Fighting childhood cancer, one cup at a time.
Before I heard the words “Josie has cancer,” childhood cancer was such a distant thing to me. I thought it was so rare that I didn’t give it much thought. Then, on February 18, my life changed forever when my daughter Josie was diagnosed with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML).
I now understand why childhood cancer awareness is critical. These sweet kids get such a disproportionately small portion of funding, and... Read More
Photo Credit: Carly Sullen for Flashes of Hope
Just over a century ago, a child diagnosed with Wilms tumor, a type of kidney cancer, was given a treatment protocol that included a high-risk surgery and care to ensure what was then called an “easeful death.” It was the late 19th century version of palliative and hospice care.
Today, 90% of kids with Wilms tumor are cured. Getting here took time and teamwork. Beginning with new surgical techniques in the 1930s and then the addition of radiation and chemotherapy... Read More
In 1970, an oncologist named Donald Pinkel made an extraordinary announcement: half of the children with the most common type of leukemia could now be cured. It was a landmark proclamation; for decades nearly every child with leukemia died.
The reality was more complicated. Pinkel was quick to clarify that a cure was dependent on access to treatment. Around the world, many children simply did not have access to the cutting-edge treatments of the time.
Childhood cancer treatment has come a long way, particularly in the United States. But access to treatment, research... Read More
