Christopher Millard's Story


Four Diamonds was established in 1972 by Charles and Irma Millard following the death of their son, Christopher, who lost his battle with cancer at the age of 14.

The name of the organization came from an essay Christopher wrote shortly before his death, entitled “The Four Diamonds.”

The knight in Chris Millard’s story had to find the Four Diamonds of Courage, Wisdom, Honesty, and Strength in order to defeat an evil sorceress. These four attributes were the traits Christopher felt he needed to overcome his battle with cancer.



 

The Ashlyn Brysiak Family

In April of 2016, eight-year old Ashlyn was in the beginning of her first full season for travel-league soccer and was already a standout on the field. But only a few weeks into the season, her parents began to notice problems.

The Alex Smith Family
On Jan. 6, 2017, Alex visited her pediatrician’s office because her joints ached, her lymph nodes were swollen and she had a low-grade fever. She returned home and collapsed. A blood test at a local hospital led to a transfer to Penn State Children’s Hospital – something was seriously wrong.

Read more about Alex here...


The Emilia Damshek Family

In June 2013, Emilia experienced a severe pain in her leg after basketball practice. A trip to the doctor revealed a mass on her pelvis, Emilia was quickly taken to the hospital for further testing. She was diagnosed with a rare form of bone cancer.  


The Owen Bonn Family
Owen had just turned two when, one night at the dinner table, he began to cry and couldn’t seem to find the food on the table in front of him. Owen’s mother, Marsha, called her son’s pediatrician and explained her concerns that Owen was having vision problems.
 

The Theresa Illicete Family
Theresa, the youngest of 11 children, was doted upon by everybody in her family. At nine years old, she was a fun-loving, inquisitive, energetic child, yet. In Aug. 2014, Theresa began complaining of leg pain after playing. The pain would come and go, but in Sept., Theresa was taken to the hospital.
 
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