SEPTEMBER 2017 50 | FRONTDOORSMEDIA .COM {stories of perseverance} A 2ND ACT CHILDREN ' S CANCER NETWORK Judy Pearson | CONTRIBUTING WRITER “We’re going to make a difference!” These are powerful words to come from a high school senior, but they’re understandable given the scene Jenny Luttrell had just witnessed. Her younger brother, Jeff, was undergoing a bone marrow transplant after having survived his fourth diagnosis with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The Luttrell family had endured a great deal, but always with insurance coverage and the necessary funds to travel for treatment. The family in the room next to the Luttrells at the University of Arizona Medical Center in Tucson was not that lucky. Their daughter was being treated, too, but they didn’t have enough money for gas to get home. “We collected money from all the families in the waiting room to help them,” said Patti Luttrell, Jeff and Jenny’s mom. “That was the day Children's Cancer Network was born.” The organization began as Jenny’s high school philanthropy project, raising seed money with a garage sale. Today, it has an operating budget of $900,000, with Patti at the helm as co-founder and executive director. Fulfilling their mission of giving hope to children and families dealing with childhood cancer takes every penny. Broadly, their work includes providing financial assistance, creating awareness of childhood cancer issues, and offering education about healthy lifestyles. And after a decade, their work is still focused on the families. With September being Child Cancer Awareness Month, it's a good time to look at the work Children's Cancer Network is doing in the community. “We work with them from moment of diagnosis through survivorship,” Patti says. “We stick with them for as long as their journeys take them. They can come in and out of our support services.” Children’s Cancer Network provides 'WE STICK WITH THEM FOR AS LONG AS THEIR JOURNEYS TAKE THEM'

SEPTEMBER 2017 FRONTDOORSMEDIA .COM | 51 A 2ND ACT CONTINUED