I'm fighting to raise funds to support the ChadTough Fund at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The ChadTough Fund was established after Chad Carr lost his battle to Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) at age 5 in 2015. DIPG is a rare, inoperable form of pediatric brain cancer that currently has a 0% survival rate. This aggressive form of cancer most commonly affects children between the ages of 5 and 9. While some progress has been made in curing other forms of childhood cancers, there's still no cure for DIPG and other forms of brain cancer, and not enough research is being done. Only 3 percent of federal funding for cancer research goes toward solving pediatric cancers. And, pediatric brain cancers receive just a tiny portion of these limited funds because they’re considered “rare” by medical statistics. The University of Michigan Chad Carr Pediatric Brain Tumor Center and the ChadTough Fund at C.S. Mott Children's Hospital are actively working to develop better treatments and ultimately discover a cure for children with brain cancer.

I was a student at the University of Michigan when Chad was first diagnosed with DIPG in 2014. Our community rallied around him and his cause. Everyone on campus (and at our rival universities) was #ChadTough. I was in the Michigan Marching Band at the time, and we wore orange ribbons on our uniforms and joined forces with the Spartan Marching Band to spell ChadTough on the field in support of Chad. When he lost his fight to DIPG in 2015, we were all so devastated. The Ann Arbor community was heartbroken. This special little boy had touched the lives of so many people, and we were certain that he'd prevail in his battle against DIPG.

When I was accepted to fight with Haymakers for Hope, I knew that I wanted my fundraising efforts to go towards the ChadTough Fund at Mott. I want to help make sure that no more families get the devastating news that they don't have any hope. I want to help knock out DIPG for good once and for all.

For more information on the ChadTough Fund, please visit https://www.mottchildren.org/giving/chad-tough-fund

Follow my progress at my blog at haymakermadison.com