Sam and Bran and Ella and Anna

Why we need more money and funding for Childhood Cancer Research.

Future Cancer Statistics for Childhood Cancer Survivors

What this means, in a nutshell: The most frequent subsequent malignancies in pediatric cancer survivors are skin cancers.

Basically, our Anna has an even greater risk of getting a relapse of her leukemia, other forms of cancers, skin cancers - all because she has had this leukemia. Add into this the skin and former-hopefully-again-someday-gingerness of my girl - it isn't the most positive picture for her lifetime. The beauty is that there are people that aren't all about the pink or the teal or the any other colors and funding education. There are groups that fund, specifically fund, pediatric cancer research.

I have been doing my own research lately - checking up on corporations and charities and who funds what and how. I'm trying my best to funnel our supporters to organizations that fund pediatric cancer research. There are a lot of organizations that fund education and awareness and especially research and while all research and education are important, and it is horrible that anyone has to suffer cancer - the funding and treatment is over 95% directed toward adult cancers.

The problem: there isn't a lot of money to go around and there is not a lot of money to be made by researching pediatric cancer and developing medicines for them. Now, those kids grow up and fight cancer for second and third times and there are more medications for them and more money, more research, more funding... Adult cancer gets the money and the irony is - adult cancer treatments tend to not help children. Pediatric cancer treatment and research does help inform and improve adult cancer treatment. Think of this; out of all the good works other organizations do - no one, especially not us, is complaining about the funding or research that saves lives - but, the National Cancer Institute spends less than three percent of it's budget on pediatric cancer research. The Leukemia and Lymphoma society annually spends 2-3% of their budget on pediatric research, almost half their budget goes to research, but not to help kids.

This is my new soap box. The numbers and statistics swim in my head. I can recite them. I know the facts and the realities and the numbers - it all comes down to numbers. We don't worry about what will happen to Anna in the future - well, some sort of nebulous worry, but nothing specific. I think we more work toward enjoying our time and when, if something does happen as she's an older teen or an adult we'll work toward it then.

I do know that girly is going to be slathered in sunscreen from top to bottom for as long as I have the care and keeping of her! There is a video attached - watch the video, all the way to the end, you have to make it to the end. You may want to slather your kiddo in sunscreen too!
Seattle Mama Doc


SO, what can YOU do?
Here are two organizations that specifically fund Pediatric Cancer Research:

The first is the Ben Towne Foundation: "Our foundation is unique in that our costs are fully supported. This means that every gift to the Ben Towne Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation right now is a donation that goes 100% toward research. And from research will come cures."


The second is Friends for Life: "The Hope is in the Research!" Friends for Life is a Seattle Children's Hospital Guild that supports Pediatric Oncology Research.