As pediatric cancer month drew to a close last month, Rhonda and Doug Brown, who founded Joshua’s Great Things Foundation in honor of their son Joshua, delivered a check for $45,000 to St. Louis Children’s Hospital. The donation will support the research of Joshua Rubin, MD, PhD, a pediatric neuro-oncologist at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. Since 2014, Joshua’s Great Things has donated $100,000 to St. Louis Children’s Hospital for ongoing research.
Dr. Rubin’s Washington University School of Medicine laboratory currently investigates the molecular basis for sex differences in brain tumors. Regardless of age, more males get brain tumors and overall they exhibit shorter progression-free survival than females. “In children with glioblastoma, the effect of sex on outcome can be greater than the effect of standard of care therapeutics. We are urgently seeking to know why so we can take another step toward more personalized and effective treatments for pediatric brain tumors,” Dr. Rubin says.
“Support from donors like the Browns enables the work of Dr. Rubin and a cadre of pediatric cancer researchers to keep up the pressure on cancers that threaten childhood, says Malcolm E. Berry, chief development officer, St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation. “We are humbled and so grateful that they have turned their grief of losing their child to cancer into a brave fight. We will stand with these Guardians of Childhood until no other family is made to experience what they did.”
About Joshua’s Great Things: Joshua’s Great Things is a 501(c)(3) organization that began in 2013 after Joshua Brown lost his life-long battle with brain cancer. The organization is committed to funding much needed pediatric brain cancer research and also to helping families who have a child receiving treatment for brain cancer. For more information, visit www.joshuasgreatthing.com or visit us on Facebook and Twitter.
About St. Louis Children’s Hospital: St. Louis Children’s Hospital has provided specialized care for children for more than 130 years. US News & World Report consistently ranks St. Louis Children’s among the nation’s best children’s hospitals. It is designated a Magnet hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, the nation’s highest honor for nursing excellence. St. Louis Children’s Hospital is affiliated with Washington University School of Medicine, one of the leading medical research, teaching and patient care institutions in the nation. The hospital is a member of BJC HealthCare. For more information, visit www.StLouisChildrens.org, or visit us @STLChildrens on Facebook and Twitter.