Before Micah was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, I was rather naive when it came to my knowledge of pediatric cancer. I had known some adults who had been diagnosed with cancer who had gone through treatment, gone into remission and survived. I assumed it was something that they dealt with for a short time and then were able to get on with their lives as normal. We have all seen images like these; the person with cancer who still looks “fine”, the hair loss that goes with chemotherapy, family and friends shaving their heads as a way to show their support and solidarity, celebrating the end of treatment by the ringing of the bell, being granted wishes from wish granting organizations, and living life in spite of their cancer diagnosis.
What I didn’t see was the amount of pain and suffering that cancer patients endure behind the scenes; the images we are usually spared. The toll that the cancer and treatment have on the body are often somewhat hidden from the world; the extreme fatigue, the pain of neuropathy that’s a side effect from the chemo, the need for physical and occupational therapy, endless procedures and surgeries, collapsed lungs, colostomies, feeding tubes, breathing support, and sometimes even the loss of life. It’s so much harder to see this side of cancer. Even for those who survive their original diagnosis, most suffer with side effects of the cancer and the treatment for the rest of their lives. The ironic thing is that the treatment used to attempt to cure the primary cancer, increases the risk of being diagnosed with another type of cancer later in life.
As we’re nearing the end of September, the end of Pediatric Cancer Awareness month, I’m reminded again of the changes that need to happen. Currently there are a limited number of chemotherapy drugs approved for pediatric cancer patients. Childhood cancer research is consistently underfunded. Less than 4% of the federal budget for cancer research is dedicated to childhood cancer. Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in American children, resulting in the death of approximately 1,800 kids each year. Approximately one in five children diagnosed with cancer do not survive. We need to work to raise awareness and fund cancer research to find new, less toxic treatments for these children so they can have the chance to live their lives into adulthood, to be given the opportunity to grow up, have families and enjoy the lives they should have had.
*Most of my statistics came from Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation’s website. This is a reputable foundation that funds research, raises awareness and supports families of children who have cancer.
Grieving Mama 