Westland Mother, Daughter Raising Awareness for Pediatric Cancer

A Westland mother and daughter head to Los Angeles for the trip of a lifetime, but it's not a vacation.  Instead, the pair will be helping draw attention to a subject most people would rather not think about -- kids with cancer.

17-year-old Samantha Robertson and her mother, Ellen, are packing their bags for the bright lights of L.A.

"The power of us all being together, what we signify and what we've all gone through together, is, I think, the most powerful thing," said Samantha Robertson.

While most kids her age are finishing up their first day back at school, Samantha and her mom will be thousands of miles from home getting their heads shaved to raise awareness for pediatric cancer.

"I have a choice.  I'm making the choice to shave my head. I had a brain tumor, but it was benign, so I didn't have to go through chemo," Samantha Robertson said.  "(However), I've met a lot of friends who have had to go through chemo and radiation, and they didn't have a choice in the matter."

Samantha was just ten years old when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor.

"They did a CT scan.  They found a mass in her pituitary gland.  They ambulanced her down to Children's, and they found a tumor in her pituitary gland," said Ellen Robertson.

More than 30 surgeries, painful tests and constant monitoring followed.  For Samantha, the isolation had been just as painful as being sick until she met new friends at a camp for kids like her and their families.

"It was extremely solitary, the whole journey really, until I started to meet all my friends that I met at Camp Sunshine or at Children's Hospital," said Samantha Robertson.

Samantha and Ellen have also drawn strength from the group 46 Mommas, mothers from around the country whose lives have been touched by cancer.

"The number 46 comes from 46 kids are diagnosed with cancer every school day," Ellen Robertson said.

All 46 mommas are getting their heads shaved at the same time for pediatric cancer, and they'll also appear on the "Stand Up to Cancer" broadcast, which airs this Friday night live on FOX 2.

For Samantha and Ellen, it's a way to raise awareness and money for a cause they live every day.

"People say, well, it's too rare and it's too sad to think about, so they don't think about it and they don't do anything to help," Samantha Robertson said.  "If you don't do anything to help, then it'll remain sad and nothing will change."

----------

RELATED LINKS:

46 Mommas
www.46mommas.com

Camp Sunshine
www.campsunshine.org