Day 17: Fact - How childhood cancer survival rates have changed over time. Here are some interesting statistics about how childhood cancer survival rates (of some of the more common childhood cancers) have changed over the last 30 years. The advances we have made have been because of research - and many selfless patients and their families agreeing to take part in the research, some of whom lost their lives in the process. Today we honor the memory of all the brave ones- researchers and patients -who have gone before and helped to get us where we are today.
2001
- Hodgkin's lymphoma: 95%
- Wilms' tumor: 92%
- ALL: 87%
- NHL: 87%
- Brain and ONS: 74%
- Soft tissue: 72%
- Bone and joint: 72%
- Neuroblastoma: 69%
- AML: 54%
1977
- Hodgkin's lymphoma: 81%
- Wilms' tumor: 73%
- ALL: 58%
- NHL: 43%
- Brain and ONS: 57%
- Soft tissue: 61%
- Bone and joint: 51%
- Neuroblastoma: 52%
- AML: 19%
Day 18: Challenge: Hold your own event to raise money for childhood cancer research. Their are many options - you could hold an Alex's Lemonade Stand, a Cookies for Kid's Cancer Bake Sale, a yard sale and donate the proceeds to CureSearch, get a local business you frequent to put out a donation jar near their cash register and then donate the money raised to CureSearch, etc, etc.
Day 19: Challenge: Give Blood/Platelets! This one is totally free for you, but it is literally a gift of life!
According to the American Red Cross: every two seconds, someone in the US needs blood. Before Elena was diagnosed, I never could believe that number. I had no idea. But after going on this cancer journey with Elena and sitting in clinic watching blood transfusion after blood transfusion going on around us, that number is much more real to me. Chemotherapy demolishes the "good" cells in the body as well as the bad cells and can lead to critically low red blood cell and platelet counts that require a blood transfusion. Blood transfusions are standard fare for childhood cancer patients.
I've mentioned before how many transfusions Elena had in just one week - and that occasionally, her transfusion has been delayed because the blood bank didn't have the type of blood she needed. We have other little cancer friends who can count the number of transfusions they received on treatment up in the hundreds. Wow. And there's millions of other cases where people need blood. It is life-saving. And it can be really scary watching your sick child and being told that the blood they need isn't available.
Right now, blood banks are reporting critical shortages after all the crises that have hit the United States this year. They need your help! If you can donate blood, please sign up to do so! You can schedule an appointment over the phone, in person, or online. You can also search online on the blood bank's websites for blood drives going on in your area that you could stop by. Visit the following websites to get signed up:
-http://www.redcrossblood.org/donating-blood (you can enter your zip code to find your local chapter)
-http://www.utahblood.org/ (ARUP)
-or Google "How to donate blood in (enter your state)" to find other local blood banks in your area.
Spread the word!
1 comment:
Wow! Those statistics are amazing. It's encouraging to see how much progress has been made over the last thirty years or so!
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