Ya’ll heard/read right, on March 21st, I’M SHAVING MY HEAD with St. Baldrick's to raise money and help conquer kids' cancers! Every 2 minutes a child is diagnosed with cancer worldwide, and 1 in 5 of those in the U.S. will not survive. I have lost too many of my favorite young heroes and I can’t stand by and watch it anymore!
It has been my great honor and privilege to spend the past 4.5 years of my career working as an occupational therapist in a children’s hospital with one of the best hematology/oncology and bone marrow transplant units in the nation. Our kids are some of the strongest and most vibrant warriors I’ve ever met, and they inspire me daily - day after day we watch these brave little souls face insurmountable giants and they do it with smiles on their faces and joy in their spirits. I have learned more about gratitude, love, and living life to the fullest in these last few years than I had in all the years before that combined.
Unfortunately, I have also learned how horrifyingly unjust this disease is; how unrelenting it is, how it robs families of so many milestones and sweet moments, and how it turns even the tiniest baby’s would-be dreamy childhood into a complete nightmare. I learned there are over a dozen different types of childhood cancer, countless subtypes, and that each of these requires very specific treatment protocols. I learned that even if a child survives, they could get another type of cancer from the first treatment, or that they will battle life long health conditions and complications as a result of the drugs used to save them. Surely we can do better!
In the past two decades only four new drugs have been developed and approved specifically for the treatment of childhood cancers - why? Because less than 4% of the federal budget for cancer research goes to pediatric cancer research, and in order to help kids, the research and treatments absolutely *must* be kid specific. There is a lot of detail that goes into why this is true, and also why there are so many barriers to research in pediatric cancer in particular (ask me if you’re interested in more info!), but the point I’m trying to make is that THESE KIDS NEED YOUR HELP!
Since the 1960s, survival rates for childhood cancers have increased from 10% to around 80% - and literally it is because of organizations like St. Baldrick’s, doing the work to crush cancer. This organization is run off of mostly volunteers so that as much of your money as possible will go straight into the research. So please share and donate! Even if it’s just a small amount (I won’t see how much!), a prayer or a share, every penny and every bit of awareness counts.
P.S. Please tune in live to watch virtually on March 21st as they are planning a hybrid event this year (live and online) - I’ll be shaving my head in honor of my brave friend Jeremy who fought so hard last year and inspired me to keep fighting this fight on this side of heaven
Thanks friends!
- Keely
