Friday, January 6, 2012

Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15 in the United States

(Thursday run, 5 miles - 1 mi warm up, 6x400, 8:33 pace (2:09) with 400 RI, 1 mi cool down. Actual 1 mi 11:23, 6x400: 2:04, 2:05, 2:03, 2:02, 2:01, 2:00, 1 mi 10:59; 10:56 overall pace)

Last Friday, I had a guest post from Alene at Journey to Badwater, describing her work as an infusion center nurse.

If you're new here, my 5 yr old daughter, Gabby...
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is currently in treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Pediatric cancer is sad, obviously. No one needs to be told that. But until I was personally impacted by it, I had no idea of the actual numbers behind the suck.

  • Cancer the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children 1 to 14 years of age.
  • Over the past 20 years, there has been some increase in the incidence of children diagnosed with all forms of invasive cancer, from 11.5 cases per 100,000 children in 1975 to 14.8 per 100,000 children in 2004.
  • Despite very aggressive therapies that approach the limits of tolerability for the child, the overall survival rate for childhood cancer has remained unchanged since 1998

Those statistics tell us, that there has been an INCREASE in the number of kids diagnosed with cancer, yet the survival rate is stagnant. It has not improved in over a decade.

At some point in my time training with PCRF, I heard about a local girl, Jessica, who was being treated at CHOC for a brain tumor. I've followed her blog, off and on, through her treatments, deciding to homeschool, Thanksgiving, celebrating Christmas in Denver... and finally, to today, where they announced that she lost the fight against cancer yesterday.

Jessica was 12.

You can read here about Jessica, Team NEGU, encouraging kids with cancer to Never, Ever Give Up, and her Joy Jars Project.

This is the thing, you guys.

Jessica's story is NOT UNIQUE.

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That was Gabby in her first four months of treatment.

Every cancer kid I've met, has the same smile. The same peacefulness about them. We spent three weeks in the oncology unit at CHOC. EVERY single kid that I saw, every one, had a smile.

They are full of promise.

This is why I'm fundraising for Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation.

These kids never stop hoping, or waiting for something good. They deserve better treatments, better odds than what they have.

CLICK HERE to donate to PCRF. Last year we raised just over $2,000. This year? I want to crush that.

I've lined up some fantastic and FUN giveaways, for a virtual race that I'll announce next week (Hint: Sparkles, and GU, and hangers, oh my!).

For any donations received before then, I'll give you 1 additional entry per $5 donated. Donate $5, receive 1 entry; donate $10, receive 2. You're all smart, I know you get it.

If you're in SoCal, and your May calendar is still looking naked, Team Gab would love to have you! Click the "Team Gab" tab ^^ up there for details.

Donate. Help fund research to fight and end pediatric cancers.

7 comments:

  1. Hi Heather, @Daniruns here. New to your blog and Twitter, love both! Running and raising money for Team Gab would be so awesome, I'm in So Cal too (Long Beach). I really wanted to do this race last year but wasn't able to. So I will definitely add this one to my 2012 races! OH and I saw you will be at So Cal Half tomorrow, I'll be running. If you see a Red/White Tank Jersey "Team Runners High" with purple shorts, I could totally use a cheer ;) The purple shorts are the brightest thing I have haha, I really need to get a Team Sparkle skirt asap!
    So glad I found your blog :)
    - Danielle

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  2. I am so glad you have so much hope! While I don't have cancer myself, I was deeply affected by it today, and am glad that there are people like you who are helping to fight. I wish I had the money to support every team out there raising funds to fight cancer!

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  3. I wish I could make her (and everyone else who has cancer) all better. ((HUGS))

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  4. ahh this is so hard....I will be there if I can. For sure.

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  5. you got a new team member

    if Gabby was mine, I would want you to run this on MY team and I have a feeling that you would do it so I want to do it, cannot think of a better cause to run for.

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  6. Gabby is gorgeous and brave! I will be looking into Team Gab since I am in CA.

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  7. I will definitely be donating!! Gabby is brave and strong!! As you know I run for children with cancer too and have a special cape I am running in for the first time in the 1/2 I run in March. It was painted by pediatric oncology patients at the local hospital. We both run for great foundations that help make differences in the world pediatric cancer. You will always have my support. As an RN who has worked with these children in the past I could not agree more, they are full of hope and their smiles will change your life. They changed my life!!

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