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Joe Paterno and Kids with Cancer
I understand that there are a lot of emotions wrapped up with everything involving Joe Paterno. I understand that people are hurt and grieving for a father or a family member - as intimates. I'm not talking about fans. I'm talking about the day to day real world impact of losing someone. That I can understand. This is related to something else I read on Sunday that I will paraphrase.
I hope that as people remember Joe Paterno they also take a few moments to remember the seven children that will die today from childhood cancer.
The seven families that are forever changed. In the three days of mourning and events in Happy Valley - Twenty-One Families will lose their child. They also need our prayers and our sadness. They've never had a chance to be amazing adults only amazing kids.
If that resonates with you:
My personal favorite:
local, dedicated to research, funds are directly to support research - not administration, not awareness or education - Research!:
http://bentownefoundation.org/home/
If you have an affinity for Penn State or Paterno:
"The Fund offsets the cost of treatment that insurance does not cover, as well as expenses that may disrupt the welfare of the child. The Fund supports the medical team that cares for the children and funds pediatric cancer research through start-up grants and the Four Diamonds Pediatric Cancer Research Institute."
http://www.thon.org/home
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Why Research? Why not awareness and education? Funds go to families and research and not administration? WTH is she talking about?
Research funding is the best way to help out with Childhood Cancer, other than funding the daily lives of families that have had a child diagnosed. Research is where they will stop the spread of the cancers, improve the treatments, decrease side effects and cure more children. Many childhood cancers are found only in children and young adults which slows the efforts to cure the disease and find treatment.
Attempts to detect childhood cancers at an earlier stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, have largely failed. Young patients often have a more advanced stage of cancer when first diagnosed. (Approximately 20% of adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet almost 80% of children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis).(FDF)
Cancers in adults and children often act and respond differently. For instance, pediatric cancers are frequently more aggressive and rapidly progressive than many of the more indolent adult cancers. (MCT)
Cancer treatments like surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or bone marrow transplant, kill cells that grow quickly, such as cancer cells. But in a child, healthy cells in the bone, brain, and other organs, are growing fast, too. Treatment can damage these cells and keep them from growing and developing the way they should. (ACS)
Children and adults are affected by different types of cancers. Even the cancers that are “common” to both groups are frequently different on both phenotypic and molecular levels. (MCT)
The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents). (FDF)
Several childhood cancers continue to have a very poor prognosis, including: brain stem tumors, metastatic sarcomas, relapsed acute lymphoblastic leukemia, and relapsed non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children in the U.S. - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined. This is why we need research funding. It isn't just about curing the kids and young adults - it is also about curing them AND leaving them able to live productive lives as a result; lives that aren't limited and bound by lifelong side effects that the cure has brought to them.
The research needs to be different and the cures and treatment need to be different because they are different diseases - even if they have the same name. ALL in adults and kids - not the same disease and statistically has better cure rates in children. Other kinds of cancers, not so much slanted in the kids' direction.
Here is a great link that explains a tiny bit about the differences and why adult treatments don't cure kids' cancers. :(
http://www.curetoday.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/article.show/id/2/article_id/292
Several of the major cancer organizations do a great job of spreading awareness and education to the general public. Some of these organizations use a lot of children in their advertising but very, very little, minute amounts, of their funding goes into pediatric cancer research. There are a lot of reasons for lack of research on pediatric treatments but it does generally come down to funding.
I feel as if I'm already too wandering and may be too educational for most people to continue reading - there's no drama and there's nothing terribly exciting and interesting so I'll quit for today. It is 'exciting' and interesting and dramatic for me and my family - my daughter. Her life literally depends on the research that has been, and is being done into pediatric cancers. Very Helpless place to be.
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