Margetta Thomas

My Recent Work

Helping Cierra Thrive as a Mom

Cierra works in childcare. When she was pregnant with Drake, she knew the first few months of motherhood would be challenging — and they were. She had anxiety, depression and felt like she was letting her family down. Meals, bath time and getting Drake to bed created big challenges. She felt self-conscious asking for help.

“I felt like my world was crashing. Every therapist I called was busy,” Cierra explained.

When Drake vomited a strange color, she brought him to the Children’s National Emer

Unlocking the Secrets of our DNA

“My high school science teacher partnered with Yale University to give us a chance to work in real genetics labs,” says Christina Grant, MD, PhD. “I remember thinking, wow, this is awesome.”

That experience set Dr. Grant on her path to medical school. A clinical genetics rotation introduced her to a whole new world of discovery. Today she is a medical geneticist at the Children’s National Rare Disease Institute. Her research changes the lives of children and families.

One of Dr. Grant’s patien

Omid Conquers Fear with Music

Neil Aleger, DDS, a dental fellow at Children’s National, builds trust with his young patients by acknowledging any fears they might have while in the dental chair. Even the simplest procedure can involve anxiety-producing noises and feelings.



Omid, at age 8 had 10 procedures in one year. "He's always had a hard time at the dentist,” says his mom, Zeinab. “As a parent, it’s really painful to watch.”



Dr. Aleger had a plan. He asked Omid about his favorite books, cartoons and music, cre

Care for Mila and Me

My daughter Mila is a feisty, caring little girl. She loves music, loves to dance and gives the best hugs.



Mila wasn’t breathing when she was born. It took doctors an hour to revive her. Five days later, Mila flew to Children’s National Hospital where she spent eight months in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). It was the longest eight months of my life.



Compassionate care at Children’s National gave me hope. The nurses were like family. They listened and talked to me. I would a

Compassion Brings Smiles

My daughter Jocelynne is a ball of sunshine. She loves animals and her siblings spoil her. She’s a thriving toddler today because of Children’s National Hospital.During my 20-week prenatal anatomy scan, I learned that Jocelynne had hydronephrosis. An excess build-up of urine caused her kidneys to swell. My pregnancy was now high-risk.Urologist Tanya Davis, MD, was truly a blessing in our lives. I spoke with her twice during my pregnancy. After every conversation, she would tell me to feel free t
CureSearch for Children's Cancer •

From the mountains to the aisle: CureSearch Ultimate Hikers find love on the trail

James and Elizabeth Gunnett have participated in Pacific Crest Trail Ultimate Hike since 2018, raising critical funds to support the next breakthrough in childhood cancer.

The two struck up quite the conversation out on the trail for their very first hike. So much so, they ended up hiking a few extra miles together that day! Little did they know, that very first trek on the Pacific Crest Trail would lead to a walk down the aisle three years later!

2018 was a difficult year for James. He lost h
CureSearch for Children's Cancer •

CureSearch to lead impact study on cost, treatment benefits of molecular testing for childhood cancer patients

Bethesda, Md. – January 18, 2023 – , a national nonprofit dedicated to ensuring that every child diagnosed with cancer has a safe and effective treatment option, will lead a healthcare economic study to determine how molecular testing could benefit treatment decisions for pediatric cancer patients.

Cancer is the number one disease killer in children in the US. Although survival rates for the most common types of childhood cancer have greatly increased in recent years, there has been little impr
CureSearch for Children's Cancer •

Support kids like Caden this holiday season

In November of 2020, Shannon Marshall heard the heartbreaking words that more than 15,000 families in the US hear every year, “Your child has cancer.”

Her son Caden was diagnosed with B-cell leukemia. At just 10 years old, he spent weeks in the hospital enduring toxic chemotherapy. At one point, he was getting the highest dose of methotrexate and had to be monitored around the clock.

“The side effects were grueling,” Shannon explained. “I had to watch my little boy suffer from nausea, extreme
CureSearch for Children's Cancer •

Childhood cancer survivor working to bring new therapies to kids like him

As a pediatric emergency medicine physician, Kim Giusto is no stranger to the symptoms of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), an aggressive form of blood cancer, in children. In 2013, her professional life became her personal life. She noticed her son, Cole, had been sick for five days with cold symptoms, a fever, and a rash known as petechiae.

