This is something that is really close to my heart not because we personally have been affected by childhood cancer, (and I pray we never are) but because I have a child. I can imagine it would hit pretty close to every parent's heart.
Right now there is a petition to the president to turn the white house gold for the month of September. This is to raise awareness about childhood cancer. You have to have 25,000 signatures in one month in order for the white house to even look at the petition. It seems like a lot of signatures, but I just read that all petitions going forward will have to have 100,000 signatures to be viewed. Right now they are at just under 14,000 signatures. There are still so many more to go before February 6.
Do you want to know the part that really makes me mad? A star wars petition raised enough signatures to make it to the white house, but this petition is having a hard time getting enough signatures. I signed this petition and it took less than 5 minutes.
Maya Thompson is the creator of this petition and I have been following her blog for a while about a sweet boy who lost his life to cancer just before his 4th birthday.Here's his story. His mother promised him she would make a difference in the world of cancer. She is doing amazing things to raise money to fund a neuroblastoma center. She has been on the Katie Couric show, Taylor Swift co-wrote a song about her and her son, Ronan, and she is doing everything in her power to make a change in the cancer world for children. Here is their website: http://theronanthompsonfoundation.com/
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| Maya's son, Ronan |
Here are some pretty crazy facts that made me want to sign immediately:
Childhood Cancer Facts
- There are 15 children diagnosed with cancer for every one child diagnosed with pediatric AIDS. Yet, the U.S. invests approximately $595,000 for research per victim of pediatric AIDS and only $20,000 for each victim of childhood cancer.
- The National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) federal budget was $4.6 billion. Of that, breast cancer received 12%, prostate cancer received 7%, and all 12 major groups of pediatric cancers combined received less than 3%.
- The American Cancer spends less than 70 cents of each 100 dollars raised on childhood cancer.
- Cancer kills more children than any other disease, more than Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes and Pediatric AIDS combined.
- Sadly, over 2,300 children with cancer die each year.
- Every school day 46 children are diagnosed.
- 1 in 330 children will have the disease by age 20.
- Cancers in very young children are highly aggressive and behave unlike malignant diseases at other times in life.
- 80% of children have metastasized cancer at the time of their diagnosis. At diagnosis, only 20% of adults with cancer show evidence that the disease has spread or metastasized.
- Detecting childhood cancers at an early stage, when the disease would react more favorably to treatment, is extremely difficult.
- Cancer symptoms in children – fever, swollen glands, anemia, bruises and infection – are often suspected to be, and at the early stages are treated as, other childhood illnesses.
- Even with insurance coverage, a family will have out-of pocket expenses of about $40,000 per year, not including travel.
- Treatment can continue for several years, depending on the type of cancer and the type of therapy given.
If each of us signed and passed the word on to only a few people we could make all the difference in the world. In case you want to sign here is the link:
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/light-white-house-gold-month-september-honor-pediatric-cancer-fighters-and-bring-light-cause/syV6M6wX
On a lighter note, only 25 more days until we move back to the good ole' U.S.A!
