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Pink. Its everywhere you turn. From women's hair removal gadgets, to football team uniforms. The pink ribbon, symbolizing breast cancer awareness has become a marketing phenomenon like no other when it comes to raising awareness for a social issue. Our desire is to raise awareness for an equally important issue; childhood cancer. Read more...
• The National Cancer Institutes federal budget=$4.6 billion. Pediatric cancers received less than 3% of it.
• Overall, one out of every five children diagnosed with cancer dies. In some forms of cancer, as few as one out of every five children will live.
• Childhood Cancers are cancers that primarily affect children, teens, and young adults.
• Approximately 20% of adults with cancer show evidence the disease has spread, yet nearly 80% of children show that the cancer has spread to distant sites at the time of diagnosis.
• The cause of most childhood cancers are unknown and at present, cannot be prevented. (Most adult cancers result from lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet, occupation, and other exposure to cancer-causing agents).
• Nationally, childhood cancer is 20 times more prevalent than pediatric AIDS yet pediatric AIDS receives four times the funding that childhood cancer receives.
• On the average, 12,500 children and adolescents in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer each year.
• In the U.S., about 46 children and adolescents are diagnosed and 7 will die from a form of childhood cancer every single school day.
*statistics courtesy of Team Unite
Childhood cancer does not discriminate based on race, color, gender, or status. No matter who you are, or where you live, children are at risk. No one is immune and no one can say "It won't happen to us." Please share this video with anyone who needs to know that KIDS GET CANCER, TOO!
CHILDHOOD CANCER NEWS
Click here for the latest news from GOLD: The New Pink and childhood cancer news from around the world.
Read more...
Pink. It's everywhere you turn. From women's hair removal gadgets, to football team uniforms. The pink ribbon, symbolizing breast cancer awareness has become a marketing phenomenon like no other when it comes to raising awareness for a social issue.
Our desire is to raise awareness for an equally important issue; childhood cancer. As a society, we like to say that children are our future. If we truly believe children are our future; why do we sit idly by while more than 12,000 children in the United States are ravaged by this disease each year, and approximately 3,500 die from it each year?
Worldwide, 80,000 to 100,000 children die from a form of childhood cancer every year. EVERY YEAR! If we truly believed that children were our future, and our future was being threatened by this evil, would we not do something? We commit billions of dollars each year to protecting our country, and yet do so little to protect the generation to come from a disease that comes silently and kills so many.
Gold: The New Pink exists, not to take away from the efforts that have been made to advance the cause of breast cancer awareness or to suggest that breast cancer awareness is not as important, but rather to elevate the cause of childhood cancer to equal stature.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9
Braeden was born a vibrant, healthy boy on May 16, 2005. He was our "healthy" child; the one who never got sick. He was, for the most part, good natured, adventurous, and playful. It was clear that he was "all boy." He loved bikes, trains, trucks, motorcycles (motoykos), playing in the dirt and climbing on things. When a "cool" car or motorcycle drove past, he would whip his head around to see it, almost as fast as Dad did. Most of all, Braeden loved people. He loved interacting with people of all ages...and they loved interacting with him. He was full of character, full of silliness, full of life.
Several weeks prior to his second birthday, he got up one morning and was unable to walk without falling down. At first, we thought that he had an inner-ear infection that was affecting his equilibrium. A trip to the doctor showed no sign of infection, and we took him home and were told to keep an eye on it. A few more weeks past and the problem only got worse. Another trip to the doctor revealed nothing, so we were referred to a neurologist. The day before Braeden's second birthday, we visited the neurologist. As expected, we were asked many questions about what we had been observing. As we answered his questions, we noticed that the doctor was very intently, studying Braeden's eyes. He then asked us if we had noticed Bub's eyes "dancing" back and forth at all. We said no. Then he said that he wanted to watch Braeden walk. We went out in to the hallway, and he watched as Braeden walked. Instead of walking straight down the hall though, Braeden headed over to the nearest wall and supported himself as he walked, so he wouldn't fall down. We went back to the examination room and listened as the doctor began to feel Braeden's abdomen, just to the left of center under Braeden's ribcage. He then said, "I think I know what's going on" and had us feel the same place he had been feeling. There was a lump. He proceeded to tell us that he believed Braeden had neuroblastoma, a form of cancer, and the stumbling and falling was caused by a secondary syndrome, called opsoclonus-myoclonus (OMS). While we hadn't noticed Braeden's eyes "dancing," he said that he had detected it a bit, and this was another symptom of OMS. He left the room for a bit and when he returned, he instructed us to go to the hospital, where they would be waiting for us. And so the journey began...
Braeden was diagnosed with stage III, high risk neuroblastoma and opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome on May 15, 2007, the day before his second birthday. He received six cycles of intense chemotherapy, had surgery to remove the softball size tumor from his abdomen, had high-dose chemotherapy with stem cell transplant, and completed twelve cycles of radiation therapy at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
He had clear scans for many months, but relapsed while still on treatment in August, 2008. This time, chemotherapy drugs had no effect on the growing tumors. Surgeons removed the tumors and Bubs left kidney in October, 2008. We then traveled to U of M in Ann Arbor with the plan to do a targeted radiation treatment. While having scans at U of M, we learned Braedens tumors had already reappeared and there were several affected lymph nodes and a spot on his bladder. We were referred to Cincinnati Childrens Hospital so that he could be treated sooner. In December, 2008 Braeden was at our clinic receiving a blood transfusion when his blood pressure began to climb. He was admitted with his remaining kidney failing-the result of the tumor growing so much, so fast. The tumor that was gone in October was fingernail size in November and was fist size in December. More chemo and radiation were tried to shrink the tumor, but in January it became evident that nothing was affecting the cancer any longer and Braedens health was failing. He came home under hospice care on February 11, 2009 and received a wonderful wish from the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He rallied and spent a wonderful two months with our family. On April 18, 2009 at 2:27 a.m. he went quietly from our arms into the arms of Jesus.
Strong and courageous to the end..he will be our little Super Hero, always.
go light your world in 2012!
GOLD: The New Pink invites you to raise awareness of childhood cancer this year by getting your friends, your family, your church group, scout troop, or strangers off the street together to GO LIGHT YOUR WORLD. Help improve the lives of children fighting and their families and make others aware of the devastating effects of childhood cancer by joining us in starting local projects to benefit our young warriors.
What can you do? The possibilities are endless! Make hats for your local children's hospital. Collect gifts for kids forced to celebrate birthdays in the hospital. Contact your local hospital's childhood cancer family support organization and ask how you can help--collect snacks, instant meals, gas cards, etc. for them to use to assist their families. Ask them what help they need. Organize a benefit for a local family. Whatever you do, get your community involved! You know the horror of childhood cancer, make others aware this year by having a positive impact on your world!
If you don't know where to begin, here are a few organizations that we know well, and are glad to suggest as possibilities! If you know of others that you would like to have added to the list, please email us at info_superbub.org and we will consider adding it to the list. Thanks!
Helen DeVos Children's Hospital
Pediatric Oncology Resource Team (Helen DeVos Children's Hospital)
Neuroblastoma and Medulloblastoma Translational Research Consortium (Van Andel Research Institute)
Van Andel Research Institute
CureSearch for Children's Cancer
Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer Foundation
CURE Childhood Cancer
St. Baldrick's Foundation
Team Unite
Make-a-Wish Foundation of America
contact us
If you would like to contact us, please send an email to info_superbub.org and we will respond as soon as possible.
*While GOLD: The New Pink and SuperBub's SuperHeroes does support various childhood cancer charities and foundations, we are not a foundation or a 501c3 and do not make grants available ourselves.
