Indiana (Courage for ConLei)

I Am by ConLei Walworth

I am kind and caring
I wonder why God gave me cancer
I hear the ocean
I want to be able to play sports again
I am kind and caring

I pretend to be happy
I feel sad and lonely sometimes
I touch people’s hearts
I worry I might not live a long happy life
I cry thinking about how my life will never be the same
I am kind and caring

I understand I am different
I say God will cure my cancer
I dream I will grow up and live a long happy life
I try to keep my family/friends happy even when I am sad
I hope that my cancer gets cured and I can play sports again
I am kind and caring

ConLei started having trouble walking in April of 2019, after many doctor visits and multiple hospitals and hospital stays, she was diagnosed with Diffuse Midline Glioma H3k27m mutant WHO Grade IV.  She had a very rare case that had already spread outside the CNS at the time of diagnosis.  She courageously fought for 9 months and left us on February 12th of 2020. ConLei was a very active 12-year-old. She was an avid fisherman, golfer, and she played volleyball, basketball and softball. She loved being outside. Her nickname around the lake is "the turtle whisperer" because she had a knack for catching them, and she knew all about all turtles and tortoises.

ConLei lived every day to the fullest. She always danced like no one was watching and stopped to smell the roses. She loved fiercely, stood up for the little guy, and had a joke, smile, hug or kind word for everyone. There was no one in the world like ConLei Nadine. We have taken up the mantra of #LIVELIKECONLEI We encourage everyone to do kind things, say nice things and choose joy. 

"Having DMG means you have a rare pediatric cancer that is currently terminal. On top of that it means very little public funding, and when ConLei was battling it meant being alone with no information and no options from her medical team.  Thank God for The Cure Starts Now, it means that there is a group dedicated to saving our kids! It means that the word is getting put out there.  It means that another family won’t have to sit at home in the dark by themselves with no hope and nowhere to turn.  ConLei would be leading the charge if she was here, since she can’t be we must step out of the dark and lead it for her." - The Walworth Family”

The Cure Starts Now (501c3 Federal Non-Profit) is one of the only cancer foundations dedicated to a “homerun” cure for all cancers, starting first with one of the most deadly and difficult cancers: pediatric brain cancer. Many experts believe that the lessons we learn from fighting pediatric cancer may in fact provide us the critical first step in winning the battle against all forms of cancer, both pediatric and adult.