After Jeni and Charlie Dixon lost their daughter, Emma, to cancer, they knew they wanted to find a way to honor her kind spirit and infectious positivity by making a difference for other families facing childhood cancer.
Emma Ryleigh Dixon, known to many as ERDie, was a competitive dancer who enjoyed cooking, shopping, traveling and spending time with her family and friends. One day, she began complaining about knee pain, so her parents took her to the doctor. In January 2020, she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at the age of 12.
During her two-and-a-half-year journey with cancer, Emma experienced many surgeries, hospital stays and negative results. Through it all, she always had a positive attitude and a smile on her face.
Jeni and Charlie created the ERDie Project in Emma’s memory to raise funds for pediatric bone cancer research at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. The ERDie Project hosts multiple events throughout the year, including a golf scramble, a songwriters’ night, and a gala and silent auction.
“Emma was an inspiration to everyone she came in contact with and touched many lives,” said her mother, Jeni. “The ERDie Project is dedicated to honoring her legacy as well as making a difference for others going through similar hardships.”
On Oct. 23, Jeni, Charlie and friends from the ERDie Project board presented Scott Borinstein, MD, PhD, director of the Pediatric Sarcoma and Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Programs at Monroe Carell, and Debra Friedman, MD, MS, director of the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Monroe Carell, deputy director of Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, and holder of the E. Bronson Ingram Chair in Pediatric Oncology, with a gift to establish the endowed Emma Ryleigh Dixon (ERDie Project) Fund to support research in pediatric osteosarcoma and other bone cancers in the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology.
“We are incredibly grateful to Jeni and Charlie Dixon and the ERDie Project for their support as we endeavor to find new ways to treat and prevent bone cancer in children, teenagers and young adults,” said Borinstein, who holds the Scott and Tracie Hamilton Chair in Cancer Survivorship. “They have gone through the unimaginable as parents, yet their commitment to helping other families remains a priority. It is a privilege to have the opportunity to honor Emma’s legacy of kindness and positivity by making a difference for the future of pediatric cancer care.”
Visit TheERDieProject.org to learn more.
