Five and a half years ago I entered onto a journey not of my choice when my mom was diagnosed with small cell carcinoma. Days after her first chemo treatment I stood on my parents' back porch and helped her shave her head. Watching my mom, dad, and siblings struggle with the realities of what that bald head represented- months of treatment, doctors visits, uncertainty- hit me really hard. Here was an adult woman with a grown family who were having a hard time handling the difficult road ahead of them. I can't imagine what it would be like for a family with a small child.
My mom was lucky enough that she happened to work with doctors who were very familiar with cancer. However, they were also familiar with pediatric cancer. You read that right, my mom worked with children with cancer. While I was growing up my mom would come home with stories about how strong those children were. Now, from the other side, hearing those stories strikes a chord in me; children forced to bear the burdens of adults, small families faced with mountains of bills with no guarantee that their children were going to come out the other side, siblings who don't understand what it all means.
So, I have decided it's time to take a stand. On March 12 I will be shaving my head to raise money for childhood cancer research. Help me put an end to childhood cancer by donating today. Every dollar makes a difference to the people and families fighting childhood cancers.
