WHO WE ARE

Our Mission

Pascale's Pals is a local volunteer organization that supports the children and families staying at the MU Health Care's Children's Hospital in Columbia, Missouri. Our mission is to provide happiness to the children and ease the burden of the families during this time.  It is our belief that happiness and health go hand-in-hand.

HOW PASCALE'S PALS STARTED

Pascale's Pals is named in honor of two time cancer survivor Pascale White. The organization was founded by Pascale’s mother Sylvie Carpentier in 1995. To this day, the organization is ran by Pascale’s family and is comprised entirely of volunteers. Pascale’s mom and her sister, Monique White, run the organization.

Pascale was born on December 31st, 1993. She was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia when she was 18 months old. She immediately started intensive chemotherapy treatment at the MU Children's Hospital here in Columbia, Missouri. She finished treatment in 1998 and was enjoying a normal life.

Unfortunately, Pascale relapsed from the same leukemia in June 2000. After studying her bone marrow, her oncologist decided that she was not a candidate to be treated again with chemotherapy alone. Her only option was a bone marrow transplant. Prior to the transplant, she first had to get into remission. Children typically go back into remission within 14 days however it took Pascale over five months to go into remission. She received many combinations of chemotherapy and even went to Minnesota for the experimental B-Pap treatment. Unfortunately these options weren’t working. At the time, her pediatric oncologists, Dr. Mahmoud and Dr. Wall, put a protocol together that was used ten years previously at St. Jude's Hospital on four children. It worked on Pascale and she was in remission. She was finally ready to have her bone marrow transplant.

On December 4th, 2000 we started the preparation for her transplant at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. This included whole body radiation for five days and an additional two days of chemo. She had an umbilical cord stem cell transplant on December 12th, 2000. 

​From that date on until June 2001, Pascale was at Cardinal Glennon with very few days off. Pascale became very sick after the transplant and it is an absolute miracle she is with us. We are thankful to God every day for his mercy and the wisdom of her medical team. Pascale worked very hard the subsequent years to catch up on the years of schooling missed as well as get her strength back.

During the years of undergoing all these treatments, our family received an abundance of support from friends and the community. Our friends prayed for us, brought us food, gave us presents, and surrounded us with love and hope. We also encountered many families that did not have the same support. We saw that there was a need for an organization that could make it easier for these children and their families while they were going through these difficult times. With this in mind, that’s how Pascale’s Pals was founded! Our mission is the same now as it was then; to assist children who are diagnosed with cancer or any type of chronic or life-threatening illness and to help ease the burden on their families. Pascale’s mother, Sylvie Carpentier, founded the organization in1995. Over the years, it has grown in ways we could have never imagined. We have been able to support the Children’s Hospital for over twenty five years. Pascale’s Pals is entirely comprised of volunteers. Sylvie and Monique run the organization locally here in Columbia, MO.

WHERE THEY ARE NOW

Pascale’s mom and sister, Sylvie and Monique respectively, run the organization locally here in Columbia, MO. Pascale’s Pals is unique in that it is entirely comprised of volunteers!

Pascale completed her undergraduate studies at Columbia College in 2016 with an emphasis in Elementary Education. Since then, Pascale is now a mother herself. Her daughter was born in 2018 as a micro-premie at 25 weeks and ended up staying nearly six months in the NICU at the Women's and Children's Hospital here in Columbia. Mia is the miracle of a miracle! Pascale also welcomed her son Noah into the world in 2022. Pascale stays very busy with her kiddos and helps the organization as well!

 
 

TESTIMONIALS

PASCALE’S ANGELS

Elizabeth Joy Wampler

Elizabeth "Lizzy" Joy Wampler, 10, bravely and courageously ran and finished her race here on earth on Thursday, March 15, 2018, after a long battle with cancer. Lizzy was born on May 8th, 2007 in Springfield, Missouri, welcomed by her older brother and sister, Daniel and Hannah, and her parents John and Jennifer Wampler. She was a loving, joy-filled child, and was naturally considerate of other people from an early age.

Lizzy was a loving and affectionate daughter, granddaughter, niece and cousin. She was also known as a faithful friend who adored school and had a passion for science. Lizzy was in ballet for a few years and truly wanted dance to be in her future. During her treatment while at St. Jude, Lizzy was introduced to the ukulele and found playing a comforting distraction while spending hours on end in the hospital. With the help of her child life specialist, she discovered her voice to sing, often singing along with Kari Jobe, one of her favorite worship singers. As a devout Christian, Lizzy had a child-like faith in God that inspired us all.

Perhaps Lizzy’s greatest accomplishment was positively impacting and touching lives everywhere she went. Her impact is reflected in messages from those who met her:

“She brought me out of a really dark place. I could only get out of bed and live another day because of Lizzy’s smile, courage and faith.”

“If Lizzy could be brave, then I knew I could too.”

“Lizzy’s life and story being told opened my family who were closed off to the gospel for years into asking questions about Heaven and Jesus. She is encouraging my nephew who has Osteosarcoma and is facing his battle right now.”

Joy was Lizzy's middle name as well as her legacy to all of us.  Her last contribution was her desire to donate parts of her body to St. Jude for further research and help in finding a cure for Osteosarcoma. Lizzy will live on in our hearts and inspire us to do all we can to help cure all forms of cancer.