Garrettsville native and J.A. Garfield Elementary fourth-grader Melana Matson lost her battle with children’s DIPG glioma cancer in 2009 at the age of 9. In 2011, her grandparents, Norm and Joyce Fashing of Garrettsville, established the Friends of Melana (FOM) Foundation in her honor and memory. “Our family’s loss highlighted the critical need for more glioma cancer research, so we established the Friends of Melana Foundation to support this vital research,” says Joyce Fashing. “Our hope is that no child, no family, and no community will ever have to experience what Melana did again.”
“With the tremendous support of generous donors, sponsors, and volunteers, FOM fund-raising efforts have raised more than $170,000 to support research to end children’s glioma cancer,” says Norm Fashing. “In 2011, our foundation joined with the Cleveland-based Prayers From Maria Children‘s Glioma Cancer Foundation, and the two foundations combined our resources to provide support for critical research. The Prayers From Maria Children’s Cancer Foundation has awarded more than $2,000,000 in seed-grants to support groundbreaking research. These grants have elicited more than $18,000,000 in federal research funding for children’s cancer.
“This past year, Prayers From Maria Foundation contributed to the DIPG All-in Initiative, a major collaborative effort of esteemed pediatric doctors, researchers and family foundations from across the nation and the world. The DIPG All-In Initiative develops, drives and coordinates DIPG studies to more effectively advance treatments,” adds Norm Fashing.
“Prayers From Maria is also funding the DIPG/DMG Nurse Navigator Program, in partnership with several other family foundations. The Nurse Navigator program connects families that are actively battling this disease with nurses experienced in pediatric oncology, so that they can get the information they desperately need in real-time with the compassion they deserve. This is so important,” adds Joyce Fashing.
“Support for research is growing and research is promising, but the work of our foundation must continue, because glioma cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in young people,” say the Fashings. They encourage others to support children’s glioma cancer research by making a tax-deductible donation by sending a check, payable to Friends of Melana, to P.O. Box 204, Garrettsville, Ohio 44231. Prayers from Maria Foundation dba Friends of Melana is a 501c3 organization, donations to which are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
