Proud of The Good We do!
“Just four months after losing our sweet girl, Maggie’s Mission became an official non-profit in September 2017, which happens to be pediatric cancer awareness month. Since then, we’re proud to have raised over $2 million (and counting!) to fight pediatric cancers and assist families in need.”
Above is a breakdown of the Good We Do. This information is updated almost weekly as our foundation grows and helps in more ways than ever.
Since the start, we’ve taken our grief and poured it into our Mission to honor our daughter’s love of children with three goals in mind…
Raise awareness.
We’ve been featured in interviews and articles both locally and even nationally - in the Chicago Tribune when we traveled cross country to tic off one of Maggie’s Bucket List items; on an episode of George to the Rescue, who graciously renovated our MM Headquarters in 2021; on Pix11, in the Long Island Press, on Faces of Long Island; News 12 Long Island; on WBAB/WBLI; in Newsday; on 100 Women Who Care about Long Island; in The Long-Islander; and many more. Visit our “In the Media” page to listen to our interviews, and read the articles.
We advocate for early detection which can greatly improve the survivability of pediatric cancers because unfortunately, pediatric cancers often go undiagnosed for too long, as in Maggie’s case. Awareness helps parents recognize symptoms, get diagnosed, and begin treatment sooner. Our advice to parents is to always trust their instincts.
Through our awareness, we highlight the lack of funding needed to find better treatment options. Maggie’s Mission is working hard to fill the funding gap that exists in pediatric cancer research.
Fund critical research that will help save lives.
Although survival rates have increased, cures and treatment options for rare cancers, like Maggie had, still have poor statistical outcomes. Since our founding, we’ve funded critical research to find cures at MSK Kids and most recently at Cold Spring Harbor Labs, for the work Chris Vakoc and his team are doing on Rhabdomyosarcoma, another sarcoma cancer that affects children. It’s a proven fact, research saves lives.
THE WORK WE SUPPORT
Help families.
Maggie’s Mission has supported families after their child has been diagnosed, by organizing wish trips; coordinating private plane trips for critically ill children and their families; paying full monthly mortgage payments; rent payments; expensive medical co-payments; fulfilling Amazon wish lists; purchasing iPads; building gaming computers so children are occupied while spending countless hours in the hospital; offering temporary housing to families in need; and feeding meals to families from around the world staying at the Ronald McDonald House in NYC, where we were once guests. We have worked non-stop since losing Maggie to help others in our position, while also protecting the privacy of the families we help.
How we do it.
We sell “Maggie Gear” to help get the word out. Our well designed, branded gear has been spotted across the United States and beyond!
We hold numerous fundraising events throughout the year - including Maggie’s Mile (being switched to a Fall 2023 S’mores for More Sunset Run); our signature Angelversary Gala; Maggie’s Challenge in local schools; and many others since 2017. We are the proud recipients of the proceeds from the Montauk Canyon Challenge (New York’s most popular offshore tuna fishing tournament), and have received grants for our work. We’ve dedicated ourselves to thinking outside the box to raise money so we can expand our reach and impact. The money we’ve raised in such a short time, combined with our dedication to our Mission is a testament to our determination and speaks volumes of our commitment to make change. Through our grief, beyond the obstacles the pandemic presented us all, Maggie’s Mission continues to grow. We are excited as we launch our unique fundraising ideas, which include S’mores for More and The Maggie Collection and look forward to a future with less toxic treatments, and continuing to help serve families with children affected by cancer.
$1,865,000 of the money we’ve helped raise has supported vital pediatric cancer research at MSK Kids. Specifically, a ground-breaking Malignant Rhabdoid Tumor research study, the rare and aggressive cancer that took Maggie’s life which typically affects young babies and children.
Pediatric sarcomas are very rare bone or soft tissue cancers. There are more than 50 unique subtypes of sarcoma, including MRT, each of which may respond to a different targeted therapy. One way to personalize treatment is immunotherapy, which harnesses the power of the immune system to attack cancer cells.
Thanks to donations to Maggie’s Mission, MSK Kids launched a new study that investigates the links between the genetics of MRT and treatment effectiveness. This data can then be used to match patients with specific mutations to the appropriate immunotherapy treatments and clinical trials, giving new hope to children battling this incredibly rare cancer.
“Maggie’s Mission does not have a cap on how much we provide to families suffering. We know and understand there is no limit to the help that is needed. Our team looks at each case on an individual basis. That makes the most sense to us.”
Our long term goals are to find cures for pediatric cancers to save children like Maggie. Until that happens, we recognize opportunities to help other local families and children going through what we did. Our ideas are as large as our hearts. We’d like to see a change in hospice care for children, starting locally. When Maggie was told she was dying and there was nothing more they could do to save her, she wanted to die at home. The experience, while already difficult was made even more so by juggling two teams of nursing care and fighting for medicines. There are very few options available besides a hospital situation for children facing a terminal illness. Maggie’s Mission wants to be a part of establishing a hospice for children locally in Western Suffolk County where currently none exist. We’d also like to see a larger support system for parents facing a diagnosis, both during, and after treatment.
“We all share a common goal: to cure children and help families fight childhood cancer. Maggie’s Mission and its supporters are critical in making this happen. ”
