----------------------------------Connect with Dana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danaknichols/Connect with Val: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-solomon/Upcoming Ckc Events: https://cannonballkidscancer.org/category/make-an-impact/events/----------------------------------Podcast Produced by Hi Hello Labs: Website: https://www.hihellolabs.com/

What is a major gift? How does nonprofit fundraising actually work? And what makes someone a philanthropist?In this episode of Game Over: c*ncer, hosts Val Solomon and Dana Nichols sit down with Neil Abramson, the new Director of Major Gifts at Cannonball Kids’ Cancer Foundation (CKc), to demystify major gifts, donor stewardship, philanthropy, and relationship-based nonprofit fundraising.With years of fundraising experience across higher education, healthcare, clinical trial research, and nonprofit organizations, Neil explains why major gift fundraising isn’t simply about asking wealthy people for money. Effective fundraising begins with relationships: understanding what donors care about, connecting their values to a mission, communicating measurable impact, and continuing to steward those relationships long after a donation is made.The conversation explores what qualifies as a major gift at CKc, what a major gifts fundraiser does, donor cultivation vs. solicitation, why stewardship matters, common fundraising misconceptions, and why a “golden Rolodex” isn’t the secret to nonprofit fundraising success.Neil, Val, and Dana also discuss the changing philanthropic landscape in Central Florida and Orlando, the importance of expanding fundraising beyond geographic boundaries, and how technology, data, and Ai may influence the future of nonprofit development.But perhaps the biggest takeaway is that generosity isn’t defined by a dollar amount. A $5 monthly donor, a major financial contributor, and a volunteer giving hours of their time can all make a meaningful difference. Time, talent, and treasure each have value.At Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation, that collective generosity helps fund innovative pediatric cancer research and create new treatment options for children fighting cancer.Learn more about Cannonball Kids’ Cancer Foundation and how you can help advance childhood cancer research at cannonballkidscancer.org.Subscribe to Game Over Cancer for more conversations about pediatric cancer research, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, childhood cancer advocacy, innovative cancer treatments, and the people working to create meaningful change.----------------------------------Learn more about Cannonball Kids' Cancer Foundation and support pediatric cancer research: cannonballkidscancer.org----------------------------------Connect with Dana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danaknichols/Connect with Val: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-solomon/Upcoming Ckc Events: https://cannonballkidscancer.org/category/make-an-impact/events/----------------------------------Podcast Produced by Hi Hello Labs: Website: https://www.hihellolabs.com/

What drives a pediatric cancer researcher to spend their career searching for better treatments for children?In this special Game Over: c*ncer episode, Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation looks back at some of the most powerful conversations with pediatric cancer researchers and physician-scientists from the podcast’s first 50 episodes.These researchers share the personal experiences that led them into pediatric oncology, childhood leukemia research, brain tumor research, precision medicine, immunotherapy, survivorship, psychosocial oncology, and clinical trials. Many of their research questions began with something they witnessed while caring for a child or family.The conversation also highlights how pediatric cancer research moves from the clinic to the laboratory and ultimately back to patients through clinical trials. Researchers discuss targeted therapies, reducing treatment toxicity, T-cell therapies, precision-based treatments for pediatric brain tumors, and the importance of developing more effective treatments with fewer lifelong side effects.But childhood cancer outcomes are influenced by more than biology. The episode explores financial hardship, poverty, access to care, mental health, survivorship, and global disparities. One researcher shares findings showing that approximately one in three children in the studied context was living in a low-income household or experiencing concrete material hardship at diagnosis, raising critical questions about how social conditions can affect pediatric cancer outcomes.You’ll also hear why nonprofit funding can be so important to scientific progress. Researchers describe how early grants from Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation helped validate promising ideas, support young investigators, generate the evidence needed for larger grants, and ultimately help launch clinical trials.Behind every clinical trial, discovery, and breakthrough are researchers who continue showing up because they believe children deserve better options.This is pediatric cancer research through the voices of the people doing the work, and a reminder that progress happens one question, one patient, one collaboration, and one breakthrough at a time.Subscribe to Game Over: c*ncer for more conversations about pediatric cancer research, childhood cancer clinical trials, advocacy, families, survivors, and the people working to create better treatments for kids.Learn more about CKc-funded research: cannonballkidscancer.org/what-we-do/research-profiles/----------------------------------Learn more about Cannonball Kids' cancer Foundation and support pediatric cancer research: cannonballkidscancer.org----------------------------------Connect with Dana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danaknichols/Connect with Val: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-solomon/Upcoming Ckc Events: https://cannonballkidscancer.org/category/make-an-impact/events/

