Page 123 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2019

GivingBACK nding a cure
SOSO STRONG
Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation
story by Jeff Clark photos courtesy of SoSo Strong Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation
Ocean Springs resident Sophia Myers was only seven years old when she succumbed to DIPG, a rare and aggressive form of brain cancer, in 2017. Less than 10 percent of the children diagnosed with DIPG live for two years after diagnosis. DIPG is fatal and there is no known cure for the cancer.
Sophia Myers
Sophia Myers passed away in 2017 after a battle with DIPG. Her parents started the SoSo Strong Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation to honor her life.
But Sophia’s parents,
Angel Myers McIlrath
and Josh Myers want
to help other families
who will one day be
faced with the death
sentence that is DIPG.
They started the SoSo
Strong Pediatric Brain
Tumor Foundation.
Funds raised through
the foundation go
toward research, finding a cure for the disease, as well as extending and improving the quality of life of those diagnosed with DIPG until a cure can be found.
“I started the foundation because watching your child die from this cancer is just unacceptable,” McIlrath said. “Neil Armstrong’s child had DIPG and had the same treatment 53 years ago. This has got to change. Our children deserve better than to pray for a miracle and make memories while you can, because those
are the only options when a child is diagnosed with DIPG. We live in a day and age where technology is so advanced. There has got to be a cure for DIPG because anything else is unacceptable.”
She said the foundation has raised about $250,000
in a year, some of which will be used in a grant to fund research through that will be partnered with the Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation. Money is also used to help with financial assistance for families who have children that have diagnosed with DIPG.
Donations can be sent to P.O. Box 632, Ocean Springs, MS 39564.
SoSo Strong Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation | 228.327.3133 | www.sososstrongpbtf.org
FOR MORE REFLECTIONS OF THE GULF COAST >> www.smliving.net December 2019 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 123