Matthew is doing well with his new round of treatment. I spoke with another mom this week whose child has the same diagnosis as Matthew - therefore the same medicines. She said her child gets so sick from the Chemo that she has now started vomiting when they get to the clinic. I've heard those stories before, but I always thought Matthew's Chemo was milder than that. He hasn't ever gotten nauseous from his treatments, and for that I've always been grateful. Even more so, now that I know it's not that way for other kids in the same treatment protocol.
I feel bad for that poor girl, but it makes me grateful that Matthew is handling it so well. He truly amazes me.
Today, he's complaining of pain in his right knee, and yesterday, it was pain in his right foot. It isn't the first time he's had those complaints, so that's definitely something we need to watch. His Chemo has a relatively common side effect that they call a "dropped foot." I don't really know exactly what that means, but they always check his walking to make sure it doesn't look funny.
I noticed today that his hair is really growing back. He never really lost it all, and by the time he was done losing what he did lose, there was peach fuzz underneath the hair that fell out. So, he never did have a smooth and shiny head. Now, the darker hair is coming in. I think there's one more round of treatment later that will really make him lose his hair, though.
He's sleeping a little bit extra, and we realized this week that every time he goes in for Chemo, he has a rough day 2 days later. Yesterday was that second day, and it was hard on him. That must be when the medicine's power is at its peak. He took a long nap, and slept in late this morning, which is something he never does. He's in good spirits, though.
On another note, as Childhood Cancer Awareness Month was coming to an end, I was reflecting back on the things I saw people accomplish in September. I just have to say people are amazing! If you get enough passionate people together, I swear they can accomplish just about anything!
You all know about the fundraiser our family did for us. Also, I blogged about Light the Night for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
I've also been deeply touched to learn about Chilis. Every year, one day a year, they donate all of their proceeds to St. Jude's.
Another really cool thing I saw last month was called 46 Mommas Shave for the Brave. They raise money and awareness by shaving their heads. There are 46 of them every year, in honor of the 46 kids who are diagnosed with cancer every weekday of the year. Their raised money goes to St. Baldrick's. This is a video of their event. It's extremely short, but SO touching!
Alex's Lemonade Stand started out in a cancer patient's (little Alexandria Scott) front yard. She wanted to earn money to help her parents pay for her treatment. She has earned her angel wings (as the Cancer Moms like to say), but her parents continued Alex's Lemonade Stand as a way to contribute to ongoing research for other kids. Today, it's a national effort, and one of the most well known. A friend of mine here in Salt Lake heads up a lot of Alex's Lemonade Stand efforts here. This year, she met her goal of $10,000 by the hair of her chinny chin chin.
Hyundai has a program called Hope on Wheels that donates to raise awareness and help fund research.
People Against Childhood Cancer, or PAC2 is an advocacy community on a mission to raise awareness.
Hope Kids helps children with life threatening illnesses, and their families, to have hope for the future by providing them with fun family activities that are free. Because families fighting such illnesses are so commonly facing huge financial burdens, this is a blessing that is hard to quantify. Families would often have to stop doing fun activities if it weren't for organizations like this, and that just adds to the stress of the situation. The Salt Lake chapter of Hope Kids has taken kids recently to the showing of Mary Poppins at Hale Center Theaters, the circus, and Dew Tour. There's also an upcoming event that is a weekend camp out at Bear Lake in the HOA there. You only have to pay if you choose to upgrade your cabin.
Camp Hobe is a summer camp for kids fighting cancer, and their siblings. It brings kids together who are dealing with the same types of issues, and takes away some of the feelings of loneliness. I know I couldn't get through this without my support group, and I want my kids to have the same.
Cure Search is searching for a cure. They donate 90% of the money they raise to the Children's Oncology Group, which is the largest study group in North America. Matthew's treatment is part of a study through COG.
