Team Little Owl is proud to be a part of the Children’s Brain Tumor Project (CBTP) at Weill Cornell. We connected with the CBTP after Allie’s autopsy confirmed that it was gliomatosis cerebri that took her life.  We hoped that we would find a place that was researching gliomatosis cerebri so that Allie could help other children that are affected by pediatric brain tumors.

We contacted Dr. Jeffrey Greenfield at the CBTP, and we spoke over the phone about the project.  He shared its inspiration and vision, and this gave us hope for future families.  We could hear the excitement and passion in his voice as he spoke about the progress being made at the CBTP.  Allie’s tumor was not altered from chemo or radiation, so this made it valuable for research. It was sent to Dr. Greenfield’s lab in August of 2013. It has since been genetically sequenced, and that data is being compared with the other gliomatosis cerebri samples. The researchers are looking at all of the common mutations between the samples. From there, they will develop targeted therapies to treat these tumors, and give hope to children like Allie in the future.

The CBTP is powered by donations from families and supporters of the children diagnosed with these inoperable brain tumors. Team Little Owl was honored to participate in the CBTP Family Council at Weill Cornell in March of 2014.  The meeting brought together the families who have lost children to gliomatosis cerebri, DIPG and other terrible rare brain cancers. We spent the day with Dr. Greenfield and a team of physicians, researchers, and administrators that are so dedicated to this cause. They are creating innovative ways to work towards safe and effective treatments and ultimately a cure.  All proceeds from the annual Allie’s Sale are made to the CBTP.