According to the American Cancer Society, cancer is the second leading cause of death in children between 1 and 14 years old. 

A mother in Central New York lost her son Griffin from a rare form of brain cancer in 2014. 

Now, she’s providing support for children battling cancer and raising money for brain cancer research through her nonprofit.

“He just brought a lot of laughter and love into our lives," said Erin Engle, the founder and executive director of the nonprofit Griffin’s Guardians.

Engle is a mom of three kids. Her son Griffin passed away when he was 7 from brain cancer.

“Even when he was going through treatment, tough chemotherapy and all of that, he always had a smile on his face,” she said. “[He] coined our family phrase ‘it’s a great day to be alive.’”

He loved hockey, soccer and dancing. Engle says the strength he showed as he battled cancer was indescribable, but eventually, it was too much.

“We asked him to fight the biggest battle of his life but as a society, we didn’t have all the resources to help him win that battle," Engle said.

Engel says the hardest part was when they ran out of options for treatment. That’s what inspired Griffin’s Guardians.

“We knew we had a lot of support and we had followers and we knew there were a lot in the hospital that didn’t have that," she said. "So my family decided to create the charity Griffin’s Guardians in honor of Griffin and really continue to carry on his legacy.”

Griffin’s Guardians provides support to families with children battling cancer and raises funds for pediatric cancer research. They host events and work with a local children's hospital to help families financially during a stressful time.

“We could take the tragedy of losing Griffin and really putting good into the world," Engle said. "And by doing that helping others who are going through similar situations that we did.”

They host several events involving soccer, hockey and golf to spread awareness and raise money for research. Engle has taken a heartbreaking loss and used it to impact others in a positive way. But just like any tragedy that affects us, the healing process never ends.

“It’s something that we will be doing for the rest of our lives," she said. "You know, a piece of us has left us way too soon and that hole in your heart will stay there forever."

Now with Griffin’s Guardians, she’s guarding others because “it’s a great day to be alive.”