Dear friends!

It is with a renewed sense of purpose and hope that our Governing Board, Candi, and I are dissolving the Fight Like Emilie Foundation as of December 31st and beginning a new adventure as a part of an organization that we believe will someday find the “Homerun Cure” for the disease that took Emilie’s life and the life of too many other children. 

Since 2018, and only with your gracious support, we are proud of the impact we have had in the fight against childhood cancer. In that short time, we have worked to build awareness about childhood cancer, helped more than 2 dozen families fighting this disease through grants and Emilie’s Christmas gifts, given more than $40,000 to organizations that support research, and advocated for legislation and funding both in Louisiana and our nation’s capital. Of course, being from Louisiana, and since it was originally Emilie’s idea, we are very proud of giving many cancer warriors the chance to be celebrated as kings and queens on our Mardi Gras float, the Krewe of Emilie.

Though it feels bittersweet to end this part of our journey, it is with great joy that we announce the next phase in our battle. We will be establishing Louisiana’s first chapter of The Cure Starts Now. 

The Cure Starts Now was created by parents just like Candi and I who lost their children to DIPG. They recognized the lack of research dollars and the need for more research collaboration. They began “an international movement with fundraisers, chapters, families and research spanning the world.” To date, they have funded more than $30 million of research. Candi and I attended their 2023 Research Symposium and saw firsthand how they brought families, researchers, and pharma together in order to create collaboration. We believe this is the key to beating this disease and we are proud to announce that on January 1st, we plan to join them in their fight. As per our bylaws, all remaining funds in the Fight Like Emilie Foundation will go to The Cure Starts Now.As we move forward, our primary efforts will be to fundraise and support The Cure Starts Now. We also plan to continue our collaboration with groups supporting legislation in Louisiana and in Washington, D.C. that help children and their families fight cancer. AND, with your support, we will also continue Emile’s dream to “Let the good times roll” with the Krewe of Emilie and celebrate our local cancer warriors during our local Highland Mardi Gras Parade.

Candi and I especially want to thank our incredible Board Members who graciously gave their time, energy, and support serving our cause. We also want to thank all of you. Without our board members and you, Candi, Alex and I would not have had the strength to continue this fight. You give us courage to continue Emilie’s fight. Rest assured, we continue her fight. 

~Candi and Trey Gibson