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Young CNY Cancer Victim's Legacy and Family Continue to Fund Research to Help Others

John Smith/WAER News

An end-of-year gift to Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital today will support pediatric cancer research and specialized support to kids and families struggling with the disease.  Paige’s Butterfly Run is held every June and the organization presented $210,000. 

Paige was diagnosed with cancer while completing the end of first grade in 1993 and lost her fight one year later.  Her father Chris Arnold wants to make patients and families going through the same tragedy  as comfortable as possible.

“I am most impacted personally by the family assistance programs and the programs that make the kids’ lives a little nicer and better, and helps the families through this very difficult time.  We’ve been there and we know how difficult it can be.” 

Arnold also appreciates helping to support ongoing research.  His late daughter underwent a bone marrow transplant that was intended to help fend off her disease.  Since her death, treatment has improved.

“There has been a drug that’s come out.  It came out about five years after Paige died actually that’s great treatment for her particular type of leukemia.  So bone marrow transplant isn’t necessary for most people now with C-M-L, the leukemia she had.  Too late for Paige, but not too late for others.”

Credit John Smith/WAER News
Family members and hospital staff gathered for the check presentation

Golisano’s Dr. Melanie Comito describes how the drug Arnold referenced is now stopping the disease from advancing.

We always knew with her cancer, there was a genetic change.  And then people figured out the mechanism of that disease and eventually made a targeted drug that if you give that drug, it turns off that entire mechanism of the disease.  And the disorder that Paige had is treated totally different in this day and age.”

Credit John Smith/WAER News
They made the check presentation a celebration for the attendees and children in the hospital with colorful cupcakes.

Paige’s Butterfly Run has raised more than $2.5-million since establishing in 1996.  Several events are held throughout the year in addition to the run that’s held on the first Saturday in June.  Visit PBrun.org.

Chris Bolt, Ed.D. has proudly been covering the Central New York community and mentoring students for more than 30 years. His career in public media started as a student volunteer, then as a reporter/producer. He has been the news director for WAER since 1995. Dedicated to keeping local news coverage alive, Chris also has a passion for education, having trained, mentored and provided a platform for growth to more than a thousand students. Career highlights include having work appear on NPR, CBS, ABC and other news networks, winning numerous local and state journalism awards.
John Smith has been waking up WAER listeners for a long time as our Local Co-Host of Morning Edition with timely news and information, working alongside student Sportscasters from the Newhouse School.