About The Bat Run
The Jesse Heikkila Foundation, a 501c3 non profit organization was created in July 2014 in memory of Jesse Heikkila. Jesse passed away at the tender age of 7 after a five year battle with Stage IV Neuroblastoma cancer.
Our goals are:
To raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer.
To encourage community involvement motivating everyone to be an advocate for children with cancer.
They cannot fight alone.
We will be raising funds to support The Neuroblastoma and Medulloblastoma Translational Research Consortium (NMTRC). The NMTRC is a group of 18 universities and children’s hospitals headquartered at the Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital that offer a nationwide network of childhood cancer clinical trials. These trials are based on the research from a group of closely collaborating investigators who are linked with laboratory programs developing novel therapies for high-risk neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma.
The NMTRC mission is to create a national collaborative effort of researchers, oncologists and family advocates to bring forward new therapies for children with relapsed neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma with the goal of improving the quality of life and survival of children with neuroblastoma and medulloblastoma
For more information, please visit http://www.nmtrc.org
About Neuroblastoma
Neuroblastoma is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells form in nerve tissue. About 700 children are diagnosed with neuroblastoma per year. It is usually found in young children. These solid tumors can begin in nerve tissues in the neck, chest, abdomen, pelvis, or, most commonly, in the adrenal gland. They may also spread to other areas of the body, including bone and bone marrow. Diagnosis of neuroblastoma can be complicated because its symptoms mimic so many other diseases. In the majority of cases, neuroblastoma has already spread to areas outside of the original site at the time of diagnosis.
Relapsed Neuroblastoma offers no cure and little treatment options. Neuroblastoma is regarded as an orphan disease and funding is minimal. Many families of Neuroblastoma patients create organizations and collaborate to raise the necessary funds to further research to find a cure.
Current Fundraisers
Visit the profiles of our fundraisers below to learn more about why they are supporting the cause!
