My son, Ty Campbell, was diagnosed with cancer when he was only 2 ½ years old, and passed away just days after his fifth birthday. I will never be the same. I gave up my job to launch the Ty Louis Campbell (TLC) Foundation for childhood cancer research in the hopes that someday, the research we fund will improve long-term prognosis for children diagnosed with the most aggressive cancers.
Each day, our volunteers work tirelessly in an effort to make a difference for children currently battling cancer, and for those that will be diagnosed with cancer in the future. I have dedicated my life to being an advocate for childhood cancer, and have realized the importance of philanthropy. Like many others, I buy t-shirts from Sevenly, I wear TOMS and Warby Parker, I opt to pay more for the label with a pink ribbon and I never deny a charitable request at the register. However, I find it so difficult to accept how little awareness – and charitable merchandise – is available to support charities for childhood cancer.
The awareness color for childhood cancer is gold, just as pink represents breast cancer, but very few people off-the-street are aware of that. I have wanted to do something to support the “go gold” initiative, and then it hit me when I looked down at my wrist. Colorful silicone bracelets have been popular for a decade because they are easy and eye-catching – but they are not pretty. To honor my son Ty and all children battling cancer, my team and I saw an opportunity to offer a chic and trendy alternative – in predominantly gold – that will grab people’s attention and make a fashionable statement for an important cause.
The PRET*TY store was born in 2013 (www.prettystore.org). Each PRET*TY product is adorned with a custom-made PRET*TY charm, and many are packaged in our signature PRET*TY bag – a beautiful gold change purse that is perfect for everyday use. They are the perfect gifts that give back because 100% of the net proceeds are redirected to fund innovative pediatric cancer research through the Ty Louis Campbell (TLC) Foundation. TLC is a certified nonprofit organization.
About Ty Campbell
Ty Campbell puts the TY in PRET*TY. He was a beautiful, magnetic little boy who captured the hearts of thousands, and continues to do so, even now. His eternal spirit lives on in hearts of everyone he touched, and his story continues to impact others. You can read his story of inspiration at www.superty.org.
About Pediatric Cancer
Pediatric cancer happens completely at random and it doesn’t discriminate. There is no known cause or prevention for most childhood cancers. Pediatric cancer is the number one cause of death by disease among children, claiming the lives of more children each year than AIDS, asthma, cystic fibrosis and diabetes combined. In fact:
- Every three minutes, a child is diagnosed with cancer.
- Almost one out of four children diagnosed with cancer will not survive (22%), and the large majority of those that do survive (65%) will live with serious, chronic side effects as a result of the harsh treatments.
- In the past 20 years ONLY THREE new cancer drugs have been approved that are specific for pediatric cancer, yet, the incidence of the most aggressive pediatric cancers is up 29 percent over the course of those same 20 years.
Thanks so much for getting to know me, my family, and my passion for raising childhood cancer awareness. The Pret*ty Store is one of my favorite projects, and when I’m charming jewelry or taking orders I am truly in my “happy” place. I can feel a physical and emotional transfer of turning my pain into good, and that is made possible by supporters like you.
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