A five-year-old girl and her family continue to find strength and support amidst a rare cancer diagnosis, this time from the Knights of Columbus.
In March, we told the story of Mary Stegmueller, a preschool student at Frassati Catholic Academy who was diagnosed with Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Giloma (DIPG) in October of last year. Only 300 kids are diagnosed with this extremely rare cancer per year, and there is no cure.
Mary’s bravery is inspirational as she continues her CAR-T Cell trials at Stanford University to rid the tumor from her brain stem and spine, and her parents Kristin and Bobby, as well as her little brother, continue to exemplify strength beyond words.
Recently the Knights of Columbus Councils at St. Scholastica, St. John Paul II and Holy Cross Parishes partnered together for a pasta fundraiser to help raise money for the medical expenses of Mary and her family, who are parishioners at St. Scholastica. In total, the Knights raised over $6,400 for Mary.
It serves as a powerful testament to the strength of having a strong faith community and coming together to help a family who is enduring a difficult trial. As Mary’s dad Bobby told us back in March, “It’s just been amazing to know that you’re not alone. It’s easy to feel alone and just not know what tomorrow is going to bring. We can all be #MaryStrong. If I can be as brave and strong as she is, that’s a good day.”
Follow Mary’s journey over on her CaringBridge page.
Featured photo courtesy of Colorado State Knights of Columbus Facebook page
