OUR STORY
KIDS JOIN THE FIGHT 2.0
MAY of 2021
​
Walker Beery is the brave boy who inspired the launch of Kids Join The Fight and continues to inspire the organization’s work. In August if 2019, he was diagnosed with a very rare and aggressive pediatric brain cancer, Medulloblastoma. Throughout surgeries, hospital stays, and multiple radiation and chemotherapy treatments, Walker’s infectious courage, and gratefulness always amazed his family, his medical community, and all who encountered him during his two year battle with cancer. Walker lost his battle with Medulloblastoma on September 4, 2021, but his legacy lives on in the great work the organization does today. Walker and his family began this nonprofit to help other kids and their families battling against pediatric cancer. Kids Join The Fight, is now a 501C3 nonprofit foundation that in its first year inspired children in all 50 states to raise more than $1 million dollars to support Walker’s vision and wish.
​
The story that inspired the movement…
​
A gift of a teddy bear from a fellow cancer patient given to comfort Walker in the hospital made Walker’s “nose burn”. When Walker would tell his father that his “nose burneds” it was their code for happy tears. The overwhelming feeling of this small gift from someone living a similar experience encouraged Walker to want to give back to others as well! It is this simple generous act of love that inspired the Kids Join The Fight movement and we hope to replicate that “nose burning” feeling over and over again to kids fighting their own battle with cancer.
​
Walker’s relentless desire to help other children battling cancer inspired Kids Join the Fight, a movement to invigorate the superpowers of children and empower them to raise money to defeat pediatric cancer. The money supports global research for pediatric cancer and provides the local support services and care so desperately needed by pediatric cancer patients and their families – all while teaching the next generation of fundraisers the feeling of gratitude associated with giving back to their communities.
​
Throughout their journey, The Beery family learned the sad reality that children only represent 4% of overall cancer research funding in the United States. This statistic is staggering and a harsh reality for so many! With only 3 new drugs approved for pediatric cancer treatment since 1980, the children that survive their childhood cancer are destined to have long-term effects from the toxins used to treat them.
​
The joyful strength that Walker brought to his relentless battle against pediatric brain cancer coupled with his deep desire to help other children in the same position is the inspiration and motivation for the child-centered, creative fundraising efforts of Kids Join the Fight.
“I am grateful for all of the people I got to meet during my cancer experience. In Houston, there was this girl who gave me a teddy bear, and my nose burned, which means I felt happy. It makes me feel happy too when I do nice things for people like she did for me.”
​
- Walker
Through all of his hospital stays, needles, scans, and medicine, Walker continued to remain very proud of the fundraising efforts for Kids Join The Fight. Walker Beery’s dream was for Kids Join the Fight to make a significant impact to fill the large gap of underfunding for kids' cancers. Each day we continue to make him proud with the help of kids all over the country. The goal remains the same - to raise money for researchers to find a CURE and also make a big impact in helping provide CARE for the children and families who are faced with pediatric cancer.