Why I started Dillon's Dream

We started Dillon’s Dream in 2021 because my son Dillon’s cancer had relapsed, and he had to go to Boston for a clinical trial. I was not sure how we would pay for all the expenses, but we knew this was what we had to do. In Boston, the hospital social worker asked how she could help me with finances, housing, and travel. We didn’t get that type of help in California, and then I realized that there are not many nonprofits in California to help children with cancer. 

I know that this nonprofit will not help my son, but after seeing how many families are affected by having a child diagnosed with cancer, I know that I had to help someway. We bring awareness in the hope that the federal government will give more money to childhood cancer research.

During the last 2 years of our journey, we have met families with children diagnosed with Cancer, and I have learned a lot. I learned that in Dec 1971, President Nixon launched the war on Cancer that would give funding for research from the National Institutes of Health. According to Alexslemonade.org, Less than 4% of the annual federal budget from the National Institutes of Health is for childhood cancer research.