September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month...here's some hard facts for you:

Over 12,400 children (in the United States) are diagnosed with cancer each year. That's a classroom full of children every single day, year after year
Currently, one in every 330 children in the United States develops cancer before the age of nineteen. The incidence of cancer among children is increasing. Each school day, enough children are diagnosed with childhood cancer to empty two classrooms! (*NCCF)
About 4,000 children die from cancer each year. That's 11 children every single day, every single year.
When a child is diagnosed with cancer, the entire family is affected.
Treatment is often lengthy, and always time-consuming. Some diagnoses are treated outpatient for over three years; others require lengthy inpatient stays.
Siblings of children with cancer face an entire set of emotional challenges, from wondering if they are to blame for their sibling's diagnosis, to feelings of jealousy for all the attention and gifts the child with cancer is receiving, to feeling abandoned by their parents as the parents (necessarily and expectedly) focus their time and energy on the child in treatment.
Cancer is NOT contagious.
Support (emotional, physical, maybe even financial) of the family IS contagious -- and very much needed from everyone -- from friends to neighbors to entire communities. When you know a child who is diagnosed with cancer, be the first one to offer support -- others will follow.
Cancer is the #1 disease-related killer of children under the age of 14 years, next to accidents. Childhood cancers are mostly those of the white blood cells (leukemia's), brain, bone, the lymphatic system and tumors of the muscles, kidneys and nervous system. Each of these behaves differently. Cancers in very young children are highly aggressive and behave unlike malignant disease seen at other times of life. The median age for childhood cancer is six. Children frequently have a more advanced stage of cancer when they are first diagnosed. 80% of children show that cancer has spread to distant sites in the body when the disease is first diagnosed.Although it is unlikely that your child will develop cancer, as a parent, you need to be aware of the symptoms of childhood cancer. Observe your child for any sudden, persistent changes in health or behavior as listed on the Signs of Childhood Cancer page. Since most of the symptoms of cancer can also be attributed to benign conditions, the diagnosis of cancer can be a long process. You must trust your own instinct and work as a team with your doctor, using your knowledge of your child and your doctor's knowledge of medicine to protect your child's health.


Gold Ribbons for Childhood Cancer info@goldribbons.com


If you don't know, our oldest daughter (the slide show is her, our beautiful Jordyn) died from AML leukemia. My prayer is that in my lifetime childhood cancer will be erradicated. One day no other parent will hear those 4 life changing words :Your child has cancer. One day I pray no parent will hear "We're sorry, but there's nothing left to do." There's nothing harder than watching your child go through chemotherapy, total body irradiation, a bone marrow transplant, and then relapse and have no more options.

I urge you to do something. Help fight childhood cancer. You can. Get involved:

www.stbaldricks.org

www.curesearch.com

www.alexslemonade.org

Those are 3 of our personal favorites. Please also take note that The American Cancer Society, gives only 1 to 4% of their total budget to childhood cancer research, but they use children as their advertisement and put up a face that they actually give a great amount. In My Opinion...they USE children's beautiful bald, round faces to get more money in. I do NOT support them, will not give any of our money to them. If you want to support ACS, just know the facts and do your research to find out where your hard earned money is going to.

God's Blessings