What can I do?

In the past 8 weeks since we started on this journey, we have learned more than we ever cared to know about the world of pediatric cancer.  I will say that the most eye-opening thing we have learned is just how incredibly underfunded research is for pediatric cancers.  I guess to put some of these numbers in perspective we need to look at the fact that pediatric cancers are not as rare as you may think.  I hate these statistics, and Kait hates them MUCH more than I do.  They are horribly difficult to type out, and even harder to read.

- Each year 13,500 children will be diagnosed with cancer
- This is 46 per day, enough to fill a very large classroom
- 2,500 children will die each year from cancer, this is more than AIDS, cystic fibrosis, asthma, and diabetes COMBINED
- 1 in 300 males and 1 in 330 females will develop cancer before their 20th birthday

Those are the ugly numbers...but here is one that is a little more shocking.

- In the past 20 years...only ONE new drug has been developed to fight any pediatric cancer (clofarabine in 2004)

Seriously?....ONLY ONE...I mean Apple releases a new Ipad or Ipod every 10 days...new processors are released every 3 months....and in 20 years we have ONE new drug to fight pediatric cancers?  Why is this...technology is moving at an exponential pace, why not cancer treatments?

One word....funding....

2011 National Cancer Institute (which controls federal funding) total for all childhood cancers:

$195,529,112
(Let's compare this number to the federal funding for AIDS)
$27,200,000,000

This is for ALL types of childhood cancers.  I could go on and on about the numbers for Ewing's and other sarcomas being even smaller....but here's what we can do.  Demand the people that work for us do something about it.

Write your congressman/woman...your senator...

Tell them this is important to you.  I know that most people reading this blog now find pediatric cancer an important topic to them.  Writing your elected officials in Washington takes only a few minutes of your time.  Tell them you want more federal money to protect our children.  Cancer research is mostly privately funded, but it needs the help of the feds as well.  The money is being spent, just not on our children.

I'll get off of my soapbox now....
From our family to yours,  I hope everyone has a great New Year!