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2024 | Play it Forward Golf | October 18th
2024 | Poker at the Harbor | November 15th
2024 | Ski With a Purpose | December 14th

ABOUT US

We envision a world shining with possibility and free of pediatric brain cancer; where families can remain whole and little dreams can become big realities. We believe that through our efforts, through the good in individuals in our local and global community, and through the brilliance, collaboration, and hard work of focused scientists—we can make a difference in the world and we can change the lives of other families who are hurt by this terrible disease.

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McKenna’s first and last Halloween. A day when y

McKenna’s first and last Halloween. A day when you can be anything you can imagine....a monster, a pilot, a fireman, a super hero, a fairy. Never in a million years did we imagine when we took these pictures that McKenna would never get to choose a costume again, much less that she would never get to choose what she wanted to be when she grew up.

Maybe the signs were already there. She had a headache that night. We thought she ate too much candy or her headband was too tight. When you look at her eyes, they aren’t as big and bright as usual. We thought she was tired. We made it through the holidays and into January before a diagnosis, and for that I am grateful. But, I will always wonder whether she knew something was wrong before that. Something she wasn’t telling us, or just didn’t understand herself.

With that in mind, to give grace to little ones who may be slow to pick their candy, get to the door, or are afraid of your decorations - illnesses and effects from treatment, autism and other debilitating diseases are not always evident to the outsider. Remember to smile when teenagers come to the door - they just want to be kids one more time and could be out doing a lot worse things.

Be compassionate to the other adults walking their children through the neighborhood - they may be holding memories of children they will never see in costume again, much less hold in their arms, or wondering whether the child that currently holds their hand will live to see next Halloween.

Be kind, for behind the masks and the costumes, everyone you see has a story you know nothing about.❤ And please, give a special thought to those children who won’t be trick or treating today because cancer or illness is stealing their childhood.

Wishing you all a safe and happy Halloween

Please swipe and read. I wrote this 11 years ago,

Please swipe and read. I wrote this 11 years ago, when we had raised just $500,000 per research. We have now raised over $8 million, have continued to invest in Michelle Monje‘s lab as well as many more of the brightest researchers in the field, distributed Macky’s cell line to hundreds of researchers around the world, collaborated with multiple foundations to support tumor donation, nurse, navigators, data analysis, and more. We understand so much more about this disease, and are giving children a better quality of life. We couldn’t do any of this without you. But there is still work to be done Chipdren still do not survive this diagnosis. Every day, you help us take a step closer to making this a managed disease and giving children the full life they deserve.

This hit home… just as love, never ends, neither

This hit home… just as love, never ends, neither does grief. Channeling all those big feelings – the love, sadness, the gratitude, the longing- and finding purpose helps.

What the day after an event looks like when you ru

What the day after an event looks like when you run your foundation out of your house

Golfers are arriving

Golfers are arriving

12 years ago today our friends Cindy and Lou lost

12 years ago today our friends Cindy and Lou lost their beautiful boy Ty to brain cancer. In honor of Ty please read this portion Cindy’s blog on grief and losing your child…..”Maybe I was selfish. I knew he would never physically recover, but I wanted to keep him and take care of him no matter what. Lou would say, “I don’t want this life for him, he can’t walk, he can’t eat, he can hardly speak anymore…” and I would snap at him. “Don’t say that!” It would make me so mad when he said that, even though I knew in my heart he was just saying out loud what I knew to be true in my heart. It wasn’t the life I wanted for him, either, but if I was given the choice I would have kept him at any cost.

Twelve years later, I know that a life of pain and being trapped in a body that doesn’t work isn’t what I truly wanted for him. I just wanted the ability to continue taking care of him. Smelling his hair, kissing that warm space where his neck meets his shoulder, cradling him in my arms, hearing his voice, and feeling his love. His love for us radiated from him. It was beautiful and intoxicating to know how much my love and need for him was balanced by how much he loved and needed me. I had such purpose in those five years with him. He was all that mattered. When we watched his soul leave his body, my entire sense of self floated away with him, and I’ve been trying to find myself again ever since.

