The issue with finding "a cure for cancer" is that there is no "one" cancer. Each kinds behaves differently. My family no longer supports any organization or business that sports that famous pink ribbon. It seems totally upside down to all of us that when it comes to breast cancer, everyone is all fired up to totally eradicate it. The problem is that too many business know that slapping that pink ribbon on their goods or services increases their sales and impacts their bottom lines more than it helps any single cancer patient. And not that much money actually makes it to the researchers or the patients - much of it goes into paying to expand the campaign and keep that ribbon going.
A cure for breast cancer would be wonderful - having a daughter who battled breast cancer in her early 30s I get it - I really do! And we don't mean to make light of the impact that any kind of cancer has on men and women. What we find astounding is the vast sums of money raised for the Breast Cancer Foundation because of that extremely successful pink ribbon campaign, when only 4% of all national research funding goes into fighting childhood cancers. Think of that - our youngest, most precious people are being treated with adult chemo and radiation standards, simply pared down for their smaller sizes. Only 3 drugs have been developed, researched, and approved for use in children, yet cancer takes more kids than asthma, diabetes, AIDS, birth anomolies, and Cystic Fibrosis combined.
That's just so wrong - it's lopsided. The Foundation that has the most money can put on enormous advertising campaigns to raise even more money. St. Baldrick's Foundation raises money for kids battling all sorts of cancers. Never heard of them? Um, yeah, it's like that. I just never want to see another Ashley crying because the little bit of hair that had come back after the last round of Chemo is gone again after the latest round. I don't want another Mom and Dad to hear the words, "I'm sorry, your child has cancer." I don't want any more siblings have to watch as Mom hooks up the home chemo pump on a little brother or sister. And I don't want any more families picking out tiny caskets for a child who should have outlived them.
Okay, off my soapbox. Sorry.
A cure for breast cancer would be wonderful - having a daughter who battled breast cancer in her early 30s I get it - I really do! And we don't mean to make light of the impact that any kind of cancer has on men and women. What we find astounding is the vast sums of money raised for the Breast Cancer Foundation because of that extremely successful pink ribbon campaign, when only 4% of all national research funding goes into fighting childhood cancers. Think of that - our youngest, most precious people are being treated with adult chemo and radiation standards, simply pared down for their smaller sizes. Only 3 drugs have been developed, researched, and approved for use in children, yet cancer takes more kids than asthma, diabetes, AIDS, birth anomolies, and Cystic Fibrosis combined.
That's just so wrong - it's lopsided. The Foundation that has the most money can put on enormous advertising campaigns to raise even more money. St. Baldrick's Foundation raises money for kids battling all sorts of cancers. Never heard of them? Um, yeah, it's like that. I just never want to see another Ashley crying because the little bit of hair that had come back after the last round of Chemo is gone again after the latest round. I don't want another Mom and Dad to hear the words, "I'm sorry, your child has cancer." I don't want any more siblings have to watch as Mom hooks up the home chemo pump on a little brother or sister. And I don't want any more families picking out tiny caskets for a child who should have outlived them.
Okay, off my soapbox. Sorry.
