To see Aspen was to love her. Aspen was such a special little girl who battled a highly aggressive and fast-growing form of brain cancer known as DIPG for 27 months. She was the person who walked into a room and everyone felt her sunshine and wanted to be close to her warmth. She had an irresistibly contagious little laugh that brought joy to the core of all who heard it. She was as sweet as a pound of sugar when she wanted to be, or as stubborn as a mule if she felt she needed to be. She was ALWAYS looking out to defend the underdog, be it human or animal.

Aspen absolutely loved her family and friends. Loved them with all her heart. She had a special place in her heart for her little brother, Anthony. He would drive her crazy like 2 year old brothers do, but she would jump to his defense in a heart beat and was always ready for a hug or a snuggle from him.

She also loved animals and not just the cute ones, she would try to find something positive in every animal (including spiders). She wanted to help everyone and everything be the absolute best they could be. She loved nature; trees, oceans, mountains, and streams. She collected rocks, leaves, feathers and shells everywhere she went. She helped us realize all the beauty in some of the simplest things in life that we normally take for granted. She was the most beautiful person inside and out. 

Prior to her diagnosis, Aspen began showing behavioral changes that were unusual for her, followed by difficulty walking and running. She often complained of being dizzy and, after waking up, she would shake and experience issues with her fine motor skills. We were very concerned. After Aspen’s diagnosis, we were beyond devastated. We were determined to keep our precious daughter here and did everything in our power to help her fight DIPG.

Following diagnosis, Aspen immediately began a treatment protocol and finished an intense 30-round course of radiation and started a clinical trail. Unfortunately the tumor began to progress and eventually spread to other areas. Over the course of her 27 month fight Aspen had three additional rounds of radiation as well as participated in several other clinical trials. Unfortunately nothing could keep these aggressive tumors at bay. 

From the day she was born, Aspen had always done things on her own terms. DIPG had no effect on her feisty stubbornness. She ripped IVs out of her hand because she “didn’t want it in.” She had to have larger doses of sedatives during procedures because she refused to “take a nap”. The day after her brain biopsy surgery, she was ready to wrestle her dad despite her procedure and stitches.

Aspen amazed people with her ability and stubbornness to fight this horrific cancer. 

Funding for pediatric brain cancer research means the world to our family. It means finding a cure to end this devastating disease so no other child and their family have to live through the nightmare we did. Your donation could be the difference between a child living a full life or their life being tragically cut short. 

Thank you for choosing to donate to The Cure Starts Now Foundation. 100% of this donation, after credit card processing fees, goes directly towards research to find the homerun cure for cancer starting with pediatric brain cancer research.

If you would like to make a donation by mail please send a check to:  The Cure Starts Now Foundation; 10280 Chester Road; Cincinnati, OH 45215 and put the child's name in the memo.

The family receives notification of all donations made to this tribute fund automatically.