Help us establish DIPG Awareness Days in every U.S. state!
**Check out the 2020 status on the panel on the right (or below if you are on mobile). Note that due to the emergency conditions surrounding coronavirus, some state governments were not processing proclamation requests in 2020.**
In 2017, for the first time in history, 21 states recognized May 17th as Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma (DIPG) Awareness Day, to raise public awareness of the deadliest childhood brain cancer. After a great team effort in 2018 and 2019, we saw an increase in participation with 32 states recognizing May 17th in 2019.
A full list of states is below.
The DIPG Across the Map Initiative started after Governor Larry Hogan established Maryland’s first-ever DIPG Awareness Day on May 17, 2016 through the effort of Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation. The date was selected because it fell anniversary of the passing of six-year-old Michael Mosier from Bethesda, Maryland, for whom the nonprofit organization was named. Following Governor Hogan’s issuance of the 2016 Proclamation, a Pennsylvania nonprofit, Aidan’s Avengers, also succeeded in establishing May 17, 2016 as DIPG Awareness Day in Pennsylvania.
DIPG is the leading cause of childhood death due to brain tumors and typically strikes school-age children. The “DIPG Across the Map Initiative,” organized by Michael Mosier Defeat DIPG Foundation, coordinates families and foundations across the country to elevate awareness of this devastating childhood cancer.
We are also proud to work alongside the DIPG Advocacy Group on the passage of H. Res. 114, which is National DIPG Awareness Day legislation pending in the U.S. House of Representatives. See side column for more details.
We are eager to work with families and other foundations to spread this project to every state in the country. Most states that established May 17th as DIPG Awareness Day through gubernatorial proclamation or legislative resolution will need advocates to seek renewed proclamations in 2020.
The legislatures of Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas established May 17th as DIPG Awareness Day in perpetuity.
There are a few central pillars to this initiative:
(1) By banding together to advocate for the same day in multiple states we will be able to gain more momentum and draw even more attention to DIPG on a unified awareness day.
(2) While every family and advocate should use their own personal story to urge their state government to adopt DIPG Awareness Day, the proclamations we seek should not be child-specific to ensure they include and represent ALL children who have faced or are facing this disease.
WE WANT YOU TO JOIN WITH US. On the right side of this page, you will find a list of states where work is already underway and/or there are already volunteers ready to work to establish May 17 as DIPG Awareness Day. You may sign up to work with the group established in your state, or you can sign up to help lead the way where you live.
Whether your state is listed or not, please sign up using the form below to join this initiative. You will receive guidance and sample materials for use in advocating for DIPG Awareness Day in your state.
You will not be working alone. This is a group effort. TOGETHER, we will raise awareness, drive more people to action in supporting the cause and funding essential DIPG research . . . and DEFEAT DIPG!!
2020 Project Status
Last Updated: 5/14/20
We will kick off this year’s effort early in 2020, and we will update a list posted in this section as often as possible to show the status of our work across the United States. Please email us at info@defeatdipg.org if you have an update for your state that is not shown here. Thank you!
Pending Requests
- California
- Florida
- North Carolina
- Washington
Successful Requests – Gubernatorial Proclamation Unless Otherwise Noted
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Kentucky
- Maryland
- Missouri
- New Jersey
- South Carolina
Permanently Established By Legislature – No Further Action Required
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Louisiana
- Ohio
- Texas
H.Res. 114 – DIPG Awareness Resolution in U.S. House of Representatives
In addition to the DIPG Across the Map project, we are proud to work with our friends in the DIPG Advocacy Group on the effort to establish May 17 as DIPG Awareness Day on the federal level. On February 15, 2019, Representatives Speier and Joyce introduced H.Res. 114, a bipartisan resolution to establish May 17 at National DIPG Awareness Day and call for expanded research for treatments and care for children with this deadly disease. Please click here to learn more, including how you can contact your Representative to ensure their support!
The DIPG Advocacy Group also succeeded in getting the Senate to pass S. Res. 223 in 2019, which supported the designation of May 17 as DIPG Pediatric Brain Cancer Awareness Day.
2019 Report
The following 32 States established May 17 as DIPG Awareness Day in 2019.
Governor issued Proclamation – must be renewed in 2020
Alabama
Arizona
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
Nevada
New Jersey
North Carolina
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Tennessee
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
Resolution passed by Legislature – must be renewed in 2020
California
Nebraska
Bill passed by Legislature – permanent recognition of May 17
Idaho
Illinois
Louisiana
Ohio
Texas