This year, Dos Pueblos High School students Cora Smith (9) and Kaitlyn Youmams (9) brought the Glimmers club to campus. The club is affiliated with the non-profit organization, Glimmers Childhood Cancer Foundation, that supports pediatric cancer research and awareness.
Founded by Santa Barbara local Ava Decker, the Glimmers Childhood Cancer Foundation allows students to organize fundraisers for the cause.
According to Ava’s mother, Vanessa Decker, president of the Glimmers Childhood Cancer Foundation, “We fund every donated dollar to the most cutting-edge kids’ cancer research.”
At DPHS, the club meets every Thursday during lunch in room H-3. Members organize fundraisers and spread awareness by speaking with businesses, schools, and politicians about pediatric cancer.
“We all meet and just brainstorm ideas,” Smith said. “Once we have a set idea, like a fundraiser we’re working on, every club meeting will be feeding towards that fundraiser idea.”
“We find donations, or we donate our own money, so everything goes to the value,” Youmams said.
Additionally, Glimmers club raises awareness, supports advocacy efforts, and provides psychosocial support to children fighting cancer and their families.
Decker shared that the foundation started after Ava’s experience with cancer treatment.
“Her first chemotherapy, which was very, very brutal, [was] about a weeklong stay in the hospital,” Decker said.
After undergoing multiple procedures to stop the cancer, Ava learned the treatments were not working and that the cancer had spread.
“They did a scan, and they saw the treatment wasn’t working … and they told her she was now terminal,” Decker said.
Decker said Ava was shocked after learning the news and soon decided to create Glimmers. Throughout her time researching and creating Glimmers, Ava discovered that the United States federal cancer budget — the world’s largest funding for pediatric cancer research — only gives 4% of funds to pediatric cancer research, despite cancer being the leading cause of death in teens and children.
Treatments for pediatric cancer remain highly toxic, and two out of every three survivors develop at least one chronic health condition, according to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation. The most recent pediatric cancer treatment was approved 32 years ago, and many current therapies date back to before the mid-1980s.
“Ava was receiving the same chemotherapy that was made over 60 years ago,” Decker said. “There has been no progress since then, and before that, it was just cutting off your leg and saying a prayer.”
Decker said the most important message Ava wanted to share was “what undergoing cancer treatments” is truly like.
“Most of the time you see pictures and videos of really cute bald kids looking a little sad, hugging a teddy bear,” Decker said. “It’s really not like that. It’s really quite brutal, and that is a truth that Ava wanted to share.”
Decker said that being a part of the Glimmers Foundation gives members opportunities to work on projects that help youth cancer patients.
“Today, some of our youth members went to a home to decorate their home with Christmas lights,” Decker said. “The little girl was in the window, waving and just so excited.”