Cookies for Kids' Cancer is a charity orginization started by the parents of a cancer patient. They started out raising money for their own child through bake sales, but their efforts raised lots of national attention, and now they have a much bigger mission. From their website, I copied the folowing: "Cookies for Kids' Cancer is committed to raising funds to support research for new and improved therapies for pediatric cancer..."
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is one of my favorites. They are very much like what they sound like they are. They grant a wish to kids with life-threatening diseases. The wishes are as unique as the kids. I've heard stories of kids who met their heroes, whether they were athletes, movie stars, or singers. They usually get to spend a day with them, and do something special, like front row tickets to a sports event, or a private concert. I've heard lots of stories of Disney vacations, even cruises. I've heard stories of playgrounds being built in back yards, or bedrooms being redesigned. They are pretty amazing with the things they can pull out of their hats. This is a very worthy cause.
Donna's Good Things was founded by the parents of Donna, who died of an aggressive brain tumor at the age of 4. She was a happy, joyful child, and they wanted to honor her memory by spreading joy in her name. They have funded scholarships for dance classes at her old dance school, they have purchased personal DVD players for the children's hospital where she was treated, and have provided families with iPads to help beat the boredom during treatment. From their website: "Donna's Good Things works to provide joyful opportunities for children facing adversity." They provide these opportunities to all sorts of children - not just cancer patients. Donna's mom blogged about Donna in September. Donna's treatment lasted 31 months, so starting August 31st, her mom told her story one month at a time for 31 days. It was the most touching thing I've ever read, and it changed my outlook on life, which had become pretty grim. She taught me to "Choose Hope," which is her catch phrase. You can read the story of Donna's Cancer treatment here.
Lastly, I have a tender spot for Pennies By The Inch. This is also not necessarily for children with cancer, but for all sorts of children in need. It benefits families at the children's hospital where Matthew is being treated, Primary Children's Medical Center. Pennies By The Inch helps cover for treatment for children whose families cannot pay. I have been a lucky enough mother that my children have always had insurance, save a few months here and there when Justin has changed jobs. Justin changed jobs just three months before Matthew's diagnosis, and we were very lucky they started his insurance right away. It really made me reflect on what would have happened to us if they had made him wait. I'm not sure he was even there for a full three months before diagnosis, but I do know that Matthew got sick before that, and he had 6 doctor visits in the month prior to diagnosis. Thank heavens we had insurance! I feel very deep empathy for the families who don't. It would at least double the stress of the worst thing we've ever been through.
Whew! That's a lot of charities. I felt like I couldn't properly advocate Childhood Cancer Awareness Month if I didn't give people the means to DO something.
Many employers, including my own, have charity drives in the fall. My company matches our donations dollar for dollar during the month of October. We have a list of hundreds upon hundreds of charities to choose from. The ones I've listed above will forever have priority for me - although I'm sure all of the others are worthy, I am now biased, I'll admit.
To end my campaign of 30 Ways in 30 Days (I realize it's actually day 33, and I'm a tad late, but that's okay.) I wanted to give people a call to action. Even if you only have $10 to spare, these charities are a worthy cause!
The reason Childhood Cancer needs more awareness is that it is treated like adult cancer, even though it's not the same. There are 12 major types of Childhood Cancer. They mostly appear in children, yet are treated with hand-me-down medications from adult cancers, often causing debilitating side effects that can last a lifetime. I personally know 2 children who were rendered deaf from their cancer treatment, and also two whose growth has been permanently stunted. I know children who have lost organs and have to have things like colostomy bags, and prosthetic eyes. Thank heavens that those children were saved, but how sad that they will be so different for the rest of their lives. Childhood Cancer receives 3% of government funding for research, and that's for the 12 types combined. Other types of cancer, like Breast Cancer, get up to 24% for a single type of cancer. Also, when you compare those types of cancer - Breast Cancer already has a 99% cure rate, whereas the Children's Cancers combined have more like an 80% cure rate.
It's time to spread the love.
If you've read this whole post, I'm impressed! That's commitment. Hopefully, I've given you an idea of where your charity bound dollars can go. Thanks for your continued love and support!
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