Written by Alexandria Kang
Cincinnati native, Kila Tripp, is sincerely grateful to the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s Cancer and Blood Diseases Institute (CBDI) for saving her life… twice. She has created Fund the Cure Next Door in the hopes of raising $100,000 to support groundbreaking research and raise awareness of Pediatric Cancer Research at Cincinnati Children’s.
Kila began her journey with cancer in January 2012 when she was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Her family soon learned that one of the best pediatric oncology centers in the world was local to her, at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Supported by the amazing CBDI staff who advocated for her and approached her care holistically, Kila did not let cancer deter her from achieving her goals. Kila celebrated 5 years cancer free in April of 2019. She graduated with honors from Wake Forest University and planned to move to Washington, DC to start her career with Deloitte Consulting LLP. However, life had a different path for Kila. Only a week after crossing the stage at her college graduation, Kila learned that her cancer had relapsed. Faced with the journey ahead, Kila was confident in her decision to return to the medical team at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital for excellent care.
Kila knows firsthand the level of excellence this institute provides as well as their commitment to bold science and research. She is extremely grateful for the progress in treatment that has been made thanks to groundbreaking research, allowing her to soon beat cancer for the second time. Passionate about cancer research and thankful for Cincinnati’s pediatric cancer center, Kila decided to fundraise to benefit pediatric cancer research at Cincinnati Children’s, giving back to the institute she feels such gratitude towards. Thus, the Fund the Cure Next Door campaign was born.
Fund the Cure Next Door aims to fundraise $100,000 for pediatric cancer research while spreading awareness of the Cancer and Blood Disease Institute to the Cincinnati community and beyond, highlighting how the research and care impacts the local, national, and international cancer communities. 100% of all donations to the campaign will go directly to pediatric cancer research at Cincinnati Children’s. With support from the community, Kila is eager and excited to do her part in helping “Fund the Cure Next Door” and save lives. Kila notes, “My hope is to engage the community with the campaign both in person and virtually, so that even if we all can’t physically be together, we can still ‘come together’ in spirit for an important cause, because cancer doesn’t stop for a pandemic.”
Since returning to Cincinnati in June of 2019 to start her treatment, Kila is even more appreciative for Cincinnati Children’s CBDI and the lengths the medical teams go to care for their patients. Ranked #3 by U.S. News and World Report, the institute founded the Young Adult Center to care for adults with pediatric cancer, and the Survivorship Center that provides specialized support to more than 1,800 cancer survivors ages 5- 65. For more information about Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Cancer and Blood Disease Institute, visit: https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/service/c/cancer-blood
Kila has planned an engaging campaign throughout September 2020 (Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month) with various events featuring Match Days, silent auctions, speaking engagements and a letter-writing campaign to friends, colleagues, associates and businesses. For more information, please visit http://give.cincinnatichildrens.org/site/TR?team_id=5550&fr_id=1170&pg=team or connect via social media:
Email- [email protected]
Facebook – @FundCureNxtDoor
Twitter – @FundCureNxtDoor
Instagram – @fundcurenxtdoor
Snapchat – @fundcurenxtdoor
