Scott Ahrendt remembers it like it was yesterday. It was spring 2012 and his 9-year-old son, Landon, had just come home from soccer practice.
“He’d kicked off his shoes and socks and I noticed a bump on his foot. I asked him if he got injured or kicked at practice, but he said no. Landon was really athletic — boys get bumps and bruises all the time — so, we didn’t think much of it.”
But the bump didn’t go away so eventually, Scott, a native of Sioux Falls and a graduate of Washington High School, and his wife, Jaymi, took Landon in to get it checked.
“We were initially told that it was a cyst or something,” Scott said. “We didn’t think much of it at first.”
At the appointment, additional tests were ordered and a few days later, the family received a phone call that would change their lives forever.
Landon’s Journey
“We were getting ready for church and my phone rang,” Scott said. “The doctor told us it was cancer, but at that point, he didn’t know what type.”
The Ahrendts, who were living in Texas at the time, were shocked and devastated.
“Our doctor had already made arrangements for us to go to Texas Children’s,” Scott said. “Everything moved really fast after that.”
Landon was diagnosed with stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of soft tissue pediatric cancer.
“The doctors were honest with us. The prognosis was not good,” Scott said.
Yet, as Landon began his treatment, the family found reasons to be hopeful.
“Initially the treatments went well. You could see that the chemo was melting the tumor — every day it was smaller, and we were feeling really good,” Scott said. “After three months, they did the first round of tests, and the doctor said the results were extraordinary. It was a promising time.”
Even though the chemotherapy was difficult, Landon bravely began his next round of treatments.
“The chemo was so hard on his body. It was brutal. He lost all his hair. His immune system was non-existent during treatments. One of the medications turned his urine blue — we joked about him having Smurf pee,” Scott recalled.
“I remember the doctor saying, ‘if we were 10 years down the road, the treatments would be so different.’ That was such a hard thing to hear, as a parent.”
Landon’s treatments continued and, ahead of his next round of scans in 2013, the family was feeling optimistic.
“But the results weren’t as good. The tumors hadn’t gotten smaller, so in the medical world that meant a relapse,” Scott said. “They tried different things, but nothing seemed to work. We started to hear a lot of promising things about immunotherapy — using one’s own immune system to fight cancer — but unfortunately, Landon didn’t have the right markers on his cancer cells to qualify for a particular clinical program.”
In December 2013, doctors told Scott and Jaymi it was time to consider hospice care for Landon.
“I was so mad,” Scott said. “This was my kid. I didn’t want to give up and I didn’t want the doctors to give up. But there just weren’t any other treatments out there.”
A Final Wish
Throughout Landon’s journey, the Ahrendts always tried to look for the positives.
“We were surrounded by so many blessings — great doctors, a great hospital and treatments, and friends and family who stepped forward to help us take care of our daughters. We tried to have an optimistic outlook because we knew how fortunate we were from a support standpoint. We also saw other families who weren’t as fortunate,” Scott said.
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We resolved to do something. We let Landon set the course. He wanted us to help families who were navigating a childhood cancer journey and he wanted us to find a cure through something that wasn’t as insidious as chemotherapy.
“So that’s what we did. Our directive has always been from Landon,” Scott said.
Jason Ahrendt is Scott’s brother. He remembers the day his nephew shared his heartfelt wish.
“It was just who Landon was. He cared about everyone. When he was at Texas Children’s, he was always concerned about other kids who were going through their own journeys,” Jason said.
Following Landon’s wishes, the family established the L3 Foundation (Live, Love, Landon), a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness, support and funding for childhood soft tissue cancer. Since its inception, L3 has helped hundreds of kids and families who are navigating the fear and uncertainty of a cancer diagnosis.
Sadly, Landon lost his battle with cancer in 2014. But since his death, his family has worked to keep his legacy of care alive — turning their heartbreak into hope for the future. Landon’s older sister, Haley, now works as a Child Life specialist at MD Anderson, helping pediatric cancer patients and their families navigate the road to remission. Landon’s cousin, Lincoln, a senior at Harrisburg High School, recently organized a #GoldFightWin fundraiser, raising more than $6,000 for childhood cancer research. And over the last decade, Scott and Jaymi, along with Jason and his wife, Heather, as well as other visionary donors, have donated nearly $1.5 million to support programs like Camp Bring It On, as well as pediatric cancer research, including significant gifts through the Sanford Health Foundation to support the Innovations in Pediatric Oncology Initiative at Sanford Research, a groundbreaking program established in 2021.
