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Congrulations to our 2020 Brian Morden Foundation
Scholarship and Award Winners!
Brian Morden Memorial Scholarships
Raquel Dunio
Makayla Ruggery
Talon Crowther
Erin Dodson Memorial Scholarship
Margaret Fox
Brian Morden Foundation Survivor Awards
Timothy Boyles
Illana Cecilia
Jonah Zolank
Thanks Grammy (and PopPop) for your yearly birthday gift to Brian
and the BMF, ensuring that we will be able to award
a Brian Morden Memorial Scholarship.
This year we are also extremely grateful to those who donated to
Kiera's Dream ... a concert to benefit the Brian Morden Foundation
Monies designated for scholarships made our survivor awards possible!
Thank you to those who organized and participated
in the Erin Dodson Scholarship Fund Basket Raffle in September 2019
and others who have generously given
so that we will be able to award
Erin Dodson's Memorial Scholarship again this year.
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Researchers report progress in their projects
In January of this year, the Brian Morden Foundation presented a $35,000 check to Kelly Bailey, MD, PhD. Dr. Bailey is a physician scientist at the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. This donation was made possible because of the success of “Keira’s Dream … a concert to benefit the Brian Morden Foundation,” which was held in December 2019. Dr. Bailey’s clinical and research focus is on the adolescent bone tumor Ewing sarcoma, the type of cancer that took Brian Morden’s life. The goal of Dr. Bailey’s work is to discover more effective treatment combinations for patients with metastatic or relapsed Ewing sarcoma. Currently, Dr. Bailey is preparing two manuscripts for publication to share her findings and to collaborate with others in the field. For more information, please see this summary.
In addition, The Brian Morden Foundation continued their partnership with Philadelphia based Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) in the fight against childhood cancer.
In September 2019, during National Childhood Cancer Month, the BMF was thrilled to be able to present a check to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation to co-fund two projects. The year 2019 was significant for both Brian Morden Foundation’s co-founder/president Dawn Morden and vice-president Barbara Piper. Their sons (Brian Morden and Tim Piper), both born in 1984, would have been 35 in January and April respectively had their lives not been cut short by cancer. The Brian Morden Foundation Board of Directors chose to honor and remember Brian and Tim in a meaningful way using donor funds that were designated for research. The $35,000 donation was symbolic of the 35th birthdays Brian and Tim should have been celebrating.
Dr. Ferrando and Dr. Mullighan, partners in the “Crazy 8 Initiative” representing Columbia University and St. Jude Children’s Hospital, recently sent a brief project update regarding platform development for target identification in high risk pediatric leukemias.
Dr. Javed Khan, M.D. from the National Institute of Health and a participant in the ALSF’s “Crazy 8 Initiative,” submitted a final report summary about his project “Targeting Fusion-Driven Sarcomas.” Dr. Khan anticipates the publication of information and data regarding this project and plans to continue to the next phase of his work.
The Brian Morden looks forward to supporting these and other future promising research projects, several of which will be funded due to the generosity of a recent donation made in memory of Fred and Patricia Young. In addition to research, the Young donation enabled the BMF to provide gas cards to help with transportation costs to our local children and families battling childhood cancer. Easter for Eli baskets and filled Easter eggs provided by the Blair County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Association of School Retirees were delivered along with the gas cards and Fourth of July Brian Bags.
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February 15, 2016
13 years after Brian passed away from Ewing’s Sarcoma, cancer has not won the battle. Brian’s legacy continues through the lives of many others. The Brian Morden Foundation is excited and grateful to be able to announce a partnership with Alex’s Lemonade Stand.
Initially, we will be helping to fund a promising research study by John Bushweller, PhD, of the University of Virginia School of Medicine. Cancer WILL NOT win.
For more information, please see the press release.
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Happy 36th Birthday, Brian
January 10, 1984
SuperBrian
Please sign our guestbook to help us celebrate his life.
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YOU can make a difference
in the lives of the innocent children and families
who have to suffer with this horrendous disease.
Some suggestions from the Brian Morden Foundation:
Send cards to children with cancer. Contact the BMF for addresses.
Donate to the Brian Morden Foundation through our website.
You will be helping to fight back against childhood cancer.
Adopt "Issy" to send to a childhood cancer patient, give to a loved one, or keep for yourself.
Help Issy spread the word about the need for childhood cancer research!
Support the BMF through the purchase of merchandise.
Attend any upcoming BMF event!
Please see our National Childhood Cancer Awareness page to find out more.
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*Brian was lovingly cared for at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, the initial focus of the second BMF goal. We still plan to contribute in important ways to the oncology unit there, however, we have expanded our outreach with Brian Baskets and "Issy" bears, sending them to other pediatric cancer patients especially to those in the Altoona Area, Janet Weis Children's Hospital in Geisinger, Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey, and Children's Hospital of Philadelphia where some of our area children are being treated. We have also tried to brighten up the day for some children from the Ewing's Sarcoma list serv. If you know a child with cancer who could use a "pick-me-up," please contact us at fdj@brianmordenfoundation.org. We hope to be able to help as many pediatric oncology patients as possible.
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last updated 7/26/2020