“I also noticed he had gained some weight and was breathing a little fast, which concerned me that something more serious was going on,” said Kim. “I br
CureSearch for Children's Cancer •

Scientific Advisory Council Spotlight: Elizabeth Fox, MD

With the expert leadership of the CureSearch Scientific Advisory Council (SAC), which sets the academic priorities for research initiatives and evaluates projects on scientific merit, CureSearch funds projects with commercial potential and the ability to quickly reach patients who need new and better treatment options.

The SAC includes best-in-class pediatric oncologists, such as Elizabeth Fox, MD, senior vice president of clinical trials administration at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
CureSearch for Children's Cancer •

175 miles in seven days – hiker treks across the country for kids with cancer

Ryan Sickler is going the extra mile to tell children’s cancer to “take a hike” by taking on all seven 2022 CureSearch Ultimate Hikes to raise funds and awareness for better childhood cancer treatments.

The CureSearch Ultimate Hike is the nation’s only endurance event dedicated to childhood cancer. Hikes take place throughout the year on some of the country’s most beautiful trails in Texas, the Carolinas, Virginia, California, Minnesota and Arkansas.

In 2019, Ryan laced up his boots for his fi
CureSearch for Children's Cancer •

Ultimate Hiker takes on famous pilgrimage for childhood cancer research

How far would you hike for children with cancer? For Steve Hay, it’s 165 miles.

More than 17,000 children in the US are diagnosed with cancer every year and most current standard treatments were approved before 1990. There is an urgent need for new, safe, effective treatments.

Through the CureSearch Create Your Own Adventure program, Steve went the extra mile – 165 miles to be exact – to raise funds for the development of new treatments for children with cancer. This was Steve’s first CureSear
CureSearch for Children's Cancer •

Volunteer, mother of childhood cancer survivor to host Northern Colorado CureSearch Walk

CureSearch funds next-generation childhood cancer research, and that wouldn’t be possible without our dedicated volunteers who work every day to fundraise and bring awareness to the urgent need for new treatments for the kids who need them most.

In 2018, Kathleen Sullivan and her family’s world turned upside down. Her 17-year-old daughter, Sherilyn, was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a cancer of the blood that starts in the bone marrow and spreads to the bloodstream. Kathlee
CureSearch for Children's Cancer •

Mom and childhood cancer advocate shares daughter’s story on anniversary of diagnosis

Mom and childhood cancer advocate shares daughter’s story on anniversary of diagnosis

Fourteen years ago today, Stacy Distefano heard the words that more than 17,000 parents in the U.S. hear every year – “your child has cancer.”

On April 29, 2008, Stacy took her four-year-old daughter, Avery, to the pediatrician after weeks of stomach problems and complaints of a headache. Bloodwork showed that she was dehydrated, so Avery was sent to the ER for IV fluids.

“The ER doctor ordered an MRI just t
CureSearch for Children's Cancer •

CureSearch announces new funding commitment to childhood cancer research projects

Projects will develop new treatments for neuroblastoma, high-grade gliomas, including DMG, and more

Bethesda, Md. – February 15, 2022– CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, a national nonprofit with a mission to end childhood cancer by driving targeted and innovative research with measurable results in an accelerated time frame, announced today it will fund seven innovative, translational research projects beginning in 2022. Projects will address a wide range of tumor types including intracranial g
CureSearch for Children's Cancer •

Mother-daughter team wants to pay it forward at CureSearch Ultimate Hike

Angie Voloch knows first-hand what it’s like to watch a child endure toxic chemotherapy treatments. On November 4, 2014, after a year of misdiagnoses, her daughter Taylor was diagnosed with a pilocytic astrocytoma – a slow growing tumor that usually does not spread to surrounding brain tissue.

“The next morning, she had to undergo a 12-hour surgery to remove the tumor,” said Angie. “In 2016, the tumor had regrown closer to the brainstem and continued to grow, despite a year of chemo.”

