Steven Giallourakis beat a nasty cancer that enveloped part of the teenager's spine. Now his brother, Nick, and the rest of his family are raising money to help future teens and young adults defeat their own cancers.
Giallourakis' family is trying to change that fact. They have raised more than $60,000 to pay for a research fellow at Cleveland's Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital to study sarcomas, a type of cancer often found in young adults.
Survival rates for teens and young adults with cancer have not increased in 30 years, said John Letterio, M.D., an Erie native who is Rainbow's Division Chief of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology.
To donate, make checks payable to Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital and write "Steven Giallourakis AYA Cancer Fund" in the memo line. Mailing Address: Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital, Department of Development, P.O. Box 74947, Cleveland, Ohio 44101-9927.