Katie Gerstenberger Endowment

Center for Childhood Cancer Research OPENS!

2011-07-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

This week, on Wednesday evening, my mother and I met Charlotte at the beautiful Hyatt at Olive 8 hotel to join in the celebration of the opening of

Seattle Children's Hospital's new Center for Childhood Cancer Research, which will be led by Dr. Michael Jensen. We listened to brief speeches, and took a tour of the new laboratory facility. If you live in the Seattle area, I encourage you to look up the center, or schedule a tour. It is a light, bright, exciting space, where dreams of HOPE are going to be translated scientifically into CURES. If you are looking for a cause, a place to lend your voice, or a charity to support, please consider the Center for Childhood Cancer Research.

The income from the

Katie Gerstenberger Endowment

for Cancer Research

supports this center and its work.

As of now, the principal in Katie's endowment is

$163,284.

This is due to the generosity of Katie's family and friends, and

we thank you.

Our aim is to continue to support its growth, and to use the income to help researchers to find cures, so that other families do not have to watch their children suffer or die from cancer!

Please click on the links to read more about this event, and the center itself,
here, here, here and here.

Gratitude

2011-07-10T16:42:00.000-07:00

We want to share with you our gratitude to the Merritt family.

Because of Charlotte's thoughtfulness in naming the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment for Cancer Research at Seattle Children's Hospital in Fred's obituary, 22 new donations have been received thus far.

Along with our sadness over Fred's passing, we feel enormous gratitude for his and Charlotte's kindness and generosity.

Our Dear Friend, Fred Merritt

2011-06-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

Our family received hard news this week. Our dear friend, Fred Merritt, passed away. Fred was a wonderful friend and a dear man, and we will miss him terribly. You can learn more about his many accomplishments HERE.

Fred and my father met in elementary school. Fred and his beautiful wife, Charlotte, fell in love at the University of Washington, and are two of my parents' dearest friends. We came to know them when our children were in elementary school, and I will give you a few examples of why I love them both so much.

When David had to write a report in the 4th grade, he chose the Ford Motor Company as his topic. Fred was retired from Ford, so David asked if he could interview Fred about it. Fred not only generously took time to answer David's questions, he gave him photographs and interesting historical information. In addition to that, when the day arrived for David's presentation of the report, Fred & Charlotte took the ferry over from Seattle and sat in the audience in David's elementary school classroom to support him. How precious is that?

Dad & Fred in the desert

Fred and Charlotte have a home near my parents' place in the desert. It is always fun to get together with them for dinner or a visit. They are so good with children, and were very kind to ours. I will always remember the first time they invited us to their home so that the children could enjoy swimming in a different pool.

David & Katie in the pool at TVC

And the time we went to dinner at Arnold Palmer's resturant, with Charlotte getting a kick out of David's questions about why we weren't using the valet parking. Or the time when they invited us to their beautiful club - and David brought a remote-control car along, to drive in the parking lot with the other fancy motors.

Fred & Charlotte are fun, intelligent, warm and adventurous. They have taken some wonderful guided trips with my parents and other friends. Some of their best stories come from the Stan Boreson Tours that they took together. We loved having them to our house for visits, sharing dinner at Burrata Bistro or a clam-feed on our deck, and they always appreciated a gift of lefse from our local Norwegian bakery (Charlotte is of Norwegian heritage).

Fred has a very dry sense of humor. He and my father are hilarious together, because my dad is theatrical and Fred is understated. Fred has a way of sputtering, especially in response to my father's more dramatic story-telling. We loved hearing Fred's gentle rumblings as he teased my dad. "Unbelievable!" was often all he had to say, but it was the way he said it that made it work.

Dad & Fred

Fred had some hilarious sayings. One of our favorites - and the most-quoted in our household - is, "It's not going well." He would say it slowly, quietly and with gentle sarcasm when things were getting well out of hand.

Fred was a hugger and kisser whenever we would get together. I will miss his loving greetings. He was always perfectly dressed and groomed, a very dapper and handsome man. He was a Marine who had been wounded three times in World War II, and still had his helmet with the hole in it. He was modest, but when we asked to see the helmet (and his Purple Heart medal), he showed them to us. It is impressive, as is his service record.

