Saturday, September 13, 2008

First Annual Childhood Cancer Awareness Day

Here we are in our Childhood Cancer Awareness shirts made by Heidi, Jessica's mom. Aren't they great? We wore them to dinner tonight, and many people glanced our way. Look at Hannah, to look at her quickly you wouldn't know, would you? If only it were that easy. 

What did you do today? Mow the grass, swim, exercise, eat? Did you have a chance to take a moment to talk to someone about childhood cancer, or call a family of a child with pediatric cancer just to say hi, or volunteer or work to help someone with childhood cancer? More on this tomorrow...ways we can ALL get involved.  

Facts About Pediatric Cancer

• Childhood cancers are the #1 disease killer of children - more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, and pediatric AIDS combined.
• On the average, 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are a current or former cancer patient. 
• In the U.S., about 46 children are diagnosed with cancer every single school day. That's about the equivalent of two entire classrooms.
  
• On the average, 12,500 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year. About one in 300 boys and one in 333 girls will develop cancer before the age of 20.
• One out of every five children diagnosed with cancer dies.

Facts About Pediatric BRAIN Cancer

• Each year 3,400 new cases of brain tumors are diagnosed, which is 3.2 out of 100,000 children. 
  
• Every day nine children in the U.S. are diagnosed with a brain tumor.
  
• Brain tumors are the leading cause of cancer death from childhood cancer, accounting for 24 percent of cancer-related deaths in 1997 among persons up to 19.
• 76 percent of children diagnosed with a brain tumor are younger than 15.
• There are more than 120 different types of brain tumors, making effective treatment very complicated.
  
• Pediatric brain tumors are different from those in adults and are often treated differently.
  
• The combined five-year survival rates for childhood brain tumors has increased slowly, from 54 percent to approximately 60 percent. However, for some pediatric brain tumors (e.g., brain stem gliomas, atypical teritoid/rhabdoid and glioblastoma multiforme), long-term survival rates remain below 20 percent.
  
• Because brain tumors are located at the control center for thought, emotion and movement, their effects on a child’s physical and cognitive abilities can be devastating.
  
• Quality of life for survivors of pediatric brain tumors is influenced by the long-term side effects of treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation.
  
• Some brain tumor survivors require physical, cognitive and rehabilitation services to allow them to return to tasks of everyday life.
  
• Unlike other benign tumors, benign brain tumors may recur and may result in death.
  
• Brain tumors are treated by surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy, used either individually or in combination.
  
• Enhancing the quality of life of children with brain tumors requires access to quality specialty care and ready availability of follow-up care and rehabilitative services.
  
• Improving the outlook for children with brain tumors requires research into the causes of and better treatments for brain tumors.
  

Thanks for stopping by!!
♥Kim