On September 28, 2019 Team Parker for Life (TPFL) is hosting our 1st Annual Hearts of Gold Gala at Sycuan’s beautiful new resort and Casino. The purpose of this event is to raise awareness for pediatric cancer, while raising funds to support families who have a child afflicted by this disease, and to support cancer research.
Parker David Shaw’s story inspired our team to develop TPFL into a public charity in 2014. Parker was a vivacious and energetic little boy. On April 10, 2013, doctors found a tumor above his kidney on his left adrenal gland. At just 6 years old, Parker was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma* and his cancer had already spread to his bones and marrow. With the financial support of friends, family, and the community, my family was able to find a team of doctors that specialized in his cancer. After a long and heart wrenching battle, and millions of prayers, Parker is thriving today. Our mission is to raise funds for pediatric cancer research, but also to provide the same financial support that we once received, to other families fighting this disease.
*Neuroblastoma is a cancer that develops from immature nerve cells found in several areas of the body. This cancer most commonly arises in and around the adrenal glands, which have similar origins to nerve cells and sit atop the kidneys. However, Neuroblastoma can also develop in other areas of the abdomen and in the chest, neck and near the spine, where groups of nerve cells exist. Neuroblastoma most frequently affects children age 5 or younger, though it may rarely occur in older children.