FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., Jan. 30, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Debbie's Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer (DDF) is proud to announce the winners of the 2019 DDF Scholarship Essay Contest. Nasir Thompson, 10, from Las Vegas won $100 in the elementary school division for his essay on ways to treat stomach cancer and his dreams for finding a cure. Melanie McNair, 12, also from Las Vegas, won $200 in the middle school division for writing about how she would work to improve the lives of stomach cancer patients if she were president. Amari Carpenter, 16, from Atlanta, Georgia, won $700 in the high school division for his compelling essay on the importance of stomach cancer research and how he thinks the federal government should allocate more funds to that area.
This year's essay contest was open to children between the ages of 5 to 18 across the United States and consisted of three categories: elementary, middle, and high school. Each category had a different essay prompt which asked questions regarding dreams, thoughts, and financial resources for curing stomach cancer. Submissions were accepted from September to December 2019. The essays were scored by celebrity judges Brad Meltzer, #1 New York Times bestselling author, and Rochelle Weinstein, USA Today and Amazon bestselling author.
"We are so proud of every single student who took the time to learn about stomach cancer and submit an essay to share their perspective," said Andrea Eidelman, DDF's Chief Executive Officer. "We look forward to continuing to raise awareness with today's youth because our greatest hope is that we will find a cure for stomach cancer in their lifetime."
For more information about DDF, visit www.DebbiesDream.org.
About Debbie's Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer
DDF is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to raising awareness about gastric cancer, advancing funding for research, and providing education and support internationally to patients, families, and caregivers. DDF seeks as its ultimate goal to make the cure for stomach cancer a reality.
DDF was founded in 2009 by Debbie Zelman after she was diagnosed with stage IV incurable gastric cancer in 2008 and given only weeks to live. Debbie is considered a pioneer by many for bringing awareness to the plight of stomach cancer patients worldwide, as well as to the lack of federal funding for stomach cancer research. She did all of this while receiving hundreds of rounds of chemo, in addition to daily oral treatments. Debbie passed away on December 23, 2017, at the age of 50, almost a decade later. As a result of her leadership, DDF now has a Scientific and Medical Advisory Board of world-renowned doctors and chapters throughout the United States and in Canada and Germany. DDF strives to continue Debbie's mission and to make her dream a reality. To learn more about DDF, please visit us at www.DebbiesDream.org.
Media Contact:
Brittnay Starks
Communications Coordinator
Debbie's Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer
(954) 475-1200
233317@email4pr.com
www.DebbiesDream.org
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SOURCE Debbie's Dream Foundation: Curing Stomach Cancer
