Message from CEO Ann Friedholm

I am incredibly honored to be entrusted by the co-founders of the ChadTough Defeat DIPG Foundation to lead this organization as we embark on the next leg of our journey to truly destroy DIPG. The families and children who are forced to battle DIPG and other forms of pediatric brain cancer inspire not only me, but our entire staff and our army of volunteers, as well. To witness families endure the unimaginable, then turn around and direct their energy and emotion toward finding a cure so future families are spared the horror they have had to face, puts so much into perspective. What could be more fulfilling than leveraging my skills to help these families make an impact in their quest to help find viable treatments that will transform DIPG into something that is no longer, essentially, a death sentence?

Upon reflecting on my last five years leading The ChadTough Foundation and working with Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation to jointly grant over $8M for DIPG research, I deeply believe we can accomplish great things as a united organization in the next five years. Five years ago, we were tackling a hopeless disease. Today, we are surrounded by scientists who truly believe a cure will be found. In the near future, we are going to see that nearly 0% survival rate start to climb!

We are excited to think bigger and to be bolder along with the researchers working so hard to find a cure. Even while journeying through a pandemic and adapting to change, our staff is determined to navigate a successful path through whatever we face. We have to. What if the next child diagnosed is someone we know? Someone we love? How could we possibly give anything less than our all when we witness the strength and determination of our founders and Family Partners to change that survival rate to something far north of nearly 0%? Please stick with us and help us find ways to save the future children who will have to face a diagnosis of DIPG. We need all the help we can get!