Still sad...

Ok, I know many of you reading this - especially those who know me personally - are going to think this is wacko, but I have to get it out. 

I'm still grieving for Ethan.  Nope, I never met him.  Nope, never met his family.  Frankly, we live quite a distance from one another and will likely never see each other face to face.  But...  But, I have this "knack" for feeling other people's emotions.  Pretty intensely, I might add.  I have always been an emotional person.  And, I have always broken into tears at the sight of other people crying...even without knowing why they were crying.  More recently, though, I've been feeling other's feelings more often and more deeply.  So, I haven't posted lately because I've just been pretty darn sad and am hurting for Ethan's family.

Before I weird all of you out, I'll shift gears...

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.  Could I please ask each of you to DO at least one thing in September to spread the word about Childhood Cancer and it's desperate need for research?

There are a ton of ways to do this:

• Add a signature line in your emails, "September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month"
• Post a status in Facebook
• Donate to one of the organizations I've already mentioned - or to Ethan Jostad's newly formed foundation.  Go to Team Ethan Jostad on Facebook for more information.
• Donate to St. Jude
• Volunteer at a local Children's Hospital
• Mention "September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month" on the Facebook wall of your favorite celebrity

Just some ideas...there are many ways to spread the word - most are free.  Please...just do one thing.  Just one.  Help spread the word about childhood cancer and it's desperate need for research - and a CURE.

If my pleas don't convince you, read some stats:

 (source http://www.alexslemonade.org/ )

·         One in every 330 Americans develops cancer before the age of twenty.

·         On the average, 36 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer everyday in the United States.

·         On the average, one in every four elementary schools has a child with cancer. The average high school has two students who are current or former cancer patients.

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

·         Childhood cancers affect more potential patient-years of life than any other cancer except breast and lung cancer.

·         The causes of most childhood cancers are unknown. At present, childhood cancer cannot be prevented.

·         Childhood cancer occurs regularly, randomly and spares no ethnic group, socioeconomic class, or geographic region. In the United States, the incidence of cancer among adolescents and young adults is increasing at a greater rate than any other age group, except those over 65 years.

And, for a final punch (from http://www.vote4acure.com/):

·         The American Cancer Society gives less than half a penny ($0.01) per one dollar ($1) public support to Pediatric Cancer

·         For every $6 research per patient with AIDS and every $1 research per patient with breast cancer, a child with cancer receives 30 cents