Columbia mother to speak for childhood cancer funding on Capitol Hill
Amy Terrell is taking a stand against childhood cancer by attending the ninth annual “46 Mommas Shave for the Brave” event in Washington, D.C. next week.
The event is hosted by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of pediatric cancer research. The cause, as many in Marion County know, is quite personal for Terrell, whose 5-year-old daughter, Gentry, is battled DIPG, a rare and inoperable brain tumor.
“I plan on taking Gentry’s story to Washington. Other people will know her story like people around here know her story,” Amy said. “Good will come from this. We’re going to share and use it not only as a chance to share Gentry, but to share God’s word, too. This is our biggest witnessing opportunity.”
It all started when the St. Baldrick’s Louisiana representative, who had lost her son to cancer, messaged Terrell on Facebook in January. Mississippi was one of the states that did not have a mom representing it yet.
Terrell, a teacher at Columbia High School, said she thought there was no way she could do it.
“I’m too new to this,” she said. “There are other moms that have been in this journey longer. I didn’t know if I knew enough to speak about what Gentry has. She messaged me back as we got closer to Gentry Day and asked if I’d thought about it. I said I didn’t think I was ready for it.”
In mid-March, Terrell received another call and this time had a change of heart.
“She told me I’d make a great mom advocate and said, ‘Go do you,’” Terrell said. “I said I could do that. We will be speaking on behalf of our children to whatever media outlets we can, whether print, online or TV. I’ve been bombarded.”
She’s working with a Fox affiliate and will be meeting with Mississippi’s representatives and senators, including Sen. Roger Wicker and Rep. Steven Palazzo. They want to put a child’s face with the Star Act, the most comprehensive funding of childhood cancer research, which passed the Senate last month, she said.
Terrell said Sen. Roger Wicker’s office had a staffer call and say because letters she had written were so personal they wanted to let her know Wicker was a co-sponsor of the bill and voted for it.
According to Terrell, childhood cancer receives only 4 percent of cancer funding allocated by the federal government. Since 2005, St. Baldrick’s has granted more than $234 million to support the development of childhood cancer treatments.
In 2010, the inaugural team took the name “46 Mommas Shave for the Brave” and established a fundraising goal of $1 million to support the foundation. To date, the group has raised more than $2.1 million. This year, nearly 70 moms, including Terrell, will travel to Washington for the event, which takes place April 16 and April 17. Ten of the mothers have pledged to shave their heads for the charity.
“The travel group was named for the 46 children a day who are diagnosed with cancer,” Terrell said. “We have come to terms with our children’s prognosis – this is what fuels our fire to fight for our kids. I have a faith and Heavenly Father who guides me and my words to speak on behalf of Gentry.”
Monday will be a training session for the group and then Tuesday they will be on Capitol Hill. Terrell said she looks forward to sharing her story because it could impact others.
Gentry’s battle is tough and they don’t know what will come next, but they continue to draw strength through prayer and “fight this tumor every single day,” Terrell said.
“We will celebrate life every single day,” she said. “Whether we have two hours, two days, two months, two years or 200 years left with Gentry, she will know that she is loved and that we will stop at nothing to show her and her brothers that they are loved and we will fight for them.”
