Have You Heard About The Gold?

A gold ribbon.  Do you know what it symbolizes?  How about the pink ribbon?  Do you know that one? 

More than likely you know that the pink ribbon is for breast cancer awareness.  It seems to be everywhere.  The gold ribbon, however, is not as well known.  It's for childhood cancer awareness.  Cancer that needs many, many more answers than are currently had. 

We shouldn't be quick to judge the pink ribbon for getting more attention than the gold though.  The people behind that pink ribbon have worked tirelessly to make certain that we knew exactly what the pink symbolized.  And while breast cancer doesn't have an easy cure yet, they are getting so much closer and the survival rate has increased substantially.  The pink ribbon campaigns have increased awareness, which has in turn increased funding for additional research.  And that's a very good thing.

I can't help but think that if more of us were doing our part to make the gold ribbon more well known, perhaps childhood cancer would be getting more money to fund the desperately needed research for a cure.  That perhaps some of my friends made along the journey with Gavin would still have their children. 

The statistics are sad when you look at all of the funding details for childhood cancer research.  I won't repost it all again this year.  Just know that the kids get about 3% of all funding for cancer research.  And that tiny 3% has to get divided up somehow among all of the different types of childhood cancer.  There are 12 main types of childhood cancer and a whole slew of different subtypes under those 12 main types.  The most common diagnoses get the "most" (of the little) funding.  So, Gavin's type (AT/RT) gets next to nothing.  And honestly, that explains why the prognosis is still so dismal.  Gavin was given a 20-30% chance to live in March of 2008.  I wish I could say that statistic has improved greatly since then.  It has not. 

While there are a number of childhood cancer funds you can donate to, I feel led to list only one.  The Cure AT/RT Now Fund.  Most of the others divide their money among all of those main 12 types of childhood cancer.  So, AT/RT rarely sees a dime of it.  The Cure AT/RT Now Fund is led by the lead oncologist that came up with the treatment protocol that Gavin was on, Dr. Susan Chi (in Boston at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute).  She was one of a number of pediatric neuro-oncologists that spoke to us in the beginning when we were willing to move anywhere in the world if necessary in order to give Gavin the best shot at survival.  She was fantastic.  And our oncologist here in Dallas told me not all that long ago that she would still ask how Gavin was doing when they ran into each other at their neuro-oncology conferences.  She is leading the fight against AT/RT.  A fight that not many are taking up right now. 

So, in honor of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, consider donating to this worthy fund.  In honor of Gavin and the few others that are still standing after the diagnosis of AT/RT.  And in memory of those children who are not. 

"Cure AT/RT Now" Fund
c/o Dr. Susan Chi
Pediatric Neuro-Oncology
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
44 Binney Street SW331
Boston, MA 02118

Much love,