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Morgan’s Gift of Hope

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**This blog post was written by Kimmel Cancer Center's Development Specialist, Allison Rich.

For most young girls, birthdays are a time of celebration – parties, gifts, and blowing out yet another candle are some of the typical highlights to look forward to. This year, however, one very special girl dreamed of something more – she dreamed of giving hope to other families battling cancer.

Morgan Tuttle, who just completed the fifth grade, knows firsthand how much of an impact a cancer diagnosis can have in the lives of patients and their families. Having watched her grandfather, whom she calls Poppy, stoically battle colon cancer for over three years, she knew that other families should never have to face this same experience. She knew that cancer needed to be stopped, and was not about to let her age serve as an impediment. As part of a class assignment, Morgan set out to spread the word about the role each of us can play in stopping cancer in its tracks. She created a website, crafted a presentation for her class, and shared her mission with friends and family – an effort which resulted in her successfully raising over $2,000 to support the colon cancer research being conducted by Dr. Nilofer Azad, a befitting tribute both to her Poppy and to the team who cared for him here at the Kimmel Cancer Center.

This July, Morgan and her family traveled over 400 miles from North Carolina to the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore to not only present the funds she had raised, but to visit the faculty and staff who had played such a role in their lives for so many years. And Morgan’s desire to make a difference did not stop with her fundraising efforts alone – as a special surprise, she also collected two toy chests filled with gifts for the children being treated in the Division of Pediatric Oncology. The toys will be shared with the campers at Camp Sunrise, the annual camp hosted by the Division which provides a week of fun, camaraderie, and support for pediatric oncology patients, including those who are still in active treatment.

The reality is that all of us have been touched by cancer in some way. Morgan’s generosity is a beautiful example of the capacity we all have to make a difference in the lives of others, and the power of philanthropy to shape the landscape of cancer medicine – no matter how old we are.

For most young girls, birthdays are a time of celebration – parties, gifts, and blowing out yet another candle are some of the typical highlights to look forward to. This year, however, one very special girl dreamed of something more – she dreamed of giving hope to other families battling cancer.

Morgan Tuttle, who just completed the fifth grade, knows firsthand how much of an impact a cancer diagnosis can have in the lives of patients and their families. Having watched her grandfather, whom she calls Poppy, stoically battle colon cancer for over three years, she knew that other families should never have to face this same experience. She knew that cancer needed to be stopped, and was not about to let her age serve as an impediment. As part of a class assignment, Morgan set out to spread the word about the role each of us can play in stopping cancer in its tracks. She created a website, crafted a presentation for her class, and shared her mission with friends and family – an effort which resulted in her successfully raising over $2,000 to support the colon cancer research being conducted by Dr. Nilofer Azad, a befitting tribute both to her Poppy and to the team who cared for him here at the Kimmel Cancer Center.

This July, Morgan and her family traveled over 400 miles from North Carolina to the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore to not only present the funds she had raised, but to visit the faculty and staff who had played such a role in their lives for so many years. And Morgan’s desire to make a difference did not stop with her fundraising efforts alone – as a special surprise, she also collected two toy chests filled with gifts for the children being treated in the Division of Pediatric Oncology. The toys will be shared with the campers at Camp Sunrise, the annual camp hosted by the Division which provides a week of fun, camaraderie, and support for pediatric oncology patients, including those who are still in active treatment.

The reality is that all of us have been touched by cancer in some way. Morgan’s generosity is a beautiful example of the capacity we all have to make a difference in the lives of others, and the power of philanthropy to shape the landscape of cancer medicine – no matter how old we are.