On March 11, 2021, our lives changed forever.

It was the day we heard the four words no parent is ever prepared for:

“Your child has cancer.”

Our daughter, Alessia, was just three years old when a routine visit led to the discovery of a tumor on her kidney. Within days, she underwent a five-hour surgery at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center under the care of Dr. Michael Ortiz. She was diagnosed with Stage 2 Wilms Tumor and began 20 weeks of chemotherapy.

Like so many families, we entered a world we never knew existed, a world filled with surgeries, chemotherapy, scans, uncertainty, and the constant fear of what tomorrow might bring.

Today, we are incredibly grateful to share that Alessia has reached five years of no evidence of disease.

Five years of birthdays.


Five years of holidays.


Five years of family vacations.


Five years of school, friendships, laughter, and watching her discover a love for gymnastics.

These are the moments we once feared we might never have. But our journey also taught us something that many people don’t realize. For children diagnosed with cancer, surviving treatment is not always the end of the story.

Many pediatric cancer survivors face lifelong health challenges caused by the very treatments that saved their lives. Heart disease, infertility, secondary cancers, learning differences, and emotional struggles are just some of the long term effects that can follow them into adulthood.

As Alessia reaches this incredible milestone, one chapter of her journey has closed, and another has just begun. She is now transitioning from oncology into survivorship care, a reminder that while treatment may end, survivorship lasts a lifetime.

That realization transformed our mission.

The Navis Foundation was created not only to help more children survive pediatric cancer, but to help them thrive long after treatment ends.

We believe every child deserves more than survival. They deserve the opportunity to grow up healthy.
 To chase their dreams.
 To play sports. To attend college.
 To build families of their own.
 To live full, meaningful lives without the burden of treatment related complications.

Today, the Navis Foundation exists to restore childhood after pediatric cancer by advancing innovative research, supporting lifelong survivorship, and helping children reclaim the moments cancer tried to take away.

Through the generosity of our community, we proudly support groundbreaking research focused on rare pediatric tumors and survivorship. As our foundation continues to grow, so does our commitment to expanding programs that promote wellness, physical activity, and opportunities that allow childhood cancer survivors to simply be kids again.

What began as one family’s story has become a community united by hope.

Thank you for believing in our mission, standing beside families like ours, and helping us create a future where every child not only survives cancer, but has the chance to truly live. Together, we are restoring childhood.

The Navis Foundation is dedicated to advancing innovative pediatric cancer research and restoring childhood through survivorship and wellness initiatives, ensuring every child has the opportunity to not only survive cancer, but thrive beyond it.