Why We Do What We Do

Austin's Story

Austin Wade was born on August 15th, 2000. He grew up like any other Southern Illinois kid: he loved the Cardinals, playing baseball, and hanging out with friends and family. But before he turned 10, his mom started to notice some unusual changes. He wasn't balancing as well as before, and his neat handwriting was taking a serious downgrade. At first, his primary care physician didn't find anything amiss. But when his fifth grade teachers noted that his academics were suffering, Denise decided to take action. A CT scan later, Austin was diagnosed with a glioneuronal tumor: stage 4 cancer that involves two other stage 4 cancers in the brain and spinal cord.

Over the next year and a half, Austin battled hard. He underwent 3 brain surgeries, 30 days of radiation treatments, constant chemotherapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, 3 lumbar punctures, countless MRIs, hearing tests, heart scans, kidney and liver tests, 2 different ports in his chest, stem cell extraction, and endless neurological testing. In the last months of his life, seizures were frequent and often required trips to St. Louis.

Being the sole care provider for her child and a single mother, Denise felt buried beneath the responsibilities. Besides the intense emotional stress of watching her child suffer, she was undergoing serious financial stress. Between travel expenses, hotel stays, medical bills not covered by insurance, having to eat out on the road, and the costs of birthday and Christmas presents--more needed now than ever--, she began to wonder how they would make ends meet.

Throughout this time, Denise and Austin met many other families in similar situations. Austin had always had a heart to help others, but Denise was blown away by the way his compassion overflowed when he was suffering most. After battling for more than a year, on February 29th, 2012, the cancer took Austin's life. But what it couldn't take was his legacy.

Out of this hardship, the Austin Wade Foundation was born. Denise wanted to not only honor Austin's heart for helping, but also those who helped them when they needed it most. It's true: No One Fights Alone. We--Austin's friends and family--created the Foundation to provide help to families of kids with cancer, in whatever way they can use it. Rather than demand that the financial assistance be spent solely on medical care, we realize that sometimes what you need most is what insurance isn't already covering: a hot meal, a place to relax, even a birthday present. Cancer is a war that takes an army to fight, and we want to be on your side. So far, we've helped more than 85 Southern Illinois families fight the fight.

For Austin, for kids like him, and for the families and friends fighting with them, we stand together and say that No One Fights Alone.