Commissioner Jim Gordon of Gotham City once said, “You’re going to make a difference. A lot of times it won’t be huge, it won’t be visible even. But it will matter just the same.”
At CureSearch, we’re on a mission to make a big difference for small superheroes diagnosed with Hodgkin disease, leukemia, rhabdomyosarcoma and every other awful children’s cancer. We want to give kids a happy, carefree future without being worried if their cancer will return, and we want to do that by finding better, less toxic treatments.
But we can’t make a difference on our own, and that is why we’re recruiting you to band together with a select group of CureSearch superheroes and sidekicks.
Your mission, if you choose to accept it: protect their future.
The What.
Just like Batman protects Gotham and Superman protects Metropolis, we want to protect the future of every child diagnosed with cancer.
Over the next two weeks on our blog we’ll be featuring a team of superheroes and sidekicks as part of our countdown to National Superhero Day on April 28th. You’ll get to meet a superhero who was diagnosed with neuroblastoma when he was 15 months old and today at 3, gives Superman a run for his money when it comes to looking good in a cape. You’ll also meet a dedicated sidekick who started volunteering with CureSearch after her granddaughter was declared cancer-free from bilateral Wilms tumor.
The Why.
Superheroes are powerful, but not all are invincible. Every day, 43 children are diagnosed with cancer, and more than 40,000 kids are in treatment each year.
However most shockingly of all, and the reason why we’re asking you to protect their future, is this fact: 60% of children who survive cancer suffer long-term side effects like heart failure and secondary cancers. That means despite their “cancer-free” diagnosis, there is a high possibility that they will relapse and have to endure painful surgeries and treatments, and they could once again, get cancer.
At CureSearch, we are fueled by these devastating facts, and for 30 years we’ve made it our goal to change them. With better, less toxic treatments, more children can enjoy another birthday, or graduate from college, or have children of their own. More children can look forward to a worry-free future that isn’t filled with the question, “will it return?”
The Who.
Superhero [soo-per-heer-oh]
noun one with extraordinary abilities; hero with magical powers
Cancer is one of the most evil villains known to man. That’s why children who are battling cancer, those who have survived it and those who have lost their fight to it are real-life superheroes.
In these next two weeks, we’re excited to introduce you to five superheroes – Anna, Wes, Chloe, Caleb, and Ava. You’ll learn about their battle against cancer, the powers they used to defeat it, and the resilience they continue to have after it.
Sidekick [sahyd-kik]
noun companion
Every superhero needs a sidekick – someone who stands beside them in the face of danger and confronts it head-on without fear. Just think of Robin and Batman, or Jimmy Olsen and Clark Kent.
We’ve got a few amazing sidekicks we want you to meet – Caroline, Joyce, Dr. Bindra and Kelli. They are a parent, volunteer, research scientist, and a sibling who remain loyal to their superheroes and the CureSearch mission.
The Ask.
We hope that the superheroes and sidekicks we introduce in the next two weeks stick in your mind as strongly as Spiderman sticks to a wall, and we hope you remember them as well as the color of Superman’s cape. Most of all, we hope that you will be inspired to donate to protect their future.
Spiderman’s Uncle Ben said, “With great power comes great responsibility.” Whether you use your power to donate today or next week or on National Superhero Day, we thank you for using it for good.
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