Childhood Cancer Research Funding...Stop the Monster
Childhood cancer kills more children than any other disease. 15 times more cases of childhood cancer are diagnosed each and every year than those of pediatric AIDS. Sadly, the U.S. invest ONLY $20,000 toward childhood cancer research per child and $595,000 per child with pediatric AIDS. While it a tragedy for a child to be stricken with any disease, the tragedy is compounded by this lopsided distribution of funds between the two diseases. The federal budget for the National Cancer Institute (NCI) was $4.6 Billion, of which LESS than 3% was allocated to childhood cancer research. That 3% was spread across ALL 12 major groups of pediatric cancers. That equates to approximately one quarter of 1% per major group. Likewise, the American Cancer Society spends less than 70 cents out of every $100 raised on childhood cancer research.
Every school day more than 45 children are diagnosed with cancer. This monster kills more than 2,300 children EVERY year. That's more than Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes and Pediatric AIDS...COMBINED. By age 20 the number of children diagnosed with cancer is 1 in 330. These cancers, in the very young, are extremely aggressive. They are harder to treat as they behave differently than malignant diseases at other ages. Because childhood cancers are more difficult to detect 80% of children have metastasized cancer by the time they are diagnosed. In only 20% of adult cancer patients has the cancer spread upon it's initial diagnosis.
Because of it's aggressive nature, difficultly in detecting and it's lack of substantial funding, we are facing a nearly silent killer who is targeting our children. I say "nearly silent" because the tears shed, the late nights of crying parents, and the prayer of those of us who love them will never be silenced until a cure is found. Please find fund raisers in your area and donate. Contact your local Children's Hospital, such as Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), or find out about volunteer organizations and ask how to help. Educate yourself about this cruel beast and help us put an end to it's reign of terror on our children.
