When Julie Daubenmire's 10-year-old daughter Hannah began complaining of knee pain during cross-country practice, her family assumed it was a routine sports injury. Instead, it became the beginning of a life-changing journey through osteosarcoma, a rare pediatric bone cancer.

Today, Hannah is thriving, and Julie has transformed her family's experience into a mission. As Director of Marketing and Family Engagement for Cancer Free Kids, she's helping fund the groundbreaking research that could change how childhood cancers are treated for generations to come.

In this inspiring conversation, Julie shares the emotional reality of parenting a child through cancer, the often-overlooked impact on siblings, why pediatric cancer research remains dramatically underfunded, and why she's optimistic that the next decade could revolutionize treatment for children.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Hannah's unexpected osteosarcoma diagnosis after what seemed like a simple running injury
• Why early detection made such a difference
• The realities of pediatric chemotherapy and limb-salvage surgery
• Living with a growing titanium knee implant
• The emotional impact cancer has on siblings and the entire family
• The importance of mental health and wraparound support during treatment
• Why pediatric cancers receive only a small fraction of overall cancer research funding
• How Cancer Free Kids funds innovative early-stage research
• The promise of targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and personalized medicine
• Why today's research could dramatically improve treatment for tomorrow's children
• Finding purpose after cancer

This episode is a powerful reminder that every breakthrough begins with someone willing to invest in hope.

Resources:

Julie's website: https://www.cancerfreekids.org/

Julie's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cancerfreekids/

Julie's Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cancerfreekids/

Julie's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/cancerfreekids

Follow:

Follow me: https://www.instagram.com/melissagrosboll/

My website: https://melissagrosboll.com

Email me: drmelissagrosboll@gmail.com