Visitation, Funeral Services Scheduled for Clare Blase

The Nerinx Hall student and Shrewsbury native had supporters from Creve Coeur to the National Hockey League.

Update: Friends and Family Mourning Clare Blase

The Nerinx Hall student and Shrewsbury native had supporters from Creve Coeur to the National Hockey League.

Students and staff at Nerinx Hall held a memorial service Friday to honor the life and memory of Clare Blase, a freshman student who died following a nearly two year fight against an aggressive form of cancer. She was just days away from her 15th birthday, according to her obituary in St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Blase's story was chronicled in September on Patch, ahead of the 2012 Pedal The Cause event. "Pedal the Cause gives me hope,” Blase, of Shrewsbury, said at the time. “To me, hope means that I can look forward to being around the people I love for a long time. We need to find a cure so parents don’t have to hear the sad news that their child has cancer.” Blase's battle against adrenocortical carcinoma has served as a source of …

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Shrewsbury Teen Battling Cancer to Ride in Pedal the Cause Race

Clare Blase plans to ride in the 15-mile Oct. 7 race to raise money for the very disease she has. Can you help her get the yellow jersey?

Clare Blase, a freshman at Nerinx Hall High School, knows the importance of the upcoming St. Louis Pedal the Cause event, which raises money for cancer research. That's because the 14-year-old has firsthand experience with the disease. Clare, who lives in Shrewsbury, is battling adrenocortical carcinoma, which is a very aggressive cancer, said Cindy Blase, Clare's mom. Only one in 3 million people are diagnosed with the rare form of cancer, which affects the adrenal gland. “Pedal the Cause gives me hope,” Clare said. “To me, hope means that I can look forward to being around the people I love for a long time. We need to find a cure so parents don’t have to hear the sad news that their child has cancer.” Last year, Clare attended Pedal the …

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Remarkable Resident

St. Michael's School Pedals for Student with Cancer

Clare Blasé has kept spirits high during her illness through her love of dance.

Editor's Note: September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. For more information visit: www.childrenwithcancer.org, a nonprofit located on Gravois Road. Thirteen-year-old Clare Blasé danced for two hours a day. It was her favorite thing to do, but throughout a period of time last November and December, for seemingly no apparent reason, she gained a lot of weight in the face and upper body. Tests first showed a rare condition called Cushing’s syndrome, then came the dreaded diagnosis of cancer after a tumor was found in her adrenal glands. At St. Louis Children’s Hospital Clare was told she would need surgery to remove a likely malignant tumor the size of a softball. Since then she has been admitted to “Hotel Children’s” 17 times. She’s …

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