In an era of scarcity and widespread disagreement about the proper role of government in the lives of its citizens, one thing is clear:
Governments around the world, for reasons mainly economic, are reducing funding for childhood cancer research.
In the United States, four decades after the official start of the War on Cancer, the fight is far from over. In fact, for young people, new challenges arise all the time:
• Many fine organizations who primarily serve adult patients feature children prominently in marketing and fund raising campaigns, but under-prioritize children’s needs when distributing research funds.
• While 60% of adult cancer research is funded or conducted by the pharmaceutical industry, virtually zero is conducted by industry for children.
• Every major childhood cancer drug faces shortages, threatening the lives we’ve worked for decades to be able to save.
• Children stand to lose federal research support at the same rate as adults and other diseases, even though more young people die of cancer than any other disease – and each time a child is saved, so too is an entire lifetime.
While it is the job of government to protect its citizens — even those who do not vote or make campaign contributions — the political will to win the war on childhood cancers has never materialized.
This is why over the past year, the St. Baldrick’s Foundation has embraced several new initiatives to help Conquer Childhood Cancers, among them, Speak Up for Kids’ Cancer will lend the collective voice and support of the St. Baldrick’s community to discussions between federal legislators, regulators, industry, researchers and the medical community, and other advocacy organizations.
On top of all this, as of this writing, St. Baldrick’s volunteers have raised more than $33 million in 2012, allowing our research funded since 2005 to surpass $103 million. In these pages, you will read of just a few lifesaving advances you helped make possible, and others in development because of your generosity. Your impact has been profound!
Supporters tend to shy away from the claim they are saving lives. While one may not be mixing chemo or performing surgery, all of these examples of volunteer-driven leadership demonstrate each of you is an indispensable link in a human chain that forms the new front line on the war on childhood cancers.
Our 2012 Ambassador Kid, Justin, age 9, who is now battling neuroblastoma for the 6th time, a vicious cancer of the extracranial nervous system, is a self-described “fighter” and “Ninja.” He recently put his arms around Kathleen’s neck, kissed her cheek and said, “Please thank everyone in St. Baldrick’s for helping me be alive.”
Justin is one of hundreds of thousands of children and teens around the world who need all of us to recommit to the war on cancer – and to win it.
On behalf of each of them, thank you,
IN SERVICE,
John R. Bender, Chairman & Founder
Kathleen Ruddy, Chief Executive Officer
Read the St. Baldrick’s Foundation 2012 Annual Report or make a donation to fund lifesaving childhood cancer research.
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