Fred and Charlotte came to the hospital to visit us when Katie was sick, and brought a book for her. They have been the most loyal, thoughtful, affectionate and sympathetic friends to my parents, coming all the way from Seattle to attend Katie's memorial service. They have encouraged us and supported our efforts in Katie's Endowment for Cancer Research. They have been kind, generous, always interested in David and in us. They are like extended family...and I feel as if my uncle has passed away.

Charlotte has asked that donations in Fred's memory go to either the Ryther Child Center or the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment for Cancer Research at Seattle Children's Hospital. We are overwhelmed with gratitude to her for thinking of the endowment, particularly at this painful time. Please remember our dear friend Fred and his family in your thoughts and prayers.

Article in EHL Insurance's Newsletter about Katie's Endowment

2011-02-09T12:19:00.000-08:00

EHL Insurance, our family's long-time insurance provider, has published an article in their newsletter about the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment for Cancer Research and Katie's Comforters Guild. You can read it HERE.
Thank you, EHL Insurance!

Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network (C.A.N.)

2010-11-09T08:43:00.000-08:00

The Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network (C.A.N.) website is LIVE, and it's awesome! Please follow this link and browse through the site. There are interesting pages on the site that will inform and inspire you. "Our Partners" is a group of businesses that have hosted donation cans to help us raise awareness and funds in our own communities. Look for Poulsbo, Bainbridge Island and Silverdale businesses that you know, and please thank them by doing business with them! Every bit of support for the Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network goes to pediatric cancer research! You will find Katie's Comforters Guild featured in the "About Us" tab.

THANKS and HOPE

2010-09-15T12:02:00.000-07:00

Our generous family and friends, we

thank you.

The principal balance of the

Katie Gerstenberger

Endowment for Cancer Research

as of August, 2010 is

$121,209.

We will use the income from this principal to continue to fund solid tumor research, per Katie's wishes. The focus of our funding will now be the work of Dr. Mike Jensen, who recently moved to the Seattle Children's Hospital Center for Childhood Cancer from the City of Hope in L.A.

Dr. Jensen is pioneering the use of the body's own immune system to treat cancer. He has succeeded in "teaching" immune system cells to recognize cancer cells, and to destroy them. You can see and hear Dr. Jensen explaining how it works in

this brief video.

Please take a few moments to watch, and be filled with HOPE.

It is happening - our hopes, our prayers, are on the way to being answered. Thanks be to God!

Something Wonderful: HOPE

2010-07-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

There is important (and wonderful) news over at Gberger.

The Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network (CAN)

2010-06-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

There is a new blog on the block! The Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network (CAN) is a group that is meeting monthly to prepare for September's Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and it now has a blog: http://www.seattlechildrenscan.blogspot.com/ . Please visit (and follow) to learn what is going on with the guilds that support cancer research. Everyone is welcome!

Katie's Comforters Guild is listed as one of the guilds that supports cancer research. The guild's connection to cancer research is 1) because Katie died of cancer, 2) our family and friends created the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment for Cancer Research in 2007 and 3) we began our work by sewing quilts for children in the cancer ward at Seattle Children's Hospital - and we've now expanded to blanket the entire hospital. As you know, Katie's endowment is for solid tumor research, to help find a cure for the kind of tumor she had (adrenocortical carcinoma). Since adrenocortical carcinoma is very rare, Katie's endowment supports ALL solid tumor research with the income that is generated by the principal in the endowment. At last count, the principal was just over $100,000.

We are thankful for the creation of the Seattle Children's Cancer Advocacy Network (CAN), and excited to see what lies ahead.

More Good News

2010-04-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

We recently received an update from the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment for Cancer Research's Legacy Planning Officer, Christina.

"I'm writing to share some good news about Children's Unified Endowment Fund (UEF) and the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment for Cancer Research. Thanks to a disciplined investment strategy overseen by our Investment Advisory Committee and professional investment advisors, Children's endowed funds have benefitted from the recent market rally. The UEF gained 27.5% in calendar year 2009, compared to the S&P 500, which gained 26.5% during the same period.

"As of December 31, 2009, the market value of the UEF has grown to $444 million and the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment for Cancer Research is valued at $100,866. By comparison, Children's UEF was $333 million on March 31, 2009 - the lowest point of the global market collapse - and your endowment was valued at $58,557. Children's financial team continues to carefully monitor the asset allocation and rebalance the portfolio when necessary to support continued recovery and growth."

