Costco Show was a success!
Last Friday our local Costco market held an event that allowed companies to come in and set up displays to sell and market their product. Although there was a registration fee to attend the in-house event, all proceeds went to the Children’s Miracle Network. We spent the day educating and helping people start a Vemma Program and helped to promote awareness to a great charity.
Each year a child is selected from every state in the U.S. and each province and territory in Canada to represent the 17 million children treated by Children's Miracle Network hospitals. Our California Champion and her story is listed below.
Francesca Arnaudo
Age 10
Affliction: Bone cancer & leukemia
Before the T-ball practice that started it all, no one knew that Francesca Arnaudo of Ripon, Calif., would defy all the odds. She was only 6 when a fall on the T-ball field resulted in an X-ray of her right arm. The test revealed bone cancer—a disease that affects just three children in a million.
A year of chemotherapy began immediately. When the tumor had shrunk enough, an ambitious attempt was made to save Francesca’s arm through a complex surgery removing most of her right humerus and attaching a titanium prosthesis in its place. The surgery gave her full use of her arm for nearly a year, but ongoing chemotherapy impaired the bone’s healing. A second operation by one of the country’s top specialists saved her arm once again. But the celebration was short-lived.
Two weeks later Francesca was diagnosed with another cancer: secondary acute myeloid leukemia, which has a cure rate of less than 10 percent. A stem cell transplant was her only hope. Thankfully a match was found quickly. After the transplant and a 41-day hospital stay, Francesca had beaten the odds once more.
Now 10, Francesca has use of both arms and has been in full remission for two years. She is a powerhouse of optimism who actively raises awareness of childhood cancer, uses her art to help others heal and shares her story to inspire hope.
