Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Difficult News
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I don't know how many of you have followed the link at the right to Emma Jordan's CaringBridge page, but if you haven't visited it lately you may not know that Emma is losing her battle against cancer (which began a year-and-a-half ago with a Wilm's tumor, a rare form of childhood kidney cancer that afflicts approximately 500 children a year). Her parents' journal entry on the site Aug. 27 gave an indication of such, and I was hoping and praying that she could beat this horrible disease. But her parents' words, "Though our spirits have sagged at times as we have lost sight of the end for now, we know that God is with us in bringing our angel on earth peace and comfort," were very difficult to read and gave insight into what they've been dealing with lately.Monday's post (which I saw Tuesday with the time-zone difference) is even more heart-wrenching with talk of recent highs (Emma's 7th birthday and her Holy Confirmation) to the deepest lows (taking her off any and all chemo and talk of hospice care). Please keep Emma and her family in your thoughts and prayers as they navigate the rough waters ahead.
Also, September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and I know that the Jordans have been very active in engaging Congress and others to help fund research to find a cure for childhood cancer. Check out these stats...
- Every day 46 children in this country will be diagnosed with cancer. That's two classrooms full. This number increases 1% every year.
- Every four hours a child will die from pediatric cancer.
- The average age of a child being diagnosed is 6, the average age for an adult is 66.
- Cancer is the number one cause of death by disease for children. It kills more children than asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, congenital anomalies and pediatric AIDS combined.
- Pediatric cancer is cured about 75% of the time.
- It has been 20 years since any new pediatric cancer drug has been approved.
- Currently there are between 30,000 to 40,000 children being treated for cancer.
- Only about 20% of adults with cancer show evidence that the disease has spread to distant sites on the body at diagnosis, yet 80% of children are diagnosed with advanced disease.
- By 2010 one in every 200 teens and adolescents will be a cancer survivor.
- Most children are treated with smaller doses of adult drugs.
- Three out of every five children who survive cancer will be diagnosed with another cancer, a chronic illness or another life-threatening illness before they are adults.
- This year for the first time ever a day has been designated as "National Childhood Cancer Awareness Day," Sept. 13.
- If you are interested in donating to Wilm's research, you can donate through Curesearch by clicking on this link: http://www.curesearch.org/wilmstumor and scrolling down the page to "Fund the Cure" then clicking on "Donate Now." Following these steps will ensure that your donation is directed to the Wilms Initiative.
Please pray for Emma and her family during the days ahead.
Labels: Pam's thoughts
