Pray~Hope~Believe Foundation

The Pray~Hope~Believe Foundation (PHBF) was established to honor the memory of Tony Merk – a 6-year-old boy who died on July 4, 2011 after an almost three-year battle with brain cancer. The PHBF provides funding for pediatric brain tumor research, supports children/teens who have a life-threatening condition and their families, and honors the memory of Tony Merk through scholarships or other community events. We also hope to increase awareness of pediatric brain cancers in order to find more effective treatments with fewer significant long-term side effects. PHBF primarily supports research being conducted at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and other research efforts funded through The Cure Starts Now Foundation (http://www.thecurestartsnow.org/). We aim to support innovative research projects with an emphasis not only upon ridding the body of cancer, but also minimizing the long-term, serious side effects of treatment.

For more information about Tony’s journey on this earth and his continued influence, please go to www.carepages.com/carepages/tonyboy.
A video tribute to Tony can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKU_KPzUJvE.

Scholarships have been established in Tony’s name at LaSalle High School (www.lasallehs.net) and Our Lady of Grace Catholic Elementary School (www.olgcs.org). Tony was also adopted by the Thomas More College Football Team (http://www.thomasmore.edu/athletics/Football/) through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation (http://friendsofjaclyn.net/).