Follow Wellness at our new Blog!

Hello subscribers!

We are now moving our content over to our new blog found at littlesttumorfoundation.org/blog/. There you will find more on wellness, recipes, interviews and of course, more info on us, Littlest Tumor Foundation!
Thanks for the years of reading and thoughtful insights. See you at the new blog!

A Kind Little Reflection

Throughout August, the Littlest Tumor Foundation did 3,000 random acts of kindness to those around us. It’s been quite a trip even through the retreat. Some of us pushed carts, opened doors, baked cookies, cleaned up litter and trash and so much more. We’ve called old friends from the past and visited relatives. 

LTF even sent warm wishes to people in an assisted living center! With all these little acts, we hope to help make the Fox Cities and surrounding areas a better place to live, work, and play in. We firmly believe that everyone can give a little. What can you do to make someone's day brighter and better? What’s your little?

A Little Wrap-up

 Little Looks Back

Though NF month is now over, we held some GREAT events to make 2012 memorable! We really BLEW THE LID OF NF during May 2012 to let the world know about Neurofibromatosis and the great work done by the Littlest Tumor Foundation (LTF)! We kicked off the month with our awesome “Scream” picture letting the world know about Neurofibromatosis. Then we had our 24-hour up and down College Avenue in Appleton. We had some interesting interactions with the bar crowd…

Then we unveiled our insightful Human Health and Services with an insightful interview with Tracy and Sami. There was a great Derby Party here in Appleton to show support of NF research. Throughout May we papered races in the Fox Valley and Green Bay area to make people know more about our sam-i-am race.

We were on multiple news outlets in the Fox Valley area such as on three radio stations and three TV stations to let the world know about NF and our great events! We finally got to close NF month with our famous sam-i-am walk/run tumors I do not like them at Plamann Park. Here are some pictures that we can reminisce about the fun we had. Stay tuned for our next events coming up in June!

Little Holds a BIG Event Kids-on-Chemo Drive

It’s almost here! Our Kids-on-Chemo Drive is only a few short days away on Friday April 27, 2012 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Paper Discovery Center in Appleton, Wis. We at the Littlest Tumor Foundation (LTF) have been working-around-the-clock to create a fun-filled event for everyone! Gather up all your friends and family as we raise awareness about children who live with the affects of chemotherapy due to neurofibromatosis (NF).

We will have fun activities for everyone. There will be games such as bag toss, paper making for all ages, faux tattoos, bubbles and a photo booth for all your pictures. There will also be a scavenger hunt for children as well as a mustache wearing event. Do you have a shout out or a wish to give to the NF community? There will be a wish wall for you to sign your thoughts and wishes.

There will be food and beverages available at our event. Stop by our juicer station to quench your thirst with one of our great recipes. Looking for a way to show your support for NF families?  You can shave your head to show solidarity with kids who have gone on chemo. You can also show your support for NF individuals and their families by getting purple hair extensions done by Aveda salon.

Don’t forget our Animation Launch that will be taking place. We’ll be unveiling our Animation Launch for the entire world to see!  So get all your friends and family members together for a night of fun and a good cause for the Kids-on-Chemo Drive at the Paper Discovery Center in Appleton!

A Little NF Talking Circle

On March 11, 2012, the Littlest Tumor Foundation held its first quarterly “NF Talking Circle” at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, Wis. Present were adults, kids and families that are impacted by NF.

In the circle, people discussed their NF journeys with each other. It is powerful to talk with others who understand your situation. Meanwhile the children did activities such as painting, thank you card writing and game playing. Healthy snacks such as apples, blackberries, pita chips and hummus were provided. Beverages such as coconut water, along with pineapple and orange juice was served. At the conclusion, many of the attendees enjoyed the circle and it was decided by LTF leadership the “ NF Talking Circle” was a success and will be held again in early summer 2012.

Special Guest Blogger Maureen Hotchkiss

Your Kitchen - mix up more than just good food!

By Maureen Hotchkiss,

Kids Central Kitchen, LLC

School isn’t the only place where your kids can go to learn. You may not have thought about it before, but you have an outstanding learning center right in your own home. Your kitchen!

Baking with your kids can be an excellent learning opportunity! Enhance reading skills by encouraging your children to read and follow simple recipe instructions. Exercise math skills through the measuring and weighing of ingredients. Setting a timer helps with the concept of time. Waiting helps develop the virtue of patience. Creating is important for boosting self confidence. Pride comes from a job well done. Don’t forget to include them in the clean-up process. This is an important life skill that you will certainly find helpful for many years to come! Spending time together in the kitchen also provides excellent bonding experiences for children and parents. And, have you ever noticed that kids are more apt to eat something they’ve helped prepare?

As great as this may sound, the reality is, life gets busy and can throw curve balls now and then. Even on those days when you may find extra time to bake with your kids, you may realize you don’t have all the necessary ingredients. As parents of three active kids, we often found such reasons for not taking the time to bake with them. At the same time, we were becoming increasingly concerned about what they were eating. The alarms went off one day when I looked over the ingredient list and nutrition statement on a name brand oatmeal bar that was supposed to be “healthy.” Here I had been offering my children something with ingredients I didn’t recognize (was this a science project?) and 25 grams of sugar per bar. It pushed me over the edge!

This aha moment made us realize we had to commit to creating healthier snack options. Lack of time could not be an excuse any longer. We experimented for months in our kitchen to create healthier versions to some of their favorite snacks. In our ongoing quest, we noticed the enthusiasm of children grow as they helped us measure, mix, bake and eat our creations. Every time we began rooting around the kitchen, all three children would stop whatever they were doing to come join us.

Eventually we turned our recipes into dry baking mixes we could have on hand to use as needed. We began sharing them with family and friends to enjoy as well. This idea eventually evolved into our family business, Kids Central Kitchen (www.kidscentralkitchen.com). We offer natural, whole grain baking mixes for active kids and their families. We left out all the yucky stuff like trans fats, hydrogenated oils, high fructose corn syrup, refined sugar, artificial flavors, artificial colors and preservatives. Simply add the wholesome wet ingredients (like applesauce and yogurt), mix and bake. It’s fun, easy, healthy and educational! Perfect for those times when you don’t have a lot of time, a lot of ingredients or both! We also offer a new gluten-free baking mix.

Next time you’re looking for an activity for your children, grab a big bowl and spoon and mix up some healthy (and educational) family fun!

Plexiform Tumor Treatment

,I met with researcher Dr. Whalen at Children's Hospital Milwaukee. He took the time to talk to me about his research that is close to entering human trials. He has been working on Photodynamic Therapy (PDT). He described the therapy as a chemo drug with a light switch. It is tumor cell specific. A heme designed infer red sensitive chemo drug will only activate with a light source. His colleague at the University of Florida has had great success in animal models. They have implanted dermal and plexiform neurofibromas from humans and had great success with the PDT. He described it as tumors melting away. They have had great success with chemical, cell and animal trials. The pilot will focus on dermal superficial tumors and if successful will then move onto deeper plexiform neurofibromas. Systemic side effects have been minimal and the treatment is minimally invasive. This will be an exciting undertaking if this project gets funded and off the ground. As a parent of a child with Neurofibromatosis, it gives me such hope new therapies are on the horizon for a disease with no treatment. There are other new promising therapies which we will report on in June after the big Children's Tumor Foundation conference focused on research. Stay tuned.