David was diagnosed with Glioblastoma Multiforme in September 2010. He was just 16 years old. David was funny, quirky, intelligent and kind. He was well loved by all who encountered him throughout his life. He wanted to be a chef, and he was so honored to meet Gordon Ramsay and to call José Andres a friend. He always had a smile and a hug for the people he loved - and that was nearly everyone he met. Four hospitals, a clinical trial, and countless prayers couldn't save David, and he passed away after a 20 month battle. Hoping to turn this tragedy into something positive and help solve the riddle of cancer, his mother and stepfather have founded the Dragon Master Foundation, with the goal of using big data to help researchers identify patterns and further their research.
We'd like to thank Heidi Buck for creating this piece of art for us. You can find more of her work at hbdragon.com or find her on Facebook here.
This piece of art, created by Heidi Buck, symbolizes David Pearson and our quest to tame the dragon that is cancer.
To find and accelerate cures for cancers and other diseases by fostering and rewarding a community of collaboration and innovation. We seek to spread awareness, expedite research and kinder treatments, and improve the quality of life for patients and their families.
Amanda is a serial volunteer whose son, David, succumbed to GBM in 2012 at the age of 18. She was his caregiver throughout the 20 month battle and traveled with him to four different hospitals in four different states. The doctors and researchers they encountered on that journey led them to become passionate advocates for brain cancer research.
Amanda was named a White House Champion of Change for Precision Medicine because of her work with Dragon Master Foundation. You can read the White House archive page for that here.
Amanda serves as the Foundation Liaison for the Children's Brain Tumor Tissue Consortium Scientific Committee and an advisor to the Duke Glioblastoma Drug Discovery Group. She has also been in working groups for the Beau Biden Cancer Moonshot, the Gabriella Miller Kid's First Data Resource Center, and the National Cancer Advisory Board (NCAB) Data Science Working Group.
Amanda spent 11 years of her working career in the non-profit sector and spent the last 9 years working in the technology industry. She is very proud of her daughter, Austin, and her two bonus kids, Briston & Kinsley. Amanda enjoys travel, creative projects, and random acts of kindness.
CAVATICA is a data analysis and sharing platform designed to accelerate discovery in a scalable, cloud-based computer environment where data, results, and workflows are shared among the world's research community. CAVATICA and its partners continuously seek to find ways to collaborate, share, interoperate, and connect with any and all other data platforms in order to empower data across diseases, ages and geography supporting researchers and patients across the United States and throughout the world.
