Jodi describes her son Miles as equal parts Minion, Energizer Bunny, and Tasmanian Devil. So in 2018, when 4-year-old Miles became unusually tired, Jodi and Miles’ dad, Randy, knew something was wrong.
Several weeks later, after random bruising, nosebleeds, and bouts of nausea, the preschooler was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
“We were absolutely devastated,” Jodi shares. “It was shocking and overwhelming. We couldn’t believe this was happening to our child.” She takes a deep breath and continues, “The oncologists assured us that decades of research have led to breakthroughs in childhood cancer treatment. They said that Miles had a very good chance of recovery.”
Research Redefines Childhood Illness
Research progress has altered the trajectory of many pediatric diseases once thought incurable, resulting in significantly improved outcomes for patients like Miles. In the 1950s, nearly all children with cancer died. Today, the survival rate has risen to over 85%.
The impact of research extends far beyond cancer. Before insulin, type 1 diabetes (T1D) was almost always fatal in children; now, young people with T1D can live long, full lives. And right here in Pittsburgh, Dr. Jonas Salk’s discovery of the polio vaccine in 1955 fundamentally eradicated a disease that once paralyzed thousands of children each year.
Philanthropy fuels Scientific Inquiry
Every day, more than 500 scientists and physicians at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh are unlocking the care and cures of tomorrow. Yet child health research faces significant challenges.
In the United States, most research is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), but NIH funding has steadily declined since 2003. According to recent data, less than 13% of NIH funding supports pediatric medicine.
Despite these constraints, child health research remains a top priority at UPMC Children’s. Through This Moment: Put A Child’s Future First, UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation’s largest fundraising campaign to date, the Foundation is directing funding toward innovative studies designed to improve pediatric health outcomes now and in the future.
“Advancing pediatric research is a critical component of our mission,” says Rachel Petrucelli, president of the Foundation. “Every gift helps ensure that groundbreaking ideas turn into lifesaving realities.”
Impactful Gifts from the Conover and Tull Families
Through This Moment, donors from across the country have already contributed nearly $42.8 million to fuel research at UPMC Children’s.
David and Noelle Conover are among the donor families who have recently invested in scientific discovery at the hospital. The Lawrenceville couple has been giving to UPMC Children’s for two decades in honor of their son Matt, who lost his life at the age of 12 to non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. They choose to invest where it matters most — right here at UPMC Children’s — because the research being done here is changing the future for children everywhere.
The Conovers’ most recent gift represents their largest contribution to date. The couple shares, “When Matt passed away more than 20 years ago, there were no treatments made specifically for his type of cancer. Today, we know that research is the only path to change that. Every discovery brings us closer to the day when children like Matt can not only survive — but live long, full, cancer-free lives.
As leaders of the Tull Family Foundation, Alba and Thomas Tull are also deeply invested in the power of discovery to change lives. Their research campaign contribution to UPMC Children’s made earlier this summer aligns with the Tull Family Foundation’s commitment to the advancement of ideas in education, medical, and scientific research.
“We believe that research is the engine of progress,” Alba states. “The Tull Family Foundation is proud to support bold ideas in the greater Pittsburgh region to accelerate medical innovations for children everywhere.”
Miles’ Recovery, Powered by Research
In late 2020, Miles completed his cancer treatment at UPMC Children’s. Today, he is cancer-free and will soon join the hospital’s Cancer Survivorship program.
An active middle schooler, Miles is back to running circles around his family, like a happy, mischievous Minion-Energizer Bunny-Tasmanian Devil. He’s enjoying soccer, playing video games, and endlessly annoying his big brother, Jack.
For Jodi, who now works in fundraising at UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation, she acknowledges that her youngest child would not be here today were it not for the years of research that came before him.
“I feel so lucky to work for the Foundation to see firsthand the generosity of families like the Conovers and the Tulls,” she says. “Their philanthropy ensures sustained, uninterrupted momentum in lifesaving pediatric research. But it also means more birthdays, more playdates, more first days of school for kids like Miles. There is no greater gift than a gift to scientific discovery.”