Game Over: c*ncer really lives up to its name in this one. In this special episode, we celebrate 10 years of impact with the very first researcher Cannonball Kids’ cancer Foundation (CKc) ever funded, Dr. Ted Johnson.

Dr. Johnson is a professor of pediatric oncology and co-director of the Pediatric Immunotherapy Program at Augusta University, a destination program for children with brain cancer who have run out of standard options. Val Solomon and Dana Nichols sit down with him to talk about how one early CKc grant helped launch a decade of progress in pediatric brain cancer immunotherapy, from saving and studying monthly blood samples to building a powerful biological sample bank that is now changing what is possible for kids.

You will hear how a “leap of faith” investment became the spark behind clinical trials that have now provided experimental immunotherapy to more than 270 children and young adults from over 30 states. Dr. Johnson explains how indoximod-based immunotherapy works, why activating a child’s immune system is so rare and so important, and how small donations, bake sales, and grassroots philanthropy truly keep this work alive.

The conversation also pulls back the curtain on CKc’s Scientific Advisory Board, why it was built to push research out of the lab and into the clinic, and how that original vision has grown into a Zoom screen full of experts carefully reviewing targeted grants that directly impact kids and families. Dr. Johnson shares what he is seeing on the NIH Review Board, why pediatric grants are still outnumbered by adult oncology proposals, and what this means for the future of funding and innovation in childhood cancer.

If you have ever wondered whether your $50 or $100 really matters, this episode is for you. You will hear exactly how early seed funding, focused clinical trial grants, and community support create a snowball effect that leads to new therapies, better outcomes, and real hope for children with brain cancer.

Learn more about the grants we fund, our Scientific Advisory Board, and how to make a gift at: cannonballkidscancer.org

If this conversation encourages you, please like this video, subscribe to the Game Over: c*ncer Podcast, and share it with someone who cares about changing the future for kids with cancer.

Together, we can transform fear and fuel the next decade of breakthroughs.

----------------------------------
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/