Philomena “Bean”
Stendardo was an 8‐year‐old child of God. Philomena was a one of a kind, spunky
little firecracker, who had the gift of joy which allowed her to walk herself
into the heart of everyone she met, without exception.
At such a young
age, she was an exceptional athlete and mastered every sport she participated
in. She loved soccer and attended our
Saint Joseph’s University Soccer Camps every summer from the time she was 5
years old. She attended several camps and was named
“Camper of the Week” multiple times. Phil was always a camp favorite among the
coaches and her peers!
On September 15,
2016, at the age of 7, Philomena was diagnosed with DIPG (Diffuse
Intrinsic Pontine Giloma). DIPG
occurs when a tumor grows in the
middle of the bottom part of the brain, an area that connects to the spinal
cord.
Philomena lost her battle to this
uniformly fatal disease just 10 months later, on July 23, 2017.
During Bean’s life, she reached countless individuals and taught them to bring their faith to
the forefront and ban together in prayer.
We are asking our SJU Soccer Family to ban together for donations to
help put an end to DIPG through research and awareness. DIPG has a 0% survival rate. DIPG is a monster
that kills every single child it touches. It’s time to ensure that “catching”
this monster gets all the focus and funding required to do so. With your help, there will, someday, be a first to beat this disease, and there is no doubt we
will be on the front lines, pushing our way through to that glorious day when
we can finally say the “0%” is a thing of the past. Your contribution allows you
to be right there with us, on the battlefield. Your contribution is how and why
we can ensure that someday, every child will have the ability to grow up to be
an adult.
Storm the Heavens was created by Mina Carroll and Mark
Stendardo (parents of Philomena) to put an end to DIPG through
prayer, research, and awareness. 100% of
the donations made go to end the fight of DIPG.