As we prepare to say goodbye to 2021 and enter into a new year, many of us find ourselves in places of reflection. Not simply reflecting on what this last year meant to us individually whether personally or otherwise, but also reflecting on and re-examining what the beginning of a new year means to each of us. For some, it’s just another day. You go to sleep and wake up to a new day, just as we all do. But with that said, there are so many who go to sleep and are unsure how many new days they will see, which is exactly what fuels and inspires our work here at Tali’s Fund. Children deserve to have more tomorrows than yesterdays.
For countless people around the world, the future has been more uncertain these past twenty months than ever before. So, while planning for our futures may be harder in a general sense, we must not forget about those who are fighting simply to have a tomorrow. Our hearts go out to those living with ATRT or any kind of childhood cancer. The unimaginable pain that parents and caregivers go through when their little ones are suffering and missing out on their childhoods, is indescribable. Through the pandemic, many families have had a small dose of the helplessness that you feel when your child is isolated, unable to play with friends, go to school, and just be a kid. While we can do our best to describe it, it can never be understood until it is felt. This is also why it is exceptionally important for those who are sadly dealing with similar familial circumstances to come together and support one another.
One initiative that connects families together is Worldwide Candle Lighting Day, a virtual 24-hour candle lighting ceremony that takes place annually on the second Sunday in December. This year’s event was on September 12th, and we joined with others in the global community who are grieving the loss of a child. Believed to be the world’s largest candle lighting ceremony, it unites those who can understand this pain.
So, what does this new year mean for Tali’s Fund? Well, as it does every year, it means the anticipation of new hope. New hope that there will be further developments in research towards the treatment of ATRT. New hope that more precise and safer treatments will become available through the dedicated efforts of scientists, researchers, and those contributing to this fight for our children’s futures. New hope that the days behind us have contributed positively to the days ahead. New hope that one day, that which seems impossible, may become possible.
At Tali’s Fund, it’s personal. The work that we do to advance research for treatment of rare childhood brain cancers stems from the heartbreak of being alongside our sweet Tali while she was sick. Even in her darkest moments, she was a ray of light. Every smile, every giggle, every song, every time she showed us her beautiful brown eyes and how much life was in them until her last day, reminded us how precious time is.
As we approach 2022, particularly during these uncertain times, we are reminded to focus on what really matters…to treasure precious moments with our families and all those close to us, and to make memories.
From all of us at Tali’s Fund, we wish you a warm, peaceful, healthy, safe, and happy holiday season and a new year filled with new and reinvigorated hope for the future.