Eleven year-old pediatric cancer advocate raises $12,000 for three different charities

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - In an effort to raise awareness about pediatric cancer, 11 year-old Tallahassee resident Katelyn Irwin started her Be Bold, Go Gold campaign which spread to Leon County Schools.

The goal was to raise as much money as possible to ensure as little youth as possible are affected by this deadly disease.

Eleven year-old Katelyn Irwin has always had a heart for giving back and it started with the battle with cancer her little brother faced.

“When I was three my little brother was diagnosed with leukemia, a blood cancer. He was in treatment for two years and now he’s six years cancer free,” said Be Bold, Go Gold founder Katelyn Irwin.

And when Irwin realized schools rarely talked about pediatric cancer, she wanted to make a change

“Every single year in school they have a breast cancer awareness day so I started go gold day,” explained Irwin.

From there Irwin’s campaign has steadily grown and expanded and even created partnerships with other organizations with similar goals.

“The fact that we can kind of partner from the extremes of the cancer situation and everything in between has really been special,” said Marshal Fisher AYA Cancer Fund’s Betsy Fisher.

Irwin, with the help of Moore Bass Consulting and the Bannerman Dunkin’ Donuts, was able to raise over 12,000 dollars. Funds that can significantly help the fight against pediatric cancer.

“For example my son, two out of the many chemo’s he took, two or three of them were chemo’s that were given back in the 1960′s, 70′s, 80′s,” shared Fisher. “Things haven’t changed. The protocols he was on are decades old.”

Fisher said that she is appreciative of what Irwin has been able to accomplish.

“Again, I’m just so proud of Katelyn. I’ve taught high school in this community for a long time and I have worked with a lot of awesome young people and she is just, she gets it,” explained Fisher.

Irwin says she’s just happy about the great support she had received.

“To me it’s like amazing that people care for other kids fighting cancer because without people like them kids would have been passing away. Which is very tragic,” shared Irwin.

Fighting to save as many kids as she possibly can.

The funds raised are going towards the Hang Tough Foundation, Marshal Fisher AYA Cancer fund and the UF Health Shands and Trent’s Touch Leadership.

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