A visit to Stanford
Last weekend, we were able to travel down to Northern California to spend time meeting with Dr. Michelle Monje, MD, PhD, and professor in the department of neurology at Stanford University.
On the eve of Avery’s passing, we made the decision to donate her brain and her tumor to Dr. Monje’s lab at Stanford.
Dr. Monje has studied and researched gliomas extensively and is one of the most renowned researchers in the world in this specific field.
Brandon had visited her lab at Stanford in the fall of 2017 but this was Amanda’s first time there.
Since our inception in 2016, we have supported and funded various projects that Dr. Monje and her lab have researched and studied and performed and the Avery Huffman DIPG Foundation will continue to support her, especially given the connection we have to her lab.
We’d previously shared about Avery’s tumor allowing for active cells to be drawn, and those cells have been shared at nearly 40 hospitals around the world and on four different continents. And notably, it has also been shared with Dr. Nick Vitanza’s lab in Seattle. Dr. Vitanza was the featured speaker at the 2019 Be Strong, Be Gold Gala and he formerly worked in Dr. Monje’s lab.
Dr. Monje let us know that one in every three tumor donations are actually viable for cell growth and solid research so it is special to us to know Avery’s cells gives Dr. Monje' a chance to help others.
Avery’s cell # assignment is No. 24- above, you see the images of her cells through a microscope as well as the container that holds her cells, and more importantly, holds hope- for us, for Dr. Monje and for other families.
Hope is on the horizon and new details from some current trials are showing actual tangible patient results
(Healio Article from April 20, 2022: CAR-T ‘robustly effective’ in younger patients with deadly form of brain cancer)
Dr. Monje’s research continues to make a difference with glioma patients, DIPG and DMG, and being able to see Avery’s cells, Brandon for the second time and Amanda for the first time, was emotionally taxing but encouraging to know that the tumor donation has greatly assisted in both her research and others.
We know that Avery continues to impact people’s lives and seeing the cells, seeing the lab and visiting with Dr. Monje, it continues to motivate us to fight back for her and never give up in our fight, since she never gave up in her fight.
It further ignites our passion to make a difference, honor her legacy and bring hope.
Stay with us in the fight.
#AveryStrong
