There are so many...

Once you begin to read about one of these cancer stricken children, you find yourself immersed in HUNDREDS of stories all very similar.  Most of them tell tales of horrific days while going through treatments.  Almost all of them talk of the saddness, guilt, and grief that the entire family feels.

Today, I wanted to share the stories of two more children.  Two different outcomes, but both of these beautiful girls are heros.

First, Ellie Potvin.  I came to know her story only near the very end.  It ripped my heart out, chewed it and spit it back at me - a little less whole.  Ellie became an angel, flying high, on June 23rd, 2010.  She was 8 years old. {Typing that made me cry.}  Her family, mother, twin sister and father, carry on her message, her legacy through the Lift Up Foundation.  Please go to that website...learn more about this wonderful organization and read the story of Ellie.  Ellie's Caring Bridge site is linked from there and here.  Go there too...go back to the journal entries from early Summer of 2010 especially.  Read - and get MAD.  Then...create movement in whatever form you're able.

I came to know of Ellie's story through the next girl I'd like to tell you about.

Miss Taylor Jones...

I have known Taylor and her mama, Gina, since before Taylor was born.  Gina and I were pregnant at the same time - she with Taylor and I with my son Jameson.  Taylor is just a few days older than Jameson.  You can see then, why Taylor's diagnosis of AML (Leukemia) in late September of 2008 hit hard.

This amazing little girl went through some positively horrific things.  Utterly terrifying things.  Through it all, she never lost her spirit.  Her mother isn't anything to sneeze at either. ;)  You can read about Taylor and get a feel for how awesome Gina is by reading her Caring Bridge story.

Taylor is in remission and is doing great, thankfully.   So.Very.Thankfully.  Her story changed me forever.  I hope you take a few minutes to read these stories and that they change you too.

Childhood cancer research is vastly underfunded.  I read somewhere today {although the actual source escapes me now that I'm actually looking for it - I'll source it later when I find it again} that childhood cancer research makes up only 1% of funds raised for cancer research.  These kids need AWARENESS about this illness, AWARENESS about the lack of funding and research.

I read this article today and felt a twinge of optimism {realizing this is not geared at childhood leukemia}, until I read this part:

"So why has this remarkable treatment been tried so far on only three patients? 

Both the National Cancer Institute and several pharmaceutical companies declined to pay for the research. Neither applicants nor funders discuss the reasons an application is turned down. But good guesses are the general shortage of funds and the concept tried in this experiment was too novel and, thus, too risky for consideration.

The researchers did manage to get a grant from the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy, a charity founded by Barbara and Edward Netter after their daughter-in-law died of cancer. The money was enough to finance the trials on the first three patients."

I wish I had millions of dollars to fund this stuff.  I wish...

Instead, for now...movement...