Mission Statement

Kidz1stFund was created for one reason and one reason only—to raise funds and awareness toward the goal of finding a cure for Fanconi anemia. Each day, the money we’ve raised is already helping experts to discover new treatments, procedures and information related to this rare disease. And each day, that improves the lives and chances for Ethan and all the children like him.

WE WILL END FA: FOR ETHAN. FOR OTHERS. FOREVER.

FANCONI ANEMIA: A RARE DISEASE WITH REAL IMPACT.

Fanconi anemia is a rare disease that children are born with and the disease leads to bone marrow failure. This inherited, genetic condition affects males, females and all ethnic groups equally. 

People with FA can have a variety of symptoms ranging from heart defects and kidney problems to abnormalities of the arms and hands. But while no two cases of FA are the same, one fact continues to hold true—every person with FA’s blood counts will decline over time and eventually require a bone marrow transplant in order for them to survive.  After bone marrow transplant FA patients are 300,000 times more likely to have cancer.  Thankfully, new advances are being discovered every day.

In 1995, only 1 out of every 7 bone marrow recipients with FA survived an unrelated donor bone marrow transplant. Today, that number is 6 out of 7. But despite these successes, patients continue to be affected by shortened life expectancy, increased chances of developing various forms of cancer and other maladies. For this reason, Kidz1stFund will not rest until further treatments can help to alleviate these problems in every FA patient and, eventually, a true cure for FA can be found.

To date, Kidz1stFund has raised over $8.5 million, which has been directly responsible for providing education to raise awareness about the disease and funding research at the Kidz1stFund Fanconi Anemia Comprehensive Care Program at the University of Minnesota – the largest treatment center for FA patients in the nation.