The balance may actually be higher, thanks to gifts that have been given since the beginning of 2010.

Thank you for supporting the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment for Cancer Research at Seattle Children's Hospital! Remember that the principal amount stays with the endowment fund, and the income is used to fund research.

Katie's Birthday

2010-03-08T23:55:00.000-08:00

Today, March 8, is Katie's birthday.

She would have been 15 years old, and in the 9th grade.

I would like to thank those of you who have given to her endowment in honor of her birthday.

If you'd like to read more about Katie and her birthday, visit my blog at www.karengberger.blogspot.com.

Good News: Donations

2010-01-14T10:50:00.000-08:00

I just received a note from Christina, who helps us with Katie's endowment at the Seattle Children's Hospital Foundation. Due to the generosity of family and friends, we have a new total in the principal of the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment for Cancer Research.

Christina wrote, "I thought you would like to know that the current fair market value of Katie’s endowment is $98,846, thanks to recent contributions from your family and friends. We are hoping that the stock market will continue to recover and to add value to all endowments at Children’s!"

Thank you for your generosity. Together, we can help to fulfill Katie's wish (and ours) to move cancer research forward (and the hope for better treatments and a cure). God bless you!

Endowment Income - What's in Store for 2010

2009-10-20T23:02:00.000-07:00

Katie's oncologist is Dr. Julie Park. Her specialty is neuroblastoma, one of the cancers for which Katie's tumor was initially mistaken. Dr. Park is a highly respected researcher in the field. Dr. Park is our medical advisor on the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment for Solid Tumor Research.

Katie had a biopsy when she was admitted to Seattle Children's Hospital. A biopsy is a surgical procedure in which a small sample of tumor is removed for testing. The purpose is to diagnose exactly what sort of cancer the patient has, so that the treatment can be tailored to wipe it out. Katie's tumor defied pathological diagnosis. At first, it was thought to be a Wilms' Tumor. Then it was thought to be neuroblastoma. After Katie's first round of chemotherapy, Dr. Park began to suspect that it wasn't a neuroblastoma after all, but adrenocortical carcinoma (or adrenal cortical carcinoma), which is much more rare than either of the other two.

Dr. Park conferred with experts in pathology. She communicated with oncologists at St. Jude's Children's Hospital in Tennessee, where the leading research on adrenocortical carcinoma is being performed by Dr. Rodriguez-Galindo and Dr. Rubiero. They shared their protocol for treating this rare disease with Dr. Park, and she changed Katie's chemo regimen to follow the St. Jude's team's protocol. Although the most current treatment was given, and the primary tumor was removed after 5 rounds of chemotherapy, the cancer recurred within a few months (in spite of follow-on drug therapy, as well). The thinking about adrenocortical carcinoma is that it is a slow-growing cancer; this was clearly not the case for Katie! Obviously, more needs to be known about pediatric cancer, which is the main reason why Katie wanted her Endowment to fund solid tumor research. Katie's preference was that it fund adrenocortical carcinoma research, but since that is such a rare disease, her Endowment funds solid tumor research in general, which should benefit all solid tumor cures, in the long run.

Dr. Park plans to use this year's endowment distributions for travel to a conference: the international Advances in Neuroblastoma Research meeting. The meeting will take place in June, 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden. Dr. Park will participate in the exchange of information among worldwide investigators who are studying neuroblastoma biology, diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy. Dr. Park will be able to share data with cancer investigators who are working at other institutions, and then bring what she learns back to Seattle Children's Hospital, where she will continue her research, and her work as an attending physician.

If you have any questions, please leave them in the "comments" section that follows this posting, and I will reply as soon as possible. Thank you again for your support of Katie's Endowment!

Mini- Update on Financials at the Endowment

2009-09-15T08:27:00.000-07:00

Here is some information that I received in response to my questions about the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment for Solid Tumor Research at Seattle Children's Hospital.

Question: What is the current principal amount in the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment for Cancer Research?
In July of 2008, the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment at Seattle Children's Hospital had a principal value of over $79,480.00. Seattle Children's Hospital is nearing completion of its annual financial reports on endowment performances (this updated information will be available soon). Individual endowments (like Katie's) are pooled with Children’s United Endowment Fund (UEF). Due to last fall’s dramatic stock market downturn, Children’s UEF was negatively affected.

