About Us

Trisha Danze, Thea’s mom, founded Thea’s Star of Hope in 2011 with a mission to improve the treatment experience for kids with brain tumors.

“Star of Hope” is the embodiment of Thea’s positive outlook and a testament to the indelible spirit so many diagnosed children maintain despite terrifying diagnosis, painful treatment and an uncertain future.

What we do:

Thea's Star of Hope brings Hope to every family touched by pediatric brain tumors.

We aim to improve treatments and provide support for families of kids with brain tumors so that they can live and not just survive.

That means we support research for improved therapies with fewer side effects and efforts to make treatments more tolerable. We also provide resources for families undergoing treatment or dealing with the long-term effects resulting from treatments.

How we do it:

We raise funds and awareness through volunteer-led activities and education projects.

Why it matters:

Thousands of children live with brain tumors. Treatments allow many to live into adulthood, but most of these children experience long-lasting impact to their body, mind or spirit. 

Despite medical advances to treat other forms of cancer, brain tumors are still an extremely serious condition for children, and the second-leading cause of cancer mortality in kids after leukemia. Overall, pediatric brain tumor patients have the most quality of life challenges compared to other cancer survivors.