My dear friends: I want to throw a few numbers out to you. 3: the number of minutes that go by before another child is diagnosed with a childhood cancer. 480: the number of families that will hear the word "cancer" from their child's doctor today. 96: the number of those children who will not survive their cancer. 6: the number of days that remain before I shave my head to raise money to fund critical research that may fund a day in the future when no children - no families - have to deal with childhood cancers. In those 6 days, 2,880 children will be diagnosed with a childhood cancer. Of those who survive, over 70 percent will have a chronic health problem and 42 percent will have to deal with severe or life-threatening conditions, because of treatments they had to deal with as children and teens. Here are a few more numbers: 3.7 percent: the amount of the National Cancer Institute budget of $5.2 billion that was directed to childhood cancer research. 60 percent: the amount of research funded by the pharmacutical industry to study adult cancers. ZERO: the amount of research funded by the pharmacutical industry to study childhood cancers. 33 MILLION: the number of dollars that 72,000+ St. Baldrick's volunteers raised in 2012 alone. 103 MILLION dollars: the amount that St. Baldrick's has given directly to researchers to find a way to not just only cure but, one day, prevent a child from ever living with or dying from cancer. That day can't happen without an outpouring support: from people like me, who are crazy enough to shave our heads, and people like you, who are caring enough to fund us. I hope you will consider making a donation - of any size - to help. All you have to do is visit my website and click on the green "DONATE" box. The link is: http://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/mypage/573976/2013 Thank you. Love, Bette Blackwell 2013 St. Baldrick's "Knight of the Bald Table"