In 2006, at the age of 11, Taylor was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. After 9 months of chemotherapy and surgery on her right arm, Taylor was declared cancer-free. Unfortunately, she relapsed 18 months later when a spot was found on her lung. After her third relapse, the family was desperate for a cure. Thanks to a clinical trial, made possible by an infrastructure grant from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, Taylor and her family finally had hope and her cancer disappeared. Today,... Read More
The Childhood Cancer Blog
Welcome to The Childhood Cancer Blog
from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation!
Taylor, a 21-year-old University of North Alabama student, is studying to become a pediatric oncology nurse. Although she’s only in her first year of nursing courses, Taylor knows exactly what nurses can mean to their patients. Taylor was once a cancer patient herself, relying on the nurses as a support system.
“The nurses helped me. They were my family away from home,” says Taylor, who plans to help children battling childhood cancer in the same way she was helped.
Her Cancer Journey In 2006, Taylor was an active 11-... Read More
The body’s immune system is robust and powerful—it can reject an entire transplant organ within minutes or hours if the mismatch is too severe. The moment it senses infection, the immune system wakes up and deploys cells to heal the body.
So, why doesn’t the body attack cancer cells the same way it heals an infection?
The answer lies in the powerful, sinister ability of cancer cells to hide from the immune system, using cloaking technology that is a result of mutations and adaptions within these abnormal cells. As a result, tumor cells can grow without any interference. ... Read More