The STAR Fund (Supporting Treatment And Research for Children) is the annual fund of the UMass Memorial Children's Medical Center.

It was established by the UMass Memorial Foundation to invest in the health and well-being of the children of Central New England. The region is served by the Children's Medical Center on our University Campus. The Children's Medical Center is the only comprehensive program for the care of infants, children and adolescents in Central New England. Outstanding care is supported by nationally recognized medical research at the University of Massachusetts Medical School - the type of research that is advancing our knowledge and ability to prevent and treat many childhood illnesses.

With STAR Fund support, we are able to invest in every child's health and translate the discoveries made in our research labs into improved treatments and new medicines. It is this type of progress that can make all the difference in the lives of children. Your support is so important to sustaining the vital research, medical and preventive health care services that make such a positive difference in the lives of so many children.

Gifts to the STAR Fund are greatly appreciated. You may also wish to give to the below projects that support the Children's Medical Center:
Bobby's Bullpen
Brendan's Buddies
Ali and Dad's Army
Harmony from the Heart

For more information, contact:
UMass Medical School/UMass Memorial Development Office
333 South Street, Shrewsbury, MA 01545
508-856-1350
giving@umassmed.edu

Bobby was diagnosed with cancer at nine months old. Fortunately, for Bobby and his family, the UMass Memorial Pediatric Cancer Services were able to quickly diagnose and treat his cancer. He was immediately admitted for a biopsy and his first of three chemotherapy treatments to shrink the rare, malignant tumor on his liver. On the day after his first birthday, Bobby underwent a successful surgery to remove the tumor, half of his liver and his gallbladder. Today, he remains cancer free.

Bobby's Bullpen raises funds for pediatric cancer care that directly benefit the many children treated at UMass Memorial Children's Medical Center. Donations are used to purchase new technologies, as well as equipment that will make hospital stays as comfortable as possible for children and families facing frightening illnesses.
 
This year, Bobby's Bullpen is raising funds to renovate the short-stay unit at the Children's Medical Center, which provides specialized care for children needing outpatient procedures with pediatric specialists.

Brendan Carroll was born in July 1999, three months premature and weighing under two pounds. His survival was uncertain, but after five months in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at UMass Memorial, Brendan was able to go home. His family formed Brendan's Buddies, a running team, to show thanks to the NICU by raising funds to buy needed lifesaving equipment for the unit. More than 50 runners have raised $115,000 to support the treatment of infants at the NICU. Please visit www.brendansbuddies.com.

It was a tragedy when Ali Pierce, a vivacious and courageous 14-year-old girl died of liver cancer in 1996. A selfless young lady, Ali had a dream that all children be able to benefit from the most current research advances while having access to the best in traditional and nontraditional care. Today, her dream is coming true and continues to grow in part because of the work her parents began.

Soon after Ali died, John, Ali's father, created Ali's Army to raise money for pediatric cancer research and care. By running in road races, he raised funds. During a practice race for the Boston Marathon, he suffered a fatal heart attack just 10 feet from the finish line. To honor her husband's commitment to the fight against cancer, Ali's mother, Anna, renamed the fund to Ali and Dad's Army. With the help of family, friends and others touched by cancer, the Army continues to march forward.

Anna now leads the Army with the help of her two sons, and the fund supports pediatric cancer research and programs at the UMass Medical School and at the UMass Children's Medical Center. The group was an integral part in creating of one of the most comprehensive pediatric cancer care and research programs in New England in many ways, including:

Ali Pierce Endowment Fund - Supporting pediatric cancer research at the John H. Pierce Pediatric Cancer Laboratories
Ali's Gift - The Ali Pierce Integrative Treatment Program
Ali's Place - A state-of-the-art pediatric infusion room
The John H. Pierce Pediatric Cancer Research Laboratories at the University of Massachusetts Medical School
The Ali and John Pierce Endowed Chair in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology
 

In December of 2002, 2 ½-year-old Toby became violently ill as a result of the pressure on his brain caused by hemorrhaging. Airlifted to UMass Memorial Children's Medical Center, Toby spent four days in a coma in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. Three days before Christmas, he opened his eyes again. Toby was diagnosed with an extremely rare blood disease, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura. This disease affects approximately one in a million adults, and is even more rare in children. Research conducted at the Center for Platelet Function Studies, located at the UMass Medical School and part of the Children's Medical Center, led to the correct diagnosis and successful treatment of young Toby.

Grateful parents Mary and Kai Olsson organize Harmony from the Heart to raise funds for this internationally recognized, multidisciplinary center for the advancement of platelet research. The Center for Platelet Function Studies is actively engaged in state-of-the-art research to understand the underlying causes, develop new tests and most importantly, develop new treatments.