Taylor h
CureSearch for Children's Cancer •

Newly-funded CureSearch and SebastianStrong Foundation project aims to develop immunotherapy treatment for pediatric leukemia

Newly-funded CureSearch and SebastianStrong Foundation project aims to develop immunotherapy treatment for pediatric leukemia

Novel immunotherapy approach could improve survival rate for acute myeloid leukemia

Bethesda, Md. – September 15, 2021 – CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, in partnership with the SebastianStrong Foundation, has awarded a three-year, $270,650 CureSearch Young Investigator grant to University of Colorado Cancer Center member Mark Kohler, MD, PhD, who will develop a new tr
CureSearch for Children's Cancer •

Leaders in pediatric oncology converge to improve the next decade of clinical trials

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Margetta Thomas

Communications Manager

CureSearch for Children’s Cancer

Email: margetta.thomas@curesearch.org

Leaders in pediatric oncology converge to improve the next decade of clinical trials

Collaborative forum to address the unique aspects and challenges of pediatric cancer clinical trial design

Bethesda, MD – September 9, 2021 – CureSearch for Children’s Cancer will host the virtual 2021 Pediatric Early Development Symposium (PEDS) – Pediatri

Online search helps solve 24-year medical mystery

Confusion, nausea, fever, anger, then back to normal. This was Lauren Vandiver’s life beginning in early childhood. Her parents, Phillip and Angela Vandiver, spent more than twenty years asking the question “why?” Why is she forgetting who we are? Why is she throwing up? Why is she so angry? They knew there had to be an explanation for their daughter’s symptoms, and they were right. However, the diagnosis would take two decades to be found.

Lauren seemed to be progressing fine as a young child.

Alabama woman ends 40-year diagnostic odyssey, thanks to Smith Family Clinic

Rare disease patients spend an average of eight years searching for a diagnosis and for some, that search can last decades.

April Hudson of Quinton, Ala., began showing symptoms of an unknown disease at three years old. She would go on to see 200 physicians before finally learning the true cause of her symptoms nearly 40 years later.

April was no stranger to sickness as a child.

“I was that child who would always run a low-grade fever, always had a sinus infection and was just always sick,” s

Hope in a name: Montgomery family finds diagnosis at HudsonAlpha

“In the beginning, Violet could say a few words. She would say momma, dadda and bubba,” said Mandy Monson, Violet’s mother. “She didn’t suddenly forget who we were. She just stopped being able to communicate it.”

Violet, a toddler from Montgomery, Ala., was a quiet little mystery to her doctors. It would be almost two years until “D-Day,” or Diagnosis Day would finally come for the Monson family and their precious Violet.

Violet started showing signs of regression when she was around eight mon

The CSER project: diagnosing the undiagnosed

Victor and Jeannette Vega of Madison, Ala. knew their daughter Tiana was falling behind in her development but had no idea that she would be diagnosed with a condition so rare, it occurs in about 1 in 10,000, and only in girls.

“At around 9 months, family and friends started telling me that there was some kind of a delay, so I just kind of kept an eye on it and figured okay, she’s delayed, but she’ll catch up,” said Jeannette.

This was only the beginning of a two-year journey to a diagnosis fo

Your “gene-erosity” makes it possible to help those in need

Jim Wall has struggled with back problems for more than 20 years, but just ignored the pain and accepted it as a part of life.

“My sister used to tell me I had the ‘back walk’ and my wife used to tell me I walked around the house like Frankenstein,” said Jim. “Those were probably early symptoms.” In addition, Jim had swallowing issues – even with the tiniest amounts of food – and balance problems.

Little did he know, there was a larger issue at hand.

After the death of his wife in 2007, Jim d

HudsonAlpha: ending the diagnostic odyssey

As a pediatric occupational therapist in Florence, Ala., Miranda Ainsworth spends her days working with children with special needs. So when her daughter Anna Brooke was only a few months old, Miranda already could sense there was a problem. But not everyone shared those concerns.

“Doing what I do and treating children is kind of a catch-22,” Miranda explained. “Some people would say it’s so good that you have experience with children and you know what to look for. Others would say you’re just