About BMF page





















The Brian Morden Foundation was created to honor Brian, a courageous 19 year old, who battled Ewing's Sarcoma for more than two years. He lost the battle on February 15, 2003, but his family, friends, and many others who only knew Brian by reputation have vowed to continue the fight against this horrible disease.

The foundation has three goals:

  • Fund Ewing's Sarcoma and childhood cancer research.
  • Support patients, family, and staff of pediatric oncology units*
  • Provide funding for "Brian Morden Memorial" higher education scholarships

Upcoming events:

Friday's Fundraiser for the BMF - Tuesday, July 21st - all day
In conjunction with International Sarcoma Awareness Week
(BMF will receive 20% of your bill for all those who have a flyer - you need one BEFORE you go. Please contact Dawn at fdj@brianmordenfoundation.org

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Stephen Chandler Gates Music Festival
August 8, 2009 - 2 PM to dusk
Dutch Run Farm
for more information see www.scgatesfoundation.org

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Allison was FANTASTIC as the youth ambassador for the Relay for Life.
It was great to see Ryder and Erin D. keeping up, too. : )
Congratulations, survivors!!

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5th Annual Team Gold Ribbon Ride was Saturday, May 23, 2009.
Thanks to all who participated. You raised $1200 to help kids with cancer.

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Congratulations to the 2009
Brian Morden Memorial Scholarship

winners!

Brooke McCready, AAHS Senior

Rocco Catrone, Lincoln-Way East Senior, cancer survivor!

Evan West, attending Indiana University School of Medicine,
cancer survivor!

Thanks Grammy and Poppop for your yearly birthday gift to Brian
and the BMF, ensuring that we will be able to award
a Brian Morden Memorial Scholarship.

Thank you to others who have generously given so that we could award 2 additional scholarships this year.

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In Memory of Elias Garrett
May 17, 2005 - May 7, 2009

We have lost yet another brave young warrior
to this horrendous disease. He will be missed by so many.

Elias Allen Garrett, 3, of Roaring Spring died Thursday morning at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh after a lengthy battle with non-Hodgkin's T-cell lymphoma.

He was born in Roaring Spring, son of Martin Allen Garrett and Marissa A. (Gero) Garrett. He is survived by his father and girlfriend, Tammi "Nanny" Barnes of Roaring Spring; and his mother of Loysburg; a sister, Kayleigh J. Garrett; and special friends: Blake Barnes, Cassidi Barnes and Brodi Sell, all at home. He also is survived by paternal grandparents: Tina and Bob Heininger of Hollidaysburg; maternal grandparents: Karen and Ken Kennedy of Loysburg; paternal great-grandmother, Opal Garrett of Roaring Spring; and paternal great-grandfather, Wayne Garrett of Elgin, Okla.; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends. He was preceded in death by his grandfather, Gary W. Garrett.

Elias loved SpongeBob, Disney's "Cars," riding his four-wheeler, going camping, and he especially enjoyed making people happy any way he could.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Elias' memory may be given to the Brian Morden Foundation, c/o Central Pennsylvania Community Foundation, 1330 11th Ave., Altoona PA 16601.

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Thanks to all who helped make the March 22, 2009 BMF fundraiser to hear the legendary Bernadette Peters with the Pittsburgh Symphony
a "glorious" event, as more than one person put it.
Pictures coming soon!

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Happy 25th Birthday, Brian
January 10, 1984


SuperBrian

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YOU can make a difference
in the lives of the innocent children and families
who have to suffer with this horrendous disease.


Some suggestions from the Brian Morden Foundation:
  • Send cards to children with cancer. Contact the BMF for addresses.
  • Donate to the Brian Morden Foundation through our website. You will be helping to fight back against childhood cancer.
  • Adopt "Issy" to send to a childhood cancer patient, give to a loved one, or keep for yourself

  • Help Issy spread the word about the need for childhood cancer research!
  • Support the BMF through the purchase of an ornament or other merchandise
  • Attend any upcoming BMF event!

Please see our National Childhood Cancer Awareness page to find out more.

