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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.

Recent Posts

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A huge thank you to David Wilson’s Toyota of Las

A huge thank you to David Wilson’s Toyota of Las Vegas, through the Denver Region Toyota Region Advertising Group, who championed a $10,000 donation to MCF as part of this year Butterfly Campaign. We are so grateful to GM Scott Redden and Business Manager Andrea Howell and their team for funding HOPE for children diagnosed with brain cancer.
@toyotaoflv

IMPORTANT!!! Swipe to read important and hopeful n

IMPORTANT!!!
Swipe to read important and hopeful news from Monje lab. MCF has been with Monje lab from the early days. Your donations over the past 13 years played a pivotal role in the growth of her lab and the results of her research. You ARE giving children HOPE❤️🦋 Science isn’t fast, it’s taken over a decade to get to this point, but the needle is finally moving

Please read. Brain cancer does not discriminate by

Please read. Brain cancer does not discriminate by age or country, nor does the need for more funding and research. We met Alex‘s parents, Katie and Martin, at the International Symposium for Pediatric Neuro Oncology. The family is British and Alex was diagnosed as what, in our country, we would consider an adolescent or young adult (AYA). As such, in the US Alex would qualify for most pediatric clinical trials. In England, this was not the case. Katie and Martin were here funding research and preemptively looking for the next treatment for Alex. The whole reason we initially connected with the family was because Alex has the same brain cancer that our buddy and neighbor Ryder does. It is heartbreaking to me at 13 years after McKenna‘s death, it is still parents who are personally searching out treatment and funding a good amount of the progressive research in the hopes of saving their child.

It’s that time of year again. Our good friend Li

It’s that time of year again. Our good friend Lisa Roberts is organizing a holiday gift drive for DIPG families referred to us by our researchers. well, we may not be able to cure this disease yet, we can give children and their families, a little bit of joy during the soft and difficult time of year. Please comment or DM below if you would like to participate, be a collection leader, or have any questions.

We, as a family, are humbled and honored to be sur

We, as a family, are humbled and honored to be surrounded by those that choose to serve. From my great-grandfather in WWI, my grandfather and great-uncle in WWII, uncles who served in Vietnam, good friends (and now their children) that served and continue to serve in today’s armed forces, to my former student, who served in Afghanistan.
Freedom isn’t free, and our servicemen and women willingly put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms we often take for granted. Please take a moment today to thank the veterans you know, and remember that the battle doesn’t always end when their tour of duty is over. Unfortunately, we lost my student, Edwin (featured in the photo in the bottom left) to circumstances directly related to PTSD.
Just as the medical system is often lacking when caring for our children, it is also lacking when it comes to the health and welfare of our soldiers and sailors when they return home. Today, consider donating to a charity focused on helping our warriors and their families live healthy productive lives

Some incredibly happy and hopeful news after an em

Some incredibly happy and hopeful news after an emotional week. Our buddy Max is stable after over 13 years of treatment. His ability to grow and thrive in the face of cancer has been inspiring. We fight every day so that more kids diagnosed can have the experience Max has had. It may not be a cure, but managed disease that allows you to live a full life is some we’ll take.

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.

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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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