THE SMILE LIKE SULLY FOUNDATION

Sullivan "Sully" Shields spoke these words two weeks before he passed away. He was only 14 years old yet, at the time, he was battling a second form of Stage IV cancer. After being diagnosed with Stage IV Neuroblastoma at the age of 4, Sully endured more than five years of treatment and two relapses before being declared No Evidence of Disease in 2018. During this time Sully learned the power of giving back. The power of showing up. And the power of choosing joy. Sully delighted in helping others. Serving on the Junior Boards and Patient Advisory Groups for various non-profit organizations, giving speeches to spread awareness and raise money, even lobbying our State and Federal Governments for more funding for Childhood Cancer Research, Sully loved giving to others. Sully's testimony even helped pass a bill to create The Maryland Pediatric Cancer Research Fund. Sully has been described as having his own gravitational pull, he was such a force of nature. In a cruel twist, nearly five years after he beat Neuroblastoma he received a new diagnosis - Stage IV Angiosarcoma, likely caused by the toxic treatments he received to fight his prior cancer. Sully fought harder than ever. Yet even two weeks before he passed away, he was insistent we find more ways to give back and The Smile Like Sully Foundation was born.