09/01/2026
September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.
This year, those words feel especially heavy.
This picture of sweet Joe was taken on September 14 last year.
On June 11, Joe left this world... and my heart aches for his mom and dad and everyone who loved him.
Because Joe was so much more than a diagnosis.
He was a whole, wonderful little boy. Deeply loved. Full of such a big personality and a wildly strong sense of humor. Chris and Clayton’s precious son.
Sometimes, in the middle of an ordinary moment with my own little boy, I find myself thinking about Joe—and about how deeply his family misses those ordinary moments with him.
The little conversations. The laughter. The everyday pieces of loving him that should never have felt extraordinary, but now are missed beyond words.
It is a heartbreak I cannot fully understand, but one I think about often.
I can remember Joe, speak his name, and allow his life—and the unimaginable loss his family is carrying—to remind me just how urgently we need to do better.
Children deserve treatments created specifically for their growing bodies. They deserve more research, more funding, better options, and more tomorrows with the people who love them.
Awareness has to mean listening to families. Speaking these children’s names. And refusing to accept that this is simply the best we can do.
I also want to offer you a tangible way to help.
Joseph’s Sidekicks was created in honor of Joseph Dennard—sweet Joe—to carry his legacy forward by supporting pediatric brain-cancer research and helping children and families affected by this disease.
If Joe’s story moves you, please visit JosephsSidekicks.com. You can make a donation, learn more about the work being done in his name, and watch for opportunities to support future SuperJoe events. Even a small gift—or simply showing up when these events are held—is one meaningful way we can help turn awareness into action. 💛
Today, I’m honoring Joe.
A precious little boy. A deeply loved son. A life that mattered—and will always matter.
We remember you and we miss you Joe.
And for you, for your family, and for every child living with childhood cancer, we must do better.
