(Newswire.net — November 22, 2019) — The Sadie Keller Foundation is a foundation dedicated to supporting and empowering children and families battling childhood cancer. For families of young patients facing terrifying circumstances, the Sadie Keller Foundation represents a key source of love, support, and genuine care, provided during a family’s time of greatest need. The Foundation also lobbies for increased spending on childhood cancer research and advancements in the fight against pediatric cancer.
Not only is the Sadie Keller foundation providing feel-good support and encouragement for children and families enduring one of life’s most difficult and trying hardships, but the deeper beauty of this foundation lies in the fact that it was founded by a survivor herself.
Who Is Sadie Keller?
Sadie Keller, currently a 10-year-old fifth-grader and survivor of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, is the powerful force and inspiration behind the philanthropic mission of the Sadie Keller Foundation.
Diagnosed at the age of seven, Sadie spent almost three years enduring a series of infections, blood transfusions, and rare, complex side effects while battling this challenging and life-threatening disease. During this period she received weekly chemotherapy treatments, totally missing out on 2nd and 3rd grade at school, and essentially missing out on the fun of just being a normal and healthy kid. Sadie received her last chemotherapy treatment on May 26, 2017.
A Natural Leader and Educator Starting at Age 7
Beginning about 2 months after her diagnosis, Sadie took it upon herself to start making videos about her experiences with battling cancer as a child. Because Sadie often felt distraught and frightened not knowing what to expect during cancer treatment, she created these videos in order to help other kids feel less frightened by becoming informed ahead of time of what to expect.
Initially, Sadie’s videos began as a secret project that she produced while hidden in a closet without her parents’ awareness. But once her family discovered the rare jewel that their daughter had created, young Sadie eventually began sharing her videos, and soon saw how they became a source of strength and support for many other childhood cancer patients, as well as for their families. Eventually the videos became available for many children and families, and even aired on ESPN during the popular Jimmy V week devoted to cancer research.
Having learned that she could help others facing the same challenges that she faced provided Sadie with the encouragement and strength that she needed in order to fulfill her newfound mission. Upon becoming aware of the tragic fact that childhood cancer research is grossly underfunded, she began working with The Truth 365, an Emmy Award-winning documentary film and grass-roots social media campaign that provides a voice for children fighting all forms of childhood cancer.
Sadie’s Mission
While battling her own health issues, young Sadie also became an outspoken advocate for families battling pediatric cancer. The mission of the Sadie Keller Foundation is to raise awareness, provide support for families and patients, and encourage more spending on childhood cancer research.
And thanks to the foundation’s fruitful partnerships with other childhood cancer organizations, Sadie has earned a powerful platform to share her story and educate people on the reality of living with childhood cancer. Sadie has been invited to speak at the Childhood Cancer Caucus at the Nation’s Capitol on several occasions. She has also acted as a lobbyist to members of Congress, in particular in lobbying for the STAR Act, and contributed to the passing of the Race for Children Act, both of which benefit pediatric cancer research.
Sadie, as a representative of the Sadie Keller Foundation, participates every year in the CureFest for Childhood Cancer event held in Washington D.C. every September, which also happens to be Childhood Cancer Awareness month. Sadie has appeared on several national TV programs including Fox News’ America’s News HQ, Varney and Co., America’s Newsroom, and Inside Edition, where she shared information about the Sadie Keller Foundation and discussed the need for better funding for pediatric cancer research.
Sadie is now only 10 years old and has an amazing track record as a public speaker and lobbyist, while playing a leadership role in her foundation, where she continues to raise her voice in the fight for better funding for pediatric cancer research and support for families battling childhood cancer across the United States.
A Legacy of Hope, Support, and Love
In addition to working as a lobbyist and advocate of childhood cancer research, Sadie and the Sadie Keller Foundation also provide loving support directly to childhood cancer patients and their families. Among the foundation’s initiatives are Sadie’s Sleigh, a program that delivers Christmas gifts to hospitalized children and their families, as well as Milestone Gifts for kids who complete arduous tests and treatments as part of their cancer treatment plan. Parents also receive support in the form of Parent Packs that help provide such things as meals, coupons, and gift cards for parents juggling the challenges of facing tough medical issues with real-life problems and obligations.
Sadie also happens to be an incredible artist. When not actively participating in the mission and work of her foundation, she creates beautiful works of art that embody a spirit of optimism and hope.
Funding for Childhood Cancer: Where is the Money?
One of the driving factors that led Sadie and her family to create the Sadie Keller Foundation is the fact that less than 4% of the billions of dollars that the United States federal funding for cancer research provides yearly to the National Cancer Institute is allocated to research on pediatric cancer. This includes all childhood cancers combined.
For this reason, it is particularly important to acknowledge the importance of corporate contributions to organizations such as the Sadie Keller Foundation. Among the Foundation’s funders, they credit the Mays Family Foundation, The Seay Group Realty, Southwest Airlines, Newport Home Builders, Coulder Peak Capital, The Kimberly Hotel, and a series of other corporate and foundation donors who have generously given to advance the cause of childhood cancer research and advocacy for patients with pediatric cancer.
One recent and significant donation came from Matt Fleeger, CEO of Gulf Coast Western, Inc., who raised $14,000 for Sadie and her foundation. An influential business leader in the oil and gas, medical waste management, and tanning industries, Fleeger is known for his deep-pocket contributions to children’s causes. For instance, Fleeger recently founded the Fleeger Family Kitchen at Parish Episcopal STEM Facility in Dallas, Texas as a part of his commitment to advancing opportunities in STEM-based learning for kids. Fleeger’s corporate contribution to the Sadie Keller Foundation will support gift packs for kids and families battling childhood cancer, as well as critical lobbying efforts to support increased spending on pediatric cancers in the battle to eradicate childhood cancer across the United States.
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