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Brian and the Angels Among Us
are looking out for those who are still fighting.
We wish all children with cancer blessings in the new year but especially our local children: Eli, Ryder, Erin D., Heather, KateLynn, Erin W., Kate, Allison, Jaclyn,
Paolo, Kaden, Christina, Scott, Jonah, Timothy, Nick, and DJ

As always, Thank You
AAHS Interact club members. Mr. Eric Zolnak, advisor
McAuliffe Heights Elementary Community Service Club, Mrs. Sherry Buck, principal
First Evangelical Lutheran Church
Friends of the Brian Morden Foundation

for your continued help in mkaing Brian Bags and Baskets
for childhood cancer patients

Thanks also to:

Pastor Jaime Olson and members of Duncansville Lutheran
for your generous donations

Davenport Central High School students and parents
who donated to the BMF in support of childhood cancer research

The Brian Morden Foundation thanks:

Governor Ed Rendell
Mayor Wayne Hippo and city council
Dr. Dennis Murray, AASD superintendent
Students, staff, and families of the AASD
Altoona Area residents

for your participation in September's
National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Gold Ribbon Day

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Thanks to all who participated in the
Team Gold Ribbon Ride
May2008
Please plan to participate in 2009 - May 23rd

<3 Help children with cancer in the Altoona Area
<3 Raise awareness of the need for more research for childhood cancer
<3 Support the work of the Brian Morden Foundation

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September 2008 Update from Dr. Lessnick, a recipient of one of our research grants:

In terms of science, we’re making pretty solid progress all around.  In terms of a “lay person version,” as you know, we work on the genetic mutation that causes Ewing’s sarcoma.  This mutation creates a protein, called EWS/FLI, that serves as a master-regulator of gene expression in these tumors.  We recently made a surprising finding:  EWS/FLI regulates at least some genes by using “junk DNA” in the human genome.  Approximately 50% of the human genome may be “junk DNA,” that is, DNA with no known function.  EWS/FLI seems to have figured out how to use some of these regions, and in doing so, induces Ewing’s sarcoma.  This work was just published in a pretty high-profile journal.

Additionally, through our studies of the genes that are regulated by EWS/FLI, we have some VERY PRELIMINARY data about a drug that may be useful for Ewing’s sarcoma.  This drug is called vorinostat, and it’s from Merck.  It blocks a class of proteins, called histone deacetylases.  These proteins participate in gene regulation.  We’ve worked out a series of connections by which EWS/FLI turns on a second protein called NKX2.2.  NKX2.2 uses histone deacetylase inhibitors to regulate even more genes.  By blocking this pathway, we can block the growth of Ewing’s sarcoma tumor cells in the laboratory.  We’re now starting to see if we can do this in a mouse model of the disease.  If that looks good, then we’d try to bring this agent to a clinical trial.

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Personal Tragedies Bring Hope to Sarcoma Patients
Developing a Vaccine for Treating Sarcoma is a Primary Goal

September 2006 - Dr. Geiger and his research team are actively looking for eligible participants for the vaccine pilot study which the Brian Morden Foundation has helped fund. For more information, please see study details which includes a brief summary of eligibility requirements and contact information.

August 2006 - Dr. Geiger reported the following in an email, "We have all approvals and are ready to start evaluating patients for the trial.  We also should be able to provide a link to a website with info about the trial." As soon as we receive that information, we'll post it here.

September 2008 - Dr. Geiger reported the following in an email, "10 patients have completed the trial so far. We have some results back on 8 of them. 5 out of 8 have shown a response to their tumor in the immune testing. It is still a little early to tell too much and a few patients have progressed. We are currently giving some patients booster vaccines to hopefully improve the response to tumor. We will know more over the next several months."

Background Information: 

January 28, 2005 - The Brian Morden Foundation and the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative joined forces to fund research on a vaccine to treat recurrent/relapsed Ewing's Sarcoma, a rare cancer. The vaccine is being developed by a team of oncology specialists at the University of Michigan Medical Center led by Dr. James D. Geiger. This study continues an initial Phase I Clinical Trial funded by the National Institutes of Health that Dr. Geiger and his team initiated. Funds from the Brian Morden Foundation and the Liddy Shriver Sarcoma Initiative, in addition to grants from the University of Michigan will allow doctors to offer a new alternative to patients whose traditional chemotherapy and radiotherapy have failed. See Vaccine Pilot Study proposed by Dr. James D. Geiger. See press release.

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We celebrated Brian's 25th birthday on January 10, 2009.
Please sign our guestbook to help us celebrate his life.

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*Brian was lovingly cared for at Childre's Hospital in Pittsburgh, the initial focus of the second BMF goal. We still plan to contribute in important ways to the oncology unit there, however, we have expanded our outreach with Brian Baskets and "Issy" bears, sending them to other pediatric cancer patients especially to those in the Altoona Area, Janet Weis Children's Hospital in Geisinger, and Penn State Children's Hospital in Hershey where some of our area children are being treated. We have also tried to brighten up the day for some children from the Ewing's Sarcoma list serv. If you know a child with cancer who could use a "pick-me-up," please contact us at fdj@brianmordenfoundation.org. We hope to be able to help as many pediatric oncology patients as possible.

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Join our mailing list for newsletters and other updates.

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Contact The Brian Morden Foundation at fdj@brianmordenfoundation.org

last updated 7/1/09