Fueling Breakthroughs
For Scott and Jason, who also serves on the Sanford Health Foundation’s Board of Directors, the chance to help advance research in Landon’s memory was an opportunity to drive meaningful change.
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It was 2020 and Jason asked me to come to Sioux Falls to meet with some people from Sanford and learn about what they were doing with immunotherapy. There was so much great work happening and such a commitment to do more.
It was a meeting he’ll always remember.
“I’m from Sioux Falls. I was born at Sioux Valley Hospital 56 years ago. In high school, I did an internship at what was then Hutchinson Technology — the facility that is now Sanford Research. So there I was, 30-some years later, in the same facility with people who were committed to curing diseases like the one Landon had. It was a full-circle moment. I truly believe that God put us together in that room because he wants to find a cure just as much as we want to find a cure,” he said.
Since it launched in 2021, the Innovations in Pediatric Oncology Initiative has advanced immunotherapy and cellular research in exciting ways, revealing new insights and discoveries for the promise and power of harnessing a child’s own immune system to help fight cancer.
A gift from the L3 Foundation in 2024 will fuel even more momentum. Dr. Safiya Khurshid joins the team as the Initiative’s first pediatric oncology researcher and future plans envision “Landon’s Lab,” a center dedicated to pediatric oncology research center to be located inside Sanford Research.
“Thanks to these charitable investments in the Innovations in Pediatric Oncology Initiative, some of the best and brightest minds in pediatric oncology research are working faster than ever before to help us achieve the goal we’re all striving for: survival rates of 100% for all childhood cancers,” said Dr. Kyle Roux, vice president for Biomedical Research at Sanford Research.
Erin Sanderson serves as the vice president for the Sanford Health Foundation in Sioux Falls. She called the Ahrendt family and the L3 Foundation “change-makers for good.”
“Through their generosity, they’ve transformed heartbreak into hope, ensuring more kids and families have more moments that matter. It’s an extraordinary gift whose impact is impossible to measure. What a beautiful way to honor Landon’s life and legacy,” Sanderson said.
The Time is Now
For Jason Ahrendt, when it comes to childhood cancer, time is of the essence.
“It’s been 10 years since we lost Landon and in those 10 years, the treatment options haven’t changed. This is a chance to move the needle and find better treatment options. Because, if not us, who? And if not now, when? The opportunity to bring people together and tackle this right here at Sanford Health is something I’m really proud of,” he said. “I love the synergy we’re going to be able to bring through this. Just look at Fargo — we’ve got great pediatric oncologists up there. We have great pediatric oncologists in Sioux Falls as well. The chance to bring them together with the research team — the possibilities for innovation and discovery are endless.”
“God has big plans for this project. I believe that. I believe that’s why I’m in the position I’m in, and that’s why I’m partnering with Sanford Health. This presents a platform for us to tell Landon’s story. Now it’s up to us to identify who’s going to get on our bus and join us,” Jason said. “So many donors have been inspired by Landon’s journey and have supported the Innovations in Pediatric Oncology Initiative. But there’s still so much more to do and there are so many more opportunities to get involved. We live in a community filled with young innovators and entrepreneurs who want to be part of cutting-edge discovery. It’s history in the making.”
Scott agreed.
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It’s been almost 4,000 days since I last talked with Landon. I think about him every day. Landon’s story can inspire us. It can inspire change. And I can’t wait for the day that we can say that we found a cure in my hometown. I firmly believe this is God putting us together so we can make a difference.
Give for Good.
If you’re inspired by this story and want to support the Innovations in Pediatric Oncology Initiative, make a gift through the Sanford Health Foundation today. 100% of your gift will help fuel breakthroughs in research and innovation. Together we can help pediatric cancer patients find the hopeful, healthy futures they deserve.