I've been asked many times "Why would you shave your head?"
My answer is complicated - I shave for me, because I strive to make the world a better place. I shave for my kids who have had healthy childhoods. I shave for the kids who will be diagnosed with cancer this year. I shave for who will die from cancer. I shave for past 483,000 + survivors. I shave for the past fighters who did not survive. I shave for their parents who have to watch their children suffer. I shave for the families who mourn their children's childhoods that they were robbed of. I shave for the people who have been touched by cancer. But mostly, I shave for hope. Hope that cancer will one day, be a curable illness.
-Cancer is the #2 cause of death among children (#1 is accidents)
-Nearly 40% of childhood cancer survivors aged 35 or older have experienced a severe or life-threatening health condition, or have died, which is a rate over five times higher than that of their siblings.
-Due to the toxicity of treatments, 2 out of 3 survivors will still develop at least one chronic health condition including musculoskeletal problems and second cancers.
-Only 4% of the billions of dollars the government spends annually on cancer research is directed towards treating childhood cancers.
-On average, clinical trials for children begin 6.5 years after adult trials.
-Most current standard treatments for pediatric cancer were approved 32+ years ago.
-Each day, 43 kids in the US are expected to be diagnosed with Cancer, and approx 1 in 285 children in the US will be diagnosed with cancer before their 20th birthday.
-More than 95% of childhood cancer survivors experience significant health- related issues by the age of 45 because of current treatment options.
As grim as this all sounds, cancer death rates in children (ages 0-14) have declined by 71% since 1970. Death rates for leukemia (the most common childhood cancer) has decreased 84% since 1970. Death rates for adolescents (ages 15-19) have followed similar trends, with the rate declining by 61% from 1970 through 2019. These numbers are possible through research, which requires funding.
Now I need your help! Will you make a donation? Every dollar makes a difference for the thousands of infants, children, teens, and young adults fighting childhood cancers.
