Fighting childhood cancer, one cup at a time.
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,” 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 in the... 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
One of the few professional photos that Ann Ramer has of her middle two kids, shows a smiling 15-year-old Lauren and a 17-year-old Brent. Not pictured: the IV lines tucked just out of the frame that are delivering chemotherapy to Lauren, who was in treatment for childhood cancer. It’s her fourth time—and her brother Brent’s fourth or fifth, depending on how you count the number of times his leukemia relapsed.
Ann remembers the day it was taken. She was juggling regular life for her family of six with getting Brent to the oncology clinic for a check up for his relapsed acute myeloid... Read More