What happens after childhood cancer changes everything?In this special episode of Game Over : c*ncer, hosts Val Solomon and Dana Nichols of Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation revisit some of the most powerful childhood cancer survivor and family stories shared throughout the podcast.This retrospective brings together unforgettable conversations about pediatric cancer diagnosis, childhood cancer treatment, survivorship, grief, mental health, scan anxiety, life after chemotherapy, finding a new normal, losing a child, and turning pain into purpose.For many childhood cancer survivors, finishing treatment is only the beginning of another journey. Survivors may face long-term side effects, questions about identity, survivor guilt, fear of recurrence, and the challenge of figuring out what “normal” looks like after cancer. Families also carry the emotional impact long after treatment ends, from the anxiety surrounding follow-up scans and bloodwork to the lasting trauma of watching a child fight for their life. As one family explains in this episode, you don’t necessarily fully exhale when treatment ends. You’ll also hear from parents and loved ones who turned devastating loss into advocacy, research funding, community support, and a commitment to keeping their children’s names and legacies alive. Across 50 episodes, Game Over: c*ncer has created space for pediatric cancer researchers, survivors, families, donors, and advocates to tell the stories behind the fight for better treatments and better outcomes.This milestone episode celebrates those voices while reminding us why the work continues.Learn more about Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation and how you can help advance childhood cancer research at cannonballkidscancer.org.Subscribe to Game Over: c*ncer for more conversations about pediatric cancer research, nonprofit leadership, philanthropy, childhood cancer advocacy, innovative cancer treatments, and the people working to create meaningful change.----------------------------------Learn more about Cannonball Kids' cancer Foundation and support pediatric cancer research: cannonballkidscancer.org----------------------------------Connect with Dana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danaknichols/Connect with Val: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-solomon/Join us for the LINK conference: https://cannonballkidscancer.org/link

A mother’s intuition helped save her son’s life.When four-year-old Enzo developed persistent congestion, his mom, Krista Keller, knew something was wrong. But after visiting five doctors over two months, Enzo was repeatedly diagnosed with allergies and sinus infections.Krista even asked whether cancer could be causing his symptoms and was reassured that it wasn’t.Then, after Enzo became increasingly sick and lethargic, Krista and her husband took him to a children’s hospital. One scan revealed a large mass blocking his airway. Enzo was diagnosed with Burkitt lymphoma, an aggressive pediatric blood cancer.As part of Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month, we’re sharing the voices and experiences of parents and families who know childhood cancer firsthand. In this episode of Game Over: c*ncer, hosts Dana Nichols and Val Solomon speak with Krista about the realities of delayed pediatric cancer diagnosis, trusting parental intuition, advocating for your child in the medical system, and the emotional trauma childhood cancer can leave behind long after treatment ends.Krista also shares how Enzo’s diagnosis led her to create the Enzo and Me Pediatric Cancer Foundation from his hospital bedside. Today, the organization helps fund pediatric cancer research focused on some of the most underfunded and difficult-to-treat childhood cancers, including brain tumors, sarcomas, AML, neuroblastoma, and other cancers where better treatment options are desperately needed.This conversation explores:• Early signs and symptoms of pediatric cancer• Delayed childhood cancer diagnosis• Why parents must advocate when symptoms persist• Burkitt lymphoma in children• The emotional impact of childhood cancer• Pediatric cancer survivorship• Funding for childhood cancer research• Underfunded pediatric cancers• The experience of siblings and families during cancer treatment• How families can turn fear and grief into advocacy• The mission behind Enzo and Me Pediatric Cancer Foundation• Why innovative pediatric cancer treatments matterKrista’s story is a reminder that parents know their children, persistent symptoms deserve answers, and research is essential to creating safer treatments and better outcomes for children with cancer.----------------------------------Learn more about the Enzo and Me Pediatric Cancer Foundation:EnzoAndMe.orgLearn more about Cannonball Kids' Cancer Foundation and support pediatric cancer research: cannonballkidscancer.org----------------------------------Connect with Dana: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danaknichols/Connect with Val: https://www.linkedin.com/in/valerie-solomon/Upcoming Ckc Events: https://cannonballkidscancer.org/category/make-an-impact/events/----------------------------------Podcast Produced by Hi Hello Labs: Website: https://www.hihellolabs.com/