Meet Penelope!

Thursday, February 19, 2026 was the 14th annual Lending Hearts Gala presented by PNC, UPMC Hillman Cancer Center & Pirates Charities.

Every year at the Gala, a Lending Hearts family is invited to share their personal journey. This year, we were honored to recognize our 10 year old friend, Penelope, and her wonderful family.

It is an honor and privlege to share Penelope's story. Her mom, Kylie, shares the following:

Childhood cancer is something most people think happens to other families—until it happens to yours.

I never imagined that the word cancer would be spoken in the same sentence as my child’s name. But one day, our world changed. Childhood cancer affected my daughter, Penelope and from that moment on, nothing was ever the same.

As a parent, you are supposed to protect your child. You fix scraped knees, chase away nightmares, and promise them that everything will be okay. But cancer is something you cannot simply make better. It steals normal moments—birthdays, school days, sleep, and laughter—and replaces them with hospital rooms, treatments, fear, and unanswered questions.

Penelope showed a strength I didn’t know was possible. While she faced pain, uncertainty, and exhaustion, she still smiled. She still found joy in small moments. She taught me what courage truly looks like—not the absence of fear, but the ability to keep going despite it.

•42 consecutive weeks of Chemotherapy 

•24 weeks of Maintenance chemotherapy 

•6 weeks of proton radiation 

•5 blood transfusions 

•4 surgeries 

•48 medical sedations

•3 PET scans

•8 MRI scans

•7 CT scans

Yet through this journey, we also discovered something powerful: HOPE. Hope in research. Hope in doctors and nurses who dedicate their lives to saving children. Hope in communities that rally together, raise awareness, and refuse to let these children fight alone.

Childhood cancer is not rare enough. It deserves more attention, more funding, and more voices speaking up. Our children deserve better treatments, better outcomes, and brighter futures.

I share my daughter’s story not for sympathy, but for awareness. Because no family should ever feel alone in this fight. And because every child deserves the chance to grow up, dream big, and live a full life.

My daughter’s journey changed me forever. It showed me the depth of love, the meaning of strength, and the importance of never giving up—especially for our children!!