It started with a cold when Rowen Martin was three years old. For nearly six weeks, her parents, Whitney and Andrew, found themselves visiting Rowen’s pediatrician more and more frequently. When those visits numbered multiple times a week, they knew this was more than preschool-aged rhinovirus. Whitney’s mom-intuition kicked in, and she started a log of symptoms. Severe fatigue halfway up the stairs. A sore that wouldn’t heal. Blood tinged with copper.
It was March 2019, and the Martin family’s battle with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) began. The disease progresses rapidly, and in the weeks it took to diagnose, Rowen’s condition deteriorated swiftly. When the oncologist called, he urgently instructed Whitney to bring Rowen in that day - no appointment needed; immediate action was required.
According to Maureen O’Brien, MD, researcher and practicing physician at the University of Colorado, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children and adolescents, and results from overgrowth of large numbers of immature white blood cells in the bone marrow and blood. Bone marrow is the spongy tissue inside bones, which typically produces normal blood cells. Genetic changes in an immature white blood cell, known as a lymphoblast, can occur by chance, allowing these cells to replicate unchecked and crowd out normal blood-forming cells.
While treatment for ALL has improved dramatically over the past 40 years, a significant number of patients relapse despite intensive frontline chemotherapy. Many of these patients will need a bone marrow transplant, and a considerable number will have refractory disease that does not respond to treatment. As a result, the number of children who die due to ALL remains unacceptably high.
In 2024, the WillStrong Foundation and the Morgan Adams Foundation merged efforts in their fight against Childhood Cancer. Two bereaved moms who faced what Whitney was facing: their beloved child with a terrifying diagnosis. Joan Slaughter’s daughter, Morgan, was diagnosed in 1997 with Glioblastoma Multiforme, a highly aggressive, malignant brain tumor. In 2003, Joan founded The Morgan Adams Foundation in her name. WillStrong’s Claudia Maniatis’s son Will was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2018 at age 14, prompting her to pour her heart into finding better outcomes for children with blood cancers.
Both organizations focus on funding research to enhance treatment options and improve outcomes. According to their website, childhood cancer is the leading cause of disease-related death in the United States and is seriously underfunded. Less than 4% of federal cancer research funding goes to pediatric cancer, even though 12,400 children under the age of 20 are diagnosed with cancer - that is one in every 330 children - and the average age of diagnosis is 5 years old.
Which is why they concours. For the past 22 years, the Morgan Adams Foundation has brought together the finest automobiles, aircraft, and motorcycles alongside passionate collectors and generous supporters, along with elegant food and spirits, entertainment, and one-of-a-kind silent and live auction items. As the longest-running luxury concours in the western United States, the event has raised over $10 million to support pediatric cancer research. This is not just an event, it's a community coming together to make a difference.
Research conducted at the University of Colorado by O’Brien and her colleague, Matt Witkowski, PhD, has benefited from the Morgan Adams and WillStrong Foundation’s fundraising efforts. This research has “focused on changing the landscape for the ‘worst-of-the-worst’ ALL cases: infant ALL, often marked by a tragic prognosis, and patients who have endured multiple relapses, despite the most aggressive treatments, including chemotherapy and cutting-edge immunotherapies.”
According to O’Brien and Witkowski, they are investigating how leukemia cells reprogram themselves to evade therapy and developing strategies to counteract this resistance. The team targets infant ALL, a disease frequently driven by genetic mutations occurring in utero, leading to an aggressive, chemotherapy-resistant leukemia.
“Current therapies are largely ineffective, but emerging research is bringing new hope. Novel treatments, called Menin inhibitors, have shown promise in targeting the effects of this mutation,” they tell us. “In collaboration with the Children's Oncology Group, Children’s Hospital Colorado, and CU Anschutz, Dr. Kelly Faulk, MD, and Dr. Patricia Ernst, PhD, are leading a groundbreaking clinical trial to assess the potential of Menin inhibitors to not only halt leukemia progression but also trigger molecular changes that lead to leukemia cell death. This innovative bench-to-bedside collaboration represents a potential breakthrough in how we approach this devastating disease.”
These efforts have the potential to overcome one of the greatest challenges in pediatric leukemia treatment: resistant disease. By further understanding the mechanisms of resistance, they aim to offer a lifeline to children facing the most daunting cancer battles.
But beyond all science are the children and their families, simply trying to live their best lives. It is what moves Joan and Claudia, Dr. O’Brien, and Dr. Witkowski. So, how is Rowen doing now?
Her mom tells us Rowen is learning golf and has started competing in tournaments. A natural comedian, she loves making people laugh and often says she wants to be a stand-up comic when she grows up. She’s also expressed dreams of becoming a veterinarian or a marine biologist—the world truly is her oyster.
She adores spending time with her younger sister, Madelyn, and they love playing together whenever they get the chance.
“Rowen radiates a bright, joyful personality,’ Whitney says. “She has an amazing gift for connecting with people, often coaxing even the most reserved or serious individuals into laughter with her quick wit and infectious charm—it’s as if she’s on a mission to make everyone smile.”
Thank you, Rowen…mission accomplished.
To help Morgan Adams and WillStrong accomplish their mission, consider attending all or a portion of the Concours d’Elegance at the Centennial Airport August 22-24, 2025. Your participation will directly contribute to the fight against childhood cancer. For more information, visit morganadamsconcours.org
A lifeline to children facing the most daunting cancer battles.