The 2025 First Shot to Fight Cancer was taken by Natalie Gray of Powell, Ohio.
In 2021, thirteen-year-old Natalie’s life changed forever. Once a vibrant and active teenager, she began experiencing stress fractures, persistent headaches, and neck pain. At first, she chalked it up to the demands of an active lifestyle, but as time went on, the pain worsened, and new symptoms appeared.
One day, her condition became so concerning that her family rushed her to the Emergency Department at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. There, an MRI revealed the unthinkable — an inoperable, cancerous brain tumor. Within hours, Natalie was admitted, and doctors informed her family that immediate surgery was necessary. Over the next five days, she underwent two complex brain surgeries and had a permanent shunt placed to manage her condition.
Natalie’s journey since then has been filled with chemotherapy treatments, physical challenges, and emotional trials. Yet through it all, she has remained determined to turn her experience into purpose. After learning that pediatric brain tumors are among the least-funded areas of cancer research, Natalie was inspired to act and so, The Natalie Gray Foundation was born.
Today, Natalie continues her brave fight while working to help other children and families facing pediatric brain tumors. Her foundation has raised nearly $400,000 for pediatric brain cancer research. Her dream is to one day become a pediatric nurse and work at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, the very place where her journey began.
