Soapbox Sunday-a little late!

I know I’m late on this post, but after reading Tonya’s Soapbox Sunday, how could I not join her and the many others who continue to bring awareness to the crisis of childhood cancer?

On the 21st day of April, 6 years ago, we heard six words that changed the course of our lives. “Your son has a brain tumor”, the voice said over the phone. During these last six years Jordan has had 2 surgeries, countless MRI’s and CT’s, spinal taps, labs, bone scans, extensive eye and hearing exams, 2-months of radiation treatments, and is presently taking 18 pills a day to offset the effects of this tumor’s continue impact on his body.

However, we were the blessed ones! Jordan is still with us, and is now on a six-month check-up schedule at St. Jude. He is scanning 2x’s a year, and seeing his other doctors 4x’s a year. I wish I could say it’s all over behind us, but it is not. We still face fear uncertainty with each scan, and pray for God’s mercy every time we board the plane to head back to Memphis. Without exaggeration, Jordan is one of the exceptions in this battle of childhood cancer. We have lost far too many friends during these years, and our hearts break for the families every time another little warrior goes to heaven.

Please take a moment and read these facts and watch the video below. I promise that you “can make a difference”! Please remember to turn off my music player.

DID YOU KNOW?

* In the U.S. almost 3000 children die from cancer each year.


* Cancer is the number one disease killer of children.

* In the past 20 years only one new cancer drug has been approved for pediatric use.

* Only 3 percent of the budget from the National Cancer Institute goes towards Pediatric Cancer Research.

* September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness month, which nationally goes largely unrecognized.

*The government recently cut the budget for Childhood Cancer Research.

*14,000 children will be diagnosed this year with cancer.


*Currently there is between 30-40,000 children being treated for cancer in the US.

Childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in the US and it kills more children per year than cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, asthma and AIDS combined. There are 15 children diagnosed with cancer for every one child diagnosed with pediatric AIDS. Yet, the U.S. invests approximately $595,000 for research per victim of pediatric AIDS and only $20,000 for each victim of childhood cancer.


The information from here to the end of this post was copied from an email. The main site is curesearch.org However there is a link below that will take you DIRECTLY to the place you'll quickly fill in your information and you'll have helped INSTANTLY!


Please help us pass the CONQUER CHILDHOOD CANCER ACT. This bill authorizes $30 million annually for five years to support pediatric cancer research. Imagine hearing your beloved son or daughter has cancer. 12,400 US families will hear these words each year. 35,000 US children are in active cancer treatment and 2,300 will die annually.

This is unacceptable when you consider we've spent 500 billion on a war overseas. 150 million over 5 years for the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act seems like a "drop in the bucket" in comparison. On the plus side, we have 52 wise senators supporting the CCCA. We need 8 more to reach 60, a majority to help pass this landmark legislation. Please honor those children that have been fighting for their lives and those who have earned their wings by taking 5 MINUTES to e-mail SENATORS that are NOT yet CO-SPONSORS. If this bill is not passed by 2008, it dies and we're back to square one.


Here is a list of states that need sponsors...Alabama (2), Alaska (2), Arizona (2), Colorado (2), Florida (2), Idaho (2), Iowa (2), Kansas (1), Louisiana (1), Maine (2), Mississippi (1), Missouri (2), Montanna (2), Nevada (1), New Hampshire (2), North Dakota (2), Ohio (1), Oklahoma (2), Oregon (1), Pennsyvania (1), South Carolina (1), South Dakota (1), Tennessee (2), Texas (1), Utah (2), Virginia (1), West Virginia (2), Wisconsin (2), Wyoming (2).


Click HERE to send a letter to your Member of Congress urging them to vote to pass the Conquer Childhood Cancer Act. It will take LESS THAN 5 MINUTES.


If you have a CaringBridge site, blog, or myspace, please copy and paste this info to your site. If you know someone who lives in one of these states, copy and e-mail it to them. If you're feeling ambitious, lead a letter writing campaign in your state that needs co-sponsors. One grandma sent out thousands of copied letters to family/friends in other states. All they needed to do was sign the letter and mail it in.

"The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it." - William James (1842 - 1910)