Eye On Health

Texan With Character: Lunch For Life

Familiy's Cancer Fight Prompts Need To Help Others

(CBS 11 News) "That night we knew it was one of two cancers."

Mark Dungan recalled he and his wife's anxiety the night before learning their 2-year-old was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, a form of cancer often found in the brain, bone marrow and stomach.

"The tumor at that point was so large she was in a tremendous amount of pain," he explained.

During Sydney's 18 months of treatment, the special father-daughter bond only grew stronger, the family said.

"So I litterally sat there in the crib with her and held her, it just so happened she liked 'Snow White' so I watched 73 hours straight of 'Snow White.' "

On one of many sleepless nights, Mark Dungan had an idea to help all children and families facing this type of cancer.

"I was frustrated that there wasn't enough cancer funding and not enough research was getting done and I just decided that I was going to ask all of my friends to give up lunch that next day and give $5 or $10 to the Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation to be used for neuroblastoma research."

And his friends came through.

More than $175,000 was collected and Lunch for Life began. Five years later, the organization has raised more than $2 million.

Sydney is now a happy and thriving 1st grader with only one thing on her mind: just being a kid.

"I absolutely despise the fact the fact that my daughter has cancer," he said. "I absolutely love what it has done to our family that we appreciate life and we appreciate what we have and that we can make a difference in other peoples' lives."

Visit the Lunch for Life Website to learn more about the disease and fundraising events.

(© MMVIII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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