Our Mission
The Brayden Cole Hinck Foundation strives to FINANCIALLY ASSIST FAMILIES whose children are undergoing treatment for cancer, FUND RESEARCH for pediatric brain cancer, and INSPIRE OTHERS to “Be Like B.”
The hero behind the foundation is Brayden, who passed away on May 28, 2024, just two weeks shy of his 12th birthday. Brayden battled a rare form of brain cancer. He bravely faced two brain surgeries, 30 rounds of radiation and oral chemotherapy, always with a positive attitude and a smile.
In the months before he died, Brayden spent nearly seven weeks in patient at CHLA. We were fortunate that both my husband and I could stay at the hospital with him during that time. We had good health insurance, support from both of our employers, and family who helped take care of our two daughters. However, during that time, we saw many children whose families were not as lucky. We met parents who could not stay with their sick child undergoing chemotherapy because they had to go into work. We met single mothers who had to leave every night to be with their other children. We met kids who had been battling this horrible disease for years, with no end in sight.
The other startling statistic we learned was that the federal government invests just 4% of its annual cancer research budget to pediatric cancer – less than $3.00 per child. We can do better. We will do better.