DAYS of This Week (Aug 31^st – Sept 6^th, 2008)

AUGUST

Sun, 31^st:

National Trail Mix Day

Eat Outside Day

SEPTEMBER

Mon, 1^st:

LABOR DAY

Exclamation Day

(Hmm… wonder if that’s the one with the “point”? lol)

Emma M. Nutt Day (first telephone operator)

(Wow – with all due respects to Emma, I’m craving some peanut M&M’s, right now, for some reason! LOL)

Tues, 2^nd:

VJ DAY 

(1945 – Japan formally surrenders, ending WWII)

National Blueberry Popsicle Day  

Wed, 3^rd:

Football Day

Thur, 4^th:

Bright Idea Day

National Another Look Unlimited Day

Newspaper Carrier Day

(10-year-old Barney Flaherty threw newspaper in 1833)

Fri, 5^th:

Be Late for Something Day

(The calendar made you do it?  Somehow I don’t think this holiday is employer-recognized!)

Sat, 6^th:

Read A Book Day

Rent A Movie Day

Do It! Day: Fight Procrastination

(Umm… will reading a book & watching a movie FIGHT procrastination or BE it?! LOL)

(I'll find a graphic to put into it later. )

“Go for the GOLD! – Champion the CURE for Childhood Cancers!”

 Event #2 – Filling the Stands:  "Stand up2 Cancer" - Beyond a Spectator Event

Warm bodies are needed  to fill some “seats” (numbers) in the Stand (as in “Stand Up 2 Cancer”, that is)!

So… if you haven’t already heard (where ya BEEN ?! lol):

On Sept. 5, 2008, at 8pm (ET/PT, 7pm CT), in an unprecedented event… 

ALL THREE MAJOR US TV NETWORKS (ABC, CBS & NBC) will SIMULTANEOUSLY  air a Nationally Televised Show:  “Stand Up to Cancer” (SUC2).

Here’s a video promo piece about “Stand Up 2 Cancer”:

Some parents have started a “team” on the website for Childhood Cancers.  YOU NEEDN’T BE A PARENT OR HAVE A CHILD WITH CANCER TO BE A TEAM MEMBER.  Your help is needed to simply enlarge the number of members in that team.  Nothing is required other than signing up for the team.  The screen will show a fundraising goal, but the team-“captain” (AJs Dad) recommends that, if you or anyone else should want to donate, you do so thru CureSearch (www.curesearch.org), instead.  Again, though, this isn’t about that -- you needn’t donate or fundraise, or anything… simply bulk up the team-size, please:  fill the “Olympic stadium”, as it were, in support of the champions.  :)

Here’s where you go to join the “Parents Standing Up 2 Childhood Cancer” Team:

www.standup2cancer.org/register

Once you are registered, go to the "Get Involved" Tab and click on "The Teams".  Just put "Parents standing" in the search box.  The “Parents Standing Up 2 Childhood Cancer” team should be the first team that shows up.  From there, simply “join” that team.

What Do You Stand For?

Thanks for Championing the CURE & “Standing” for Childhood Cancers by filling the “stands”, everyone!!

Fast Facts on Childhood Cancers:

Many of the advances in adult cancer treatments are due to breakthroughs in childhood cancer research.  This may be due, in large part, to the fact that approximately 70% of children with cancers participate in a study, while only about 3% of adults do.  Cancers diagnosed in children react differently than most adult cancers – children are still growing, & are NOT just little adults.  Yet they are still having-to-be treated with things which were created for grown-ups (& which are many times cytotoxic ['toxic to cells'] -- & not ONLY to the cancer-cells).

Remember, EVERY event is also a RELAY event:  Please pass the baton – as in fwd/info./link!  I won’t tell you that, if you do, something wonderful will happen to you at 8:32am or whatever.  BUT you ARE an essential part of the relay-ripple effect.  What if the “baton” you’re holding could’ve reached someone who knows someone-who-knows-someone who could’ve really made a mega-difference in this all (tho, technically, we ALL can/do/are)??  YOU are the MVP catalystic champion-proportions, in all of this – simply by choosing to not DROP the “baton”… but pass it ON!! 

“Inches  make a champion.”  - Vince Lombardi

Fast Facts on Childhood Cancers:

Many of the advances in adult cancer treatments are due to breakthroughs in childhood cancer research.  This may be due, in large part, to the fact that approximately 70% of children with cancers participate in a study, while only about 3% of adults do.  Cancers diagnosed in children react differently than most adult cancers – children are still growing, & are NOT just little adults.  Yet they are still having to be treated with things which were created for adults, for their cancers.

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NOTE:  This is a series -- beginning after the Summer Olympics 2008, & continuing indefinitely.  The "events" (above) will change periodically.

If you missed the introduction to this series, &/or “Event #1 – The Petition Pentathlon”, it’s available here:

http://care-aware.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!DBE452D9D129BF48!152.entry

And, if you’d thought, “been there done that”, when you saw “petition”, you might want to recheck item #4 at the link above for the petition for a Childhood Cancer US postage stamp… as well as item #3, which is a printout with tear-off tabs with the web-address of the original petition on it (just drop some off at your local stores, libraries, hospitals, doc offices, colleges, churches, internet café’s, etc.).

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© 2008 Care Aware  http://care-aware.spaces.live.com

The URL for this "Go for the Gold - Filling the Stands:  Stand up2 Cancer - Beyond a Spectator Event" entry is: 

http://care-aware.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!DBE452D9D129BF48!162.entry

Be a champion for children who are champions, themselves.

Champion the CURE for Childhood Cancers!

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EVENT Number 1 – “Petition Pentathlon” (A 5-in-one petition event for Childhood Cancers):

1.  Sign the online petition: www.thepetitionsite.com/1/CureChildhoodCancer

2.  Paper petition:  www.keepandshare.com/doc/view.php?id=721697&da=y

            Print out the paper version of the petition, & bring it to anywhere there are people near you – have them sign it!  

            (Keep a separate sheet for those-without-email-addresses to sign.)  Contact AJ’s Dad, Bob @

             AJsDad4227@gmail.com for info. on turning them in.

3.  Pin-up petition:  www.keepandshare.com/doc/view.php?id=720999&da=y

            This is a printable petition info-sheet with tear-off tabs at the bottom containing the online petition’s URL.  Tack

            them up/leave them wherever they’ll allow (stores, libraries, hospitals