This year SI is one of the sponsors of Prayers From Maria Foundation’s annual Sunflower Wine Festival held on July 8, 2023. Prayers From Maria is a charity based in Rocky River, Ohio, dedicated to funding global research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for the deadliest childhood brain tumors known as gliomas.
Ed and Megan McNamara started “Prayers From Maria Children’s Cancer Foundation” after their daughter Maria passed away in 2007 from glioma, a cancer of the brain, or brain tumor, which forms in the glial cells of the central nervous system.
Glial cells are those that surround and support nerve cells. While some brain cancers originate elsewhere in the body, gliomas originate in the central nervous system. They are often called “primary” brain tumors. That is dedicated to funding global research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for deadly childhood brain tumors.
The foundation has a Medical Board comprising some of the country’s best doctors for this disease. Because childhood brain tumor research is underfunded, the McNamara family is diligently working to make a difference by raising public awareness and bringing hope to children and their families affected by this disease.
Please visit their website for more information on the Prayers From Maria Foundation.