Luca means "bringer of light". Three year old Luca De Lisi passed away in 2005 after battling a rare form of a pediatric brain tumor named Medulloblastoma. Medulloblastoma is one of the most common forms of pediatric brain tumors, and brain tumors are now the leading cause of cancer death in children worldwide. It is now the mission of Luca's parents to help shine Luca's light onto pediatric brain tumors and to illuminate those children and families fighting this disease in an effort to encourage awareness, hope and compassion.

In this regard, "Luca's Light" is helping to raise sums of money in order to fund research specific solely to targeting pediatric brain tumors that will be useful in identifying, classifying, and mapping complex tumor cells to develop effective treatments and possibly save a child's life. (see 'Research Supported by Team Luca') We are proud of our efforts and need your support! Please take a moment to learn more about us.

Team Luca rides PMC 2009

2007 was the first year that Team Luca participated in the Pan Mass Challenge (www.pmc.org), a two-day 192 mile bike ride from Sturbridge, MA to Provincetown, MA. The Team was organized by Luca's dad, Jeffrey De Lisi. Team Luca is unique because, unlike most participants in the PMC, all of the funds raised by Team Luca are specifically earmarked solely for a restricted research fund within the Dana Farber Jimmy Fund dedicated to learning about the biology of pediatric brain tumors and discovering new, less toxic and more individualized treatments (see 'Research Supported by Team Luca'). From the inception of Team Luca two years ago, the number of team members has doubled and the funds raised and donated to our specific brain tumor research fund has surpassed $140,000. This year we have yet another lofty goal of fundraising. Though economic times are challenging, the money is needed more than ever with slim federal funding, more children battling brain cancer, and our personal knowledge of too many children losing their battles with brain tumors over the last year. Help us to provide hope to children like Luca who, at this very moment, are fighting for their lives.

Watch Team Luca's "Why we ride" video