Act to Impact with Brandi DeVries
This show will fuel your fire within to make an impact in the world. It will ignite action to become aware of your untapped gifts, connect with causes close to your heart, and inspire you to take action to make a lasting impact. Brandi is a long-time advocate and fundraiser for a national non-profit and is dedicated to introducing you to stories of hope, resilience, and community from the pediatric cancer community and impact makers around the world that will inspire your purpose to make an impact.
Act to Impact with Brandi DeVries
Fighting Childhood Cancer with Unicorns, Care Packages & Truth Bombs
In this powerful episode of Act to Impact, host Brandi DeVries sits down with Curtis Vallier, founder of BattleCorn Packages and host of The Childhood Cancer Perspective podcast. After losing his daughter Jaycee to a rare brain cancer at just eight years old, Curtis and his family transformed unimaginable grief into action. Through care packages, fundraising, advocacy, and storytelling, Curtis is working tirelessly to bring joy to kids in treatment, support families, and push for safer and more effective therapies.
Curtis opens up about the inspiration behind Battlecorn’s unique name, the challenges of advocating in a space often overlooked, and why dads’ voices matter in pediatric cancer advocacy. He also shares how research, community, and honest conversations can drive lasting change and how each of us can get involved.
✨ Key Takeaways
- Jaycee’s legacy lives on through Battlecorn Packages, which has sent over 1,200 care packages nationwide.
- The Battlecorn name was inspired by Jaycee’s love of unicorns and a family moment watching Cake Wars.
- Fundraising is challenging but vital—every dollar fuels research, care, and support for families.
- Tissue donation plays a critical role in advancing pediatric brain cancer research.
- Advocacy is often met with “no”—but persistence and storytelling open doors.
- Fathers’ perspectives in pediatric cancer advocacy are often overlooked but deeply needed.
- Events like CureFest in Washington, D.C. unite families, advocates, and organizations to push for change.
- Giving your time can be just as valuable as giving financially—volunteering matters.
📢 Call to Action
Learn more about Battlecorn Packages, support their mission, or request a care package at battlecornglobal.org.
Follow Curtis’s journey and listen to The Childhood Cancer Perspective podcast for raw, unfiltered stories from families in the fight.
And remember—advocacy doesn’t end in September. Together, we can create a better future for kids with cancer.
💛 Are you inspired to take action? Take action and make an impact on a child affected by childhood cancer. Support the much-needed funding for childhood cancer by making a donation NOW to CCRF!
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Hosted by Brandi DeVries: Advocate, fundraiser, and Mrs. Minnesota International 2025.
Thank you to guest Curtis Vallier.
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IG: instagram.com/brandi.devries
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