For the one-year period from April 1, 2008 to March 31, 2009, Seattle Children's UEF declined by 29%. In contrast, the Standard & Poor’s 500 declined 38% in the same time period, which means that the UEF declined less than this benchmark index. The Good News: Recovery in the Unified Endowment Fund, from March 31, 2009 to June 30, 2009, was 15%.

Question: How much money has Katie's Endowment generated for cancer research in the past year?
Like the overall Children’s UEF, Katie’s endowment principal has declined in value; even so, the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment generated income of $2,494 between April 1, 2008-March 31, 2009. The principal remains in the endowment, and its income is used to fund research.

Since Katie’s endowment principal has declined in value, the distributions to support cancer research will be correspondingly smaller as we go forward. To recover the original value of the principal, Children’s will continue its prudent and broadly diversified investment strategy.

Question: What else can be done to help?
You can contribute to the endowment, and encourage family and friends to do the same, so that the principal recovers its original value faster. Simply put, more principal means more income generated, which equals more research toward finding cures for cancer.

Thank you for your support of Katie's Endowment for Cancer Research!

Information from National Institutes of Health on Adrenocortical Carcinoma

2009-09-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

If you are interested in reading more about adrenocortical carcinomas, you can click on this link, which leads to an article on the topic. On the right side of the page is a listing of related articles. The National Institutes of Health website has information on a wide range of cancer topics. Click on this link if you want to search the NIH site.

Most pediatric cancers are viewed and treated differently than cancer of the same name in adults, because children respond differently to treatment.

The Katie Gerstenberger Endowment at Seattle Children's Hospital

2009-06-17T14:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

This blog was created to keep you up to date on what is going on over at the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment for Cancer Research (solid tumors) at Seattle Children's Hospital.

Katie was a vibrant, active, intelligent, kind, funny sparkly girl of 11 when she was diagnosed with a huge tumor in her abdomen. She had no symptoms until about 3 weeks before her diagnosis, when she began to exhibit the symptoms of a virus. After 3 weeks of clinic visits and tests, the horrendous news came that she was in grave danger of losing her life, and had to be admitted to the hospital immediately. Experts were consulted in various places around the world to diagnose her specific type of tumor, and to determine the best course of treatment for it.

We spent the next 5 months supporting Katie as she endured 5 rounds of toxic chemotherapy, as well as an 18-hour surgery to remove the tumor (and a kidney, adrenal gland, inferior vena cava and a lobe of her liver). It's a miracle that she survived this surgery, and she spent 6 weeks in the hospital, recovering from it. She then was allowed to go home to recuperate further, and began to take a pill-form of "maintenance" chemotherapy. By early summer, she was strong enough to go to the American Cancer Society's Camp Goodtimes West (on Vashon Island) for a week with her brother, David.

Sadly, a couple of weeks after camp, Katie began to suffer from severe pain. We took her to the clinic, and then to the hospital for a CT scan, & upon reviewing it, her doctor discovered another large tumor - but this one was inoperable. We took Katie home to begin hospice care.

The one bright spot during this time was that Katie's dream of being a bridesmaid came true. She was the maid of honor for her cousin Andrea's wedding to Mike Cunningham. Katie LOVED being their maid of honor. We treasure those memories.

We (Katie's family) created this endowment in her honor, and we asked Katie what she wanted the funds to be used for. Her answer was that she wanted the endowment to support research to find a cure for solid tumors such as the one she had, which was adrenocortical carcinoma. She knew that the endowment was started before she passed away. The principal of the endowment is preserved, and the income is collected and used to fund research.

When Katie passed away, we asked people to donate to her endowment instead of sending flowers to us. The did this very generously, and many people have continued to support the endowment. It was up to nearly $80,000.00 last summer, before the stock market took a tumble. It is now near $66,000.00, and Dr. Julie Park (Katie's oncologist) is the one who advises us on where the income can best be used to carry out Katie's wishes.

If you would like to know more about the Katie Gerstenberger Endowment for Cancer Research, please leave a comment here. If you would like to donate to Seattle Children's Hospital in Katie's memory, please click HERE.