My oldest son, Chase was diagnosed when he was 14 years old with Craniopharyngioma, a type of brain tumor. The very next year he was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma of the Skull. In September of 2010 we were informed that he now has MDS (Myelodysplastic Syndrome) and without a bone marrow transplant he will develop Leukemia. During the three years he has battled cancer I have met many other children fighting cancer. I have grieved with friends when they lost their children. I have seen my own son get sicker and sicker, because of the treatment and the side effects from the cancer invading different parts of his brain. My son is still fighting while trying to live the life of a normal teenage boy, at least what we now consider normal.
Because of all this I am a changed person and have been looking for a way to bring awareness to childhood cancer and better yet, a cure. I have shared our story with thousands of people across the country. I tell everyone who will listen that kids get cancer too. I’ve joined online groups to raise awareness and support other families of children fighting cancer. We just opened a web based business http://www.hamboneshope.com/ where a portion of all the proceeds go to organizations that help kids with cancer. But that just isn’t enough.
During Chase’s time in the hospital I rarely had time to do things for myself. One of the things that got neglected was getting my hair cut. My hair grew from very short to my shoulders. I kept growing it so I could donate it. Then I met this mother who wanted to get 46 mothers to commit to shaving their head on national TV to bring awareness to Childhood Cancer Research and raise $1 million. You may ask, Why 46 women? Because, on average there are 46 children diagnosed with cancer each day and they are going to lose their hair. In September of 2010 I traveled to LA and finally met 45 of the most wonderful women and we appeared on Stand Up 2 Cancer. Many of us were star struck by all the famous people we met but what really blew my mind was that they thought we were the celebrities of the event. You can help a child with cancer by shaving your head or just giving a donation.
In the US, more children die of childhood cancer than any other disease. Please make a donation on my behalf to support childhood cancer research so that all children diagnosed with cancer will have a better chance for a cure.
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