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It’s sad and we feel awful for the families affected by it. Perhaps we are one of those families affected by it. So we’re keenly aware. But one thing I wasn’t so aware about is the fact that pharmaceutical companies don’t fund the creation of childhood Cancer drugs because they are not profitable. Sad, isn’t it?
Money does make the world go round though. But I agree with the blogger, September should be Childhood Cancer Action Month. We need to act. We need to raise funds so more money is devoted to finding the medications to save these children.
What Can You Do?
Raise money! Donate money! Here are some ways you can make that happen. It’s not all that hard. You have to eat right? Well, on Monday September 23, 2013 Chili’s will be donating 100% of proceeds for the entire day to St. Jude’s. Make a pepper while you’re there and add an extra few dollars to your donation.
Sell things. There’s a program called Alex’s Lemonade stand which connects individuals with larger scale events or you can hold your own. By registering on their website you can even get a packet of materials to help make your lemonade stand a success. You send your funds in to Alex’s Lemonade stand and they will update their website with your fundraising efforts and get the money to where it needs to go.
Hold a fundraising event, or join one. Things like Relay for Life raise money for all kinds of Cancer. If you want to find something for just children then check out the Children’s Cancer Research Fund website.
Make a donation directly to Children’s Cancer Research fund or a place like St. Jude’s. Make sure funds are sent to the most fragile of Cancer patients so we can help stop children from dying from this terrible disease which does not discriminate.
What Am I Going To Do?
You don’t think I would tell you all to do these things and not do it myself, do you? Nope. We will be at Chili’s this month for their St. Jude’s day and we will make peppers and give that extra donation. But I want to do more.
We don’t have a lot of money and really live pay check to pay check, but one of my jobs is monitoring Facebook pages for a pharmaceutical company. Since these pharmaceutical companies don’t see a way to make a profit by donating to childhood Cancer research, then I thought I should take some of the money I get paid from this job and put it towards childhood Cancer research. Then it will be sort of like the pharmaceutical companies are doing something. It might be a drop in the bucket to what they could actually be doing, but it’s something, right? So every month I will donate 5% of my gross pay from this one job to St. Jude’s.
But there’s more! And this is another way that you all can help too. I have made the extremely difficult decision to shave my head to raise money for St. Baldrick’s. This is a foundation which gives out grants to research Childhood Cancer. This is exactly what’s needed too. So I couldn’t think of a more perfect way to take action than to show solidarity with a bald head to all of the kids out there who don’t have a choice in the matter.
Now I haven’t been extremely personally affected by childhood Cancer. All of my children are healthy (knock on wood) and no close family members have been lost due to childhood Cancer. I do have a friend whose little girl is in remission from Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML), but that’s the closest childhood Cancer has come to my world. That doesn’t mean this isn’t important though and that we shouldn’t do more research. Because Cancer does not discriminate. I don’t know that I’ll never be in my friend’s shoes sometime down the road and if I am, then I want my children to have the best possible chance of survival. And the only way to do that is to make sure treatments are made available. And that costs money.
So I’m giving myself two months to raise $5000 before I’m going to go to my hairdresser and tell her to shave it. Two months brings us to November 2, 2013 which just so happens to be my 35th birthday. I couldn’t think of a more fitting time to do it. I came into this world on that day 35 years ago bald so I mine as well celebrate it by being bald.
My children have been begging me not to do this. So I hope to show them the importance of this over the next several months as we get closer to this day. And I hope to be able to raise a lot of money. $5000 is a loft goal, but I think we can do it, if you will take action and help. Whether it’s spreading the word or donating to the cause or hopefully both. In two months I plan on looking completely different than I do today…
This is a huge deal. I have never had my hair shorter than chin length. I have no idea what sort of birthmarks or even deformities I might be revealing by doing this and well it’s also right at the start of the cold season. But it’s hair, it will grow back, and it’s for a good cause. I think it’s the least I can do.
So will you make a donation? It’s completely secure and you can be assured that St. Baldrick’s will get every last penny you donate because you are donating right on their site. So please go here and place your donation today. Then be sure to check back at my bald head.
What else will you do to take action for childhood Cancer?