In late summer of 2023, Grace Martin came down with an awful headache.
“It wasn’t your typical headache,” she recalled, “which I thought was weird.”
The Medford resident entered her junior year at Camden Catholic High School in September, but the headaches persisted and she started getting double vision. Martin and her parents knew something wasn’t right, so she went for an MRI.
“Twenty minutes after the MRI, my mom and I stopped at the store,” she relayed. “I stayed in the car and I see my mom walk out with no groceries.”
The rest is a blur. Her mom – in tears – told Martin something had been found on the MRI and that they were heading to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).
“I was absolutely terrified,” Martin remembered thinking.
Two days before her 17th birthday, Martin and her family were told she had a cancerous brain tumor in her frontal lobe. After undergoing surgery to remove it, she went through 33 rounds of proton radiation with an “incredible team” at CHOP and the University of Pennsylvania hospital.
“It was difficult and rough,” acknowledged Martin, who has scheduled checkups and is thankful the cancer is gone. Yet while she found out it wasn’t genetic, the cancer’s cause remains unknown.
“I may never know the cause …” she noted. “It’s crazy and scary.”
Today, Martin is a healthy 18-year-old senior at Camden Catholic. After a pause from school, she showed grit and determination by returning to classes and her extracurriculars, successfully finishing her junior year with honors.
One of those extracurriculars is performing, which she has done since she was 6 years old. With a nudge from her mom, Martin auditioned for the Garden of Dreams Talent Show with a rendition of “Don’t Rain on My Parade” from the musical “Funny Girl.”
She was one of 150 young people from the tri-state area selected to perform in the talent show at Radio City Music Hall on April 8. The young performers – all facing unimaginable obstacles – were selected from 28 of the Garden of Dreams Foundation’s 30 partner organizations, including Make-A-Wish, Children’s Aid, Children’s Village, SCAN-Harbor and the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club.
The performances included group and solo acts, dance numbers, instrumental performances, a drumline, and vocal performances of original and classic songs. Having previously been to Radio City for shows like the Rockettes, Martin said the experience has been a “dream come true.”
“It’s once in a lifetime,” she enthused. “It’s been so lively, fun and happy. It’s such a positive experience.”
The Garden of Dreams Talent Show is free and open to the public, and each year, welcomes thousands of guests, along with celebrity and athlete mentors, in support of the talented performers. Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, a foundation board member, is the talent show’s creative director, according to a press release.
This year’s production featured Tracy Morgan, Michael Strahan, Benny Blanco, Penn Badgley, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Christopher Jackson, Christopher Meloni and the Rockettes. The foundation honored Jackson – a Grammy- and Emmy-winning and Tony Award-nominated songwriter, composer and actor – with the 2025 Garden of Dreams Hero Award, for his incredible support of the foundation.
Established in 2009, the award honors organizations or individuals that embody the spirit of the Garden of Dreams Foundation by positively impacting the lives of children facing obstacles, while serving as a driving force and inspiration for others. Miranda, creator and co-star of the hit “Hamilton,” surprised Jackson with the award on stage.
The foundation is a nonprofit dedicated to bringing life-changing opportunities to young people in need. In partnership with MSG Entertainment, MSG Sports and Sphere Entertainment – including the New York Knicks, Rangers, the Rockettes, the Westchester Knicks, famed showplaces and regional sports and entertainment TV networks – Garden of Dreams brings young people together to raise their spirits; build their resilience; and provide networking, mentoring and educational opportunities.
All of the foundation’s activities are driven by three guiding principles – community projects, education, inspiration and joy – that aid young people facing illness or financial challenges, as well as children of uniformed personnel who have been lost or injured while serving their communities.
Since its inception in 2006, the Garden of Dreams Foundation has impacted more than 440,000 young people and their families.