I didn’t know or understand grief at the time, but over the last 12 years I have developed a close and intimate relationship with that shadow that follows me everywhere. I have control of it now - most of the time. I can easily distract myself and redirect to help shoo it away, and I can also decide when to let the shadow engulf me. Today is always a day that I allow the grief in. I will sit with it today and I will allow the memories to wash over me because I never want to forget a single moment with him, not even those that are most painful. “

Last week Children’s Brain Tumor Network (MCF si

Last week Children’s Brain Tumor Network (MCF sits on their Executive Council) held their Summit at AWS headquarters in Virginia teaching researchers, practitioners, technicians and others how to more effectively use data and AI to speed the process of scientific discovery. Adam Resnick is the Director of Data Driven Discovery in Biomedicine at Children’s Hospital Philadelphia and will be our keynote speaker at MCF’s 2025 Party With a Purpose scheduled for May 10th. Mark your calendars!

Can’t wait to see you all at MCF’s Play It For

Can’t wait to see you all at MCF’s Play It Forward golf tournament this Friday!! Don’t worry, if you can’t make this event join us for Poker At The Harbor on November 15th or Ski With A Purpose in Park City on December 14th. Go to McKennaclairefoundation.org for details

Join us Friday, November 15th for Poker At The Har

Join us Friday, November 15th for Poker At The Harbor in the new location overlooking beautiful Newport Harbor. A fun night of poker, dinner, raffles, music and more! As always, it’s for a great cause… giving children and families facing a pediatric brain tumor diagnosis hope for a brighter future. Kick the holiday season off right and join us for the fun! See link in bio to sign up

Yesterday Dave and I were honored to be inducted i

Yesterday Dave and I were honored to be inducted into the Edison High School (our Alma mater) Hall of Fame. In reality, it was McKenna Claire Foundation that was being honored as we were surrounded by so many in our village (many of them high school friends) that have supported along the way. Please read the message to our community below:
“When we think about the true meaning of friendship, we often imagine the joy of shared experiences, the laughter, and the memories created over time. But it’s in times of profound hardship and unimaginable grief that the power of long-standing relationships truly reveals itself.

Forty years ago, I never could have predicted the depths to which my friendships would carry me. When our daughter was diagnosed with brain cancer, those friendships became lifelines. They were there for the moments of sheer disbelief and pain, and they became the community that wrapped itself around my family and me, holding us up when we could barely stand. It wasn’t just the presence of people, but the heart and the love they poured into our lives.

One friend, in particular, went beyond anything I could have imagined. She coordinated the donation of our daughter’s brain and spinal cord after her passing. I’ll never forget how she stepped in, guided us through the process, and helped us find meaning in the darkest of times. That donation led to the development of a cell line, which was shared with over 150 different researchers, free of charge. My daughter’s legacy, through that single act, has touched researchers around the world, fueling progress in the fight against this terrible disease.

Those initial grants, those first moments of research, laid the groundwork for advances that give hope to families like ours. And through it all, it’s a reminder that long-time relationships, built on decades of trust, loyalty, and love, become the foundation we lean on in times of need.

Friendships like these remind us that even in our greatest losses, we can find purpose. And through the kindness and generosity of others, our loved ones’ legacies live on in ways we could never have imagined.“

Thank you to our local Huntington Beach Walmart N

Thank you to our local Huntington Beach Walmart Neighborhood Market for selecting McKenna Claire Foundation as a recipient of the Spark Good Local Grant. On Monday MCF was presented with $1,000 to fund pediatric brain cancer research. Another example of why we believe our tagline “Shine a light. Build a community. Pay it forward.” Is the key to giving children and families HOPE. @walmart

At Saturday’s CHLA gala we also had the chance t

At Saturday’s CHLA gala we also had the chance to thank Sugar Ray Leonard for his kindness to McKenna during her illness. Dancing With The Stars was one of McKenna‘s favorite shows at the time and we attended a taping when he was a contestant. He treated Macky like a princess and we were so grateful for his thoughtfulness. On Saturday we relayed the story to him and he enveloped us both in a huge hug. In these times when the world seems to be filled with so much negativity, the philanthropy and the care that people like Sugar Ray Leonard pour back into the community is a much needed light. “Shine a light. Build a community. Pay it forward.” @sugarrayleonard @mckennaclairefoundation @dancingwiththestars

