I was diagnosed with leukemia when I was nine years old. During treatment, board games became my solace. They gave me something cancer couldn’t take away: the chance to laugh, make choices, and feel like a kid again — not just a patient.

Now, as a UCLA pediatrician training in childhood cancer care, I meet families navigating many of the same challenges mine once did. Kids are trying to understand what is happening to their bodies, while the people who love them are searching for ways to make it feel a little less scary and lonely.

I created Cancer Crusher to be the game I wish I had: one that makes confusing medical experiences easier to understand, opens the door to questions and honest conversations, and creates moments of joy and connection, even on the hardest days.