Naomi Bartley, of Wheaton, is a pharmaceutical clinical researcher. She was diagnosed withleukemia at age 7 but survived with chemotherapy, full-body radiation and a bone marrow transplant. She is organizing Naomi’s Hope for a Cure on Friday at the National Building Museum. It is a gala fundraiser that includes an auction of hand-painted hope chests. Proceeds benefit the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Society, a nonprofit based in Kensington, Md., that supports children with cancer and their families.
What is a hope chest?
I was looking for a theme for a fundraiser, and I thought of when I was sick. I used to keep my letters, toys and things in a chest, in hope for the future.
How many hope chests are there?
Fifteen. … One is by Alexandra Nechita, one of America’s leading young artists, whose paintings have hit the $1 million mark. Hers is called “All You Need Is Love,” a Picasso-like painting. … The Lance Armstrong box, by Jean Francois, has a picture of Lance Armstrong and has been signed by him. … George and Barbara Bush signed an American-themed box, in memory of their daughter, Robin, who died from cancer as a child.
What would you like to raise awareness about?
Everyone uses the statistic, “80 percent of kids with cancer are cured.” I think that’s giving people the wrong message. They may live, but they’ll experience severe side effects, sometimes chronic, and things like organ failure and second cancers. And that’s only a five-year survival rate. If diagnosed, 80 percent will survive past five years. If you’re diagnosed at 3, that doesn’t mean much. I don’t consider that a complete cure.
