Dear CureSearch Supporter,
Today is #GivingTuesdayNow, a global day of giving and an opportunity for all of us to come together in support of the causes that are closest to our hearts. As the father of a childhood cancer survivor and a member of the CureSearch Board of Directors, I invite you to participate in this special day in support of CureSearch and childhood cancer families everywhere.
While the COVID-19 virus has altered so many aspects of our everyday lives, one area that remains unchanged is the desperate need to find cures and treatments for children diagnosed with cancer. While the world is justifiably consumed with COVID-19 issues, 43 children are still being diagnosed with cancer every day.
Cancer doesn’t care that COVID-19 has taken over our headlines; cancer is relentless in its efforts to consume our children’s lives. But just as cancer is relentless, we too, as parents, grandparents, and as a caring and compassionate society, must also be relentless in continuing to seek the cures and treatments that can end the scourge of pediatric cancer.
When my daughter, Amy, was diagnosed with leukemia in 1996 at age 15, I opened an old cancer textbook and the section on leukemia began with these ominous words: “Leukemia is an almost always fatal blood disease.” Fortunately, progress had already been made and despite the pneumonias, fevers as high as 106.6, surgeries and stroke, Amy weathered it all to become the woman she is today.
Today, that same textbook likely begins with the statement: “Leukemia is a blood disease with survival rates of over 90% for some types.” That is the result of research that is only made possible by the support of so many of us around the world. Now, we have the opportunity to make sure treatments for all types of childhood cancer progress in the same way. Our kids are counting on us.
We must not allow COVID-19 to alter our steadfast resolve to eradicate pediatric cancer. Research must continue and our support is even more meaningful today, as children face the ordeal of dealing with pediatric cancer in a world consumed by COVID-19.
I hope that you’ll join me in supporting CureSearch this #GivingTuesdayNow. We can all make a difference in our own way, whether it is by making a donation, volunteering, or sharing our stories. Even in challenging times, I know that together we can deliver new and better treatments for the 43 children diagnosed with cancer each day and for the many thousands who are living through their cancer ordeal and who must face life and death challenges at far too young an age.
With hope and gratitude,
Father, Advocate & CureSearch Board Member
