Diane Moore

Diane and Colleen

Raleigh, NC   In September 2007, her eight-year-old daughter Colleen's persistent knee pain sent Diane Moore to yet another doctor's visit to try to determine the source of the pain. As they were once again leaving without answers, the doctor decided to try one more thing, an x-ray of the thigh area. Sure enough, there was a sizable lesion. Continued testing produced a diagnosis of stage IV osteosarcoma. It had metastasized to her lungs, along with her left knee, her pelvic bone, her spine, her right shoulder, and a rib. She would almost surely die in nine to twelve months.

Over the next eight months, Colleen was seen at three different medical centers. Although the medical care she received was good, the emotional and spiritual support was inadequate, inconsistent, and at times, nonexistent. In the beginning, there was good support, help for both Colleen and her parents as they navigated the scary and painful world of cancer treatments. There was play therapy, support groups and a chaplain who checked in on them regularly.

In December, tests showed that the cancer had spread to every growth plate in Colleen's body, and they began treatment at a different hospital. Here there were no support groups, no therapy for Colleen, no visits from the chaplain—they were on their own. Diane looked into why a private hospital had no resources and found it was a matter of funding and not making it a priority.

In late May, the doctors told the Moores there was nothing more they could do. Diane says, A couple of weeks before she died, the doctor had told us that it was time to tell her that the doctors and nurses couldn’t help her anymore. I needed to tell her that we had to cancel her Make-a-Wish trip. I needed to tell her that the only way for her to feel better was to go to heaven and be healed. Even on this horrible day, we were not provided any support services.

Colleen died on June 9, 2008.

After Colleen's death, Diane began researching the issue of emotional and spiritual support for sick children. She found that most hospitals that excel in this area are funded by donors. Insurance generally doesn't pay for these services. Her research led her to start Striving for More, Inc, a 501(c)(3) nonproft. Their mission is ensuring that children with cancer and their families receive quality emotional and spiritual support.

Striving for More works in the areas of educating the public as well as raising money for cancer support programs. They have speakers available to talk to groups and clubs to help people understand the need for this kind of support.  And since its inception, Striving for More has raised over $115,000 which is used to support programs in several areas including
•fully funding the Beads of Courage programs at both Duke and UNC, a beautiful way for children and their families to chronicle their brave journey through cancer treatment.
•donations of more than a thousand books to caregivers and providing Care Kits to each newly diagnosed family with items that will for comfort and care during their first hospital admission.
•donations of electronics and books needed by the Child Life Specialists and Art Therapists at Duke and UNC to work with the children.
•providing Virtual Reality systems that help children forget that they are having scary or painful procedures performed and instead escape into magical worlds.
•committing funding of medical therapy aids such as Medical Play Dolls, Chemo Ducks and the development of a Treatment Room Mural
•committing full funding for the Patient Support Groups that take place at both Duke and UNC Hospitals.
•leading the Triangle Childhood Cancer Support Group and associated Community Based Programs that support the family through events that take place outside of the hospital.


Whenever possible, Striving for More seeks to partner with other nonprofits who are seeking to help children with cancer. This is demonstrated through their strong partnership with Beads of Courage which they hope to expand in 2011 through the Sibling Support Program. In 2011 they began partnering with Arts for Life by providing them funding so they were able to increase their Arts Programming capacity at Duke.  They also joined forces with the Chemo Duck program to fully fund programs at both Duke and UNC Hospitals going forward.

One of the ways Striving for More adds value is by researching to find the best emotional support programs that are in use in this country. They then bring those programs to the children and the families being treated in the Triangle and provide program management and funding.

I did not know Diane when her family was going through this ordeal, but I met her shortly after when we worked together to keep Wright School in the state budget. In the midst of unimaginable grief, she found a way to keep going and to bring comfort to others walking a similar path. A quote attributed to Ambrose Redmoon on Striving for More's Facebook page sums up my feelings about Diane's work after Colleen's death: "Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear." I am thankful for Diane's courage, her compassion, and her hope that no one should feel alone at such a terrifying time.