September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and Brittany DiPaolo, LHHS ’13 alumna, has created a unique philanthropy to help the cause.
DiPaolo was cheer captain, a Wranglers member, in the National Honor Society and a part of many other extracurriculars at Lake Highlands High School. One act of service she did in high school was care for a child enduring a long series of treatments for leukemia, sometimes staying with her at Children’s Medical Center.
“I experienced first hand how vitally important her nurses were in relieving her and her family’s physical and emotional sufferings,” DiPaolo says. “I had the same positive interactions with nurses during my hospital stays during high school and college for sports-related injury surgeries.
After attending UT Austin’s McCombs School of Business and graduating in 2017, DiPaolo decided to return to Dallas and attend the University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing and Health Innovation.Â
“I realized I had a great passion within that could not be satisfied sitting behind a desk crunching numbers or analyzing business plans,” DiPaolo says.
DiPaolo also decided to start No Kids Fight Alone, an organization supported by Olympic gymnast, Laurie Hernandez.
“I decided to reach out to the competitive gymnastics world I was a part of for so long and design leotards supporting childhood cancer,” DiPaolo says.
The nonprofit donates 100% of profits from the sale of gymnastics leotards to Gill Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders of Children’s Health. A T-shirt is also offered, so non sporty types can help support the cause too.
“Ours is a mission of passion, not one of partial commitment,” DiPaolo says.
