More than 40,000 children are in cancer treatment each year and 1 out of 8 children will not survive. Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children. Symptoms and treatment depend on the cancer the child has and how advanced it is. Some treatment could be surgery, radiation, and/or chemotherapy, which can all be very expensive and some families may not have the money for it. In the last 20 years only 3 cancer medications have been specifically approved for children. Everyday 43 kids are diagnosed with cancer.

The current work that is being done in the community are that some hospitals are creating certain things like 5k runs to raise money for research. Runners who commit to fundraising for St. Jude while they train for their race are part of a nationwide alliance against childhood cancer. They’re called St. Jude Heroes, and they run every distance from 5K to marathon. Also there's some volunteers that go into hospitals and create plays for the kids, they've raised over $40,264,211 since 2003.

However, we still need the money to research to find a cure and for some families to receive treatment and care that their child needs. Families affected by childhood cancer are constantly plagued with the fear of relapse and the late effects that can occur months or even years after treatment so we must ensure that does not continue happening. Anyone and everyone has the power to help. If everyone donated a few dollars they normally would spend on a macchiato at Starbucks, it would make a tremendous difference in the fight against childhood cancer. You can donate to to many different hospitals or fundraisers and support other moms coping with their child’s diagnosis.

Raising money for research, care, and treatment is something we can do to help those in need. By doing something like a 5k run we can raise money for all of these things to help children get the treatment and care they need. To run & participate it would only cost $20. We can also start a fundraiser and sell food and snacks we can to make money and spread awareness so others can join. Sometimes when children share their stories will make you want to donate or do something to help. With all the money that we would raise it would all be given as a donation to St. Jude's hospital to help with research so a cure for cancer can be found and give children hope to get better.

• Childhood Cancer Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved February 13, 2017, from https://curesearch.org/Childhood-Cancer-Statistics
• Fitness for St. Jude. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2017, from https://www.stjude.org/get-involved/at-play/fitness-for-st-jude.html?sc_icid=home-spot-help-fitness
• Cancer in Children. (n.d.). Retrieved February 15, 2017, from https://medlineplus.gov/cancerinchildren.html
• Types of Cancer: Different Cancer Types We Treat | CTCA. (0001, January 01). Retrieved February 16, 2017, from http://www.cancercenter.com/cancer/