On Saturday we were privileged to be able to deliv

On Saturday we were privileged to be able to deliver a message from our buddy Max to Jimmy Kimmel and his beautiful wife, Molly, at the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles Gala. Jimmy and Max met when Max was young and going through extremely active treatment. Max was in to Super Loom and MaxLove held an event where their followers created looms with Max. Max then sent them to Jimmy where they became part of his super loom suit. Jimmy has been kind enough to follow Max‘s progress over the years and it was a joy to deliver Max’s message that he is on track to graduate early from high school this year, and a few personal words of thanks to Jimmy. Dave and I just wanted to add our incredible gratitude to Jimmy and Molly for being such kind and gracious human beings. We talked as parents about what it’s like to have children who have life-threatening illnesses and the irony of having supported places like CHLA before we ever knew we would need their services. Like us, they give back and do what they can to create hope for children and their families. @maxloveproject @jimmykimmellive @mmcnearney @jimmykimmel

We love working with our school partners during th

We love working with our school partners during the golf ball drop. Shine light, build a community, pay it forward. It’s everything that McKenna Claire Foundation believes in.

As Childhood Cancer Awareness Month draws to a clo

As Childhood Cancer Awareness Month draws to a close it seems appropriate that we wish Colin a happy heavenly birthday. Colin and his crew have become an integral part of MCF. Today we send Colin’s parents, Jen and Dan, our love as we celebrate the joy that Colin brought to the world and his bright light that still shines. Help us change the odds for children with brain cancer so that they can continue to grow and celebrate a full lifetime of birthdays

When you Google childhood cancer awareness, these

When you Google childhood cancer awareness, these are the facts that AI provides about childhood cancer:

Incidence
In 2024, an estimated 14,910 children and adolescents in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer, and 1,590 will die from the disease.

Types
The most common types of cancer in children include leukemias, brain tumors, lymphomas, and soft tissue tumors.

Survival
In high-income countries, more than 80% of children with cancer are cured, while in low- and middle-income countries, less than 30% are cured.

Causes
Childhood cancers are caused by gene mutations that happen by chance, usually as mistakes when cells divide.

Treatment
Most childhood cancers can be treated with generic medicines, surgery, and radiotherapy.

Prevention
Childhood cancer cannot generally be prevented or identified through screening.

Impact on family
Childhood cancer can affect the family’s need for care, self-esteem, social interaction, and functioning.
September may end on Monday, but our fight to find cures for children will not. Become a supporter and an advocate and give children, children and families Hope. (Graphic courtesy of Pediatric Cancer Resesrch Foundation)

This is the last week of Childhood Cancer Awarenes

This is the last week of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. An easy way to make a difference is to visit Mana’s and order Macky’s mac & cheese. A dollar from every order will go to MCF. We are so grateful for Mama’s continued support and partnership. They are true advocates of childhood cancer research.

Please swipe - this is what thriving with cancer l

Please swipe - this is what thriving with cancer looks like. Although still in the fight, our buddy Max continues to defy the odds and persevere in the face of a brain cancer diagnosis. Diagnosed on McKenna’s birthday the year she died, we have walked alongside Max and his family since almost the very beginning of his journey. The last 13 years have seen scary moments and times of celebration. Throughout it all his parents, Audra and Justin, have pushed to find the most effective approaches to treatment to give him the best quality of life. Because of this, Max has worked hard to take advantage of opportunities and pushed through tough times. We are so very proud of the young man he has become.

The pain of having your child be diagnosed with t

The pain of having your child be diagnosed with terminal cancer goes beyond words. You do everything in your power to live in the present moment and bring as much love and joy into their lives as you can. To this day, some of the most painful memories are the times when she would talk about the future and the things she wanted to do. The things most children, and adults, take for granted. Children deserve to have Hope for a future were they can live out their lives that are so full of possibilities. Go gold this September and help us spread awareness of the realities of Childhood Cancer. #childhoodcancerawarenessmonth

Thank you to the Neeve Kolte and Brave Ronil Found

Thank you to the Neeve Kolte and Brave Ronil Foundation for honoring McKenna during childhood cancer awareness month. These are two families who have joined the fight after the loss of their beautiful children and are doing amazing things to push scientific progress and give children hope

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MCKENNA CLAIRE FOUNDATION

P.O. Box 8094 Huntington Beach, CA 92615 714.612.0198 info@mckennaclairefoundation.org

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