Cancer Facts (American Cancer Society 2009)
Did you know that today, for every 4 Americans, there is one diagnosed with cancer? In 2008, about 565,650 Americans died of cancer. Every day, 1500 people lives are taken by cancer.
It accounts for 1 of every 4 deaths.
Pediatric Cancer Facts
Childhood cancer occurs regularly, randomly and spares no ethnic group, socio-economic class, or geographic region.
Each school day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer!
Childhood cancer is not a single disease, there are many different types. Common adult cancers are extremely rare in children, yet many cancers are almost exclusively found in children.
The causes of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, childhood cancer cannot be prevented!
Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15 in the United States other than accidents.
We know that early diagnosis is crucial to any real chance of surviving to keep it from spreading and because of how aggressive the cancer is and yet 80% of children diagnosed with cancer already have metastatic disease (meaning it spread already) compared to only 20% of adults.
The information provided about survivng cancer can be confusing. They say survival rates have improved. Okay great, but many times the survival marker is only 5 years and with the already mentioned problems with early diagnosis, many children don't make it 5 years.
Lucia had brain cancer. Brain tumors are treated with surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. Depending on the type of tumor and the promptness of diagnosis, the 5 year survival rate is 40-80%. That's a pretty big range. You start out having only a 40% chance that you survive 5 years!
With the type LuciaGirl had, the numbers were more like 1 to 3 years. It's a success story if your child lives an additional 1 - 3 years? She made it 9 months.
Despite these facts, pediatrics only gets about 30 cents out of each research dollar!
Why Pediatric Research Is Important
The LuciaGirl Pediatric Foundation (LGPOF) is unique in its approach. We plan to support cancer research specifically fine-tuned for kids, not just watered down adult versions. Children have different types of cancers than grown-ups and they react differently to medications than grown-ups so kids need their own research to make sure the treatments are just right for them.
LGPOF also plans on spearheading legislative changes that will revamp the policies of the FDA in order to allow catastrophically ill children immediate access to promising, cutting-edge, “still experimental” treatments that are not available today but critically needed today! When the gov’t says it’ll be available soon, they mean 5 or 10 years! Like I’ve said before, these kids don’t have 5 or 10 months, let alone years.
Join our army to stop this madness!
“ Lucia like a Puma ! ”
Warrior Princess Lucia - http://www.LuciaGirl.com
