The Cause

Neuroblastoma is a rare, and aggressive, form of childhood cancer that affects 800 children a year in the United States, and accounts for under 10% of all childhood cancers.

Treatment often involves a complicated series of operations, radiation therapy, and invasive interventions with life-changing consequences for young patients, most of whom are diagnosed before the age of five.

Auryn Phelan was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma aged four. His diagnosis led to 13 rounds of chemotherapy, 14 rounds of radiotherapy, two major surgeries, two stem cell transplants, multiple bone marrow aspirates, blood transfusions, and other medical procedures to stop the spread of his cancer. After undergoing so much, his family wanted Auryn to have the opportunity for a happier childhood.

Our Partnership

Despite responding well to the treatment, neuroblastoma’s high relapse rate means the future still looks uncertain for Auryn. Thankfully, though currently unavailable in Ireland, Auryn’s home country, a potentially life-saving vaccine is being trialed at Sloan Kettering Memorial Hospital in New York, United States.

To give their son a fighting chance for survival, Auryn’s family created a Trust, the Auryn Phelan Treatment and Care Trust, and launched a fundraising campaign in July 2020 to raise the money for Auryn to travel to New York to participate in the trial. They also wanted to raise awareness for the devastating childhood disease.

VidMob Gives connected to the cause in September 2020. Together with the team at Facebook’s local nonprofit project, Friday for Good, we partnered with Auryn’s family to help launch their first ever paid media campaign.

The Result

Auryn’s family was looking to raise much needed funds for their son to participate in the clinical trial by driving awareness, and donations, using a suite of impactful marketing assets, and donated ad credit, to fuel a social media campaign.

To create the assets, the Trust turned to VidMob’s Agile Creative Studio to convert a set of existing videos, and pictures, into high-performing creative. Next, they ran four simultaneous media campaigns on Facebook between September and December 2020.

“It’s amazing to know that no matter what this journey throws at us now, money for treatment won’t be an obstacle.”

The Creator Network

The VidMob Foundation is fueled by the active engagement of incredible freelance creative professionals on the VidMob platform. They’re some of the world’s most talented creators, and, time and again, have willingly dived in to offer their time and skills for charities around the world. No matter the size of the ask, or the significance of the cause, these creators believe in using creativity as a force for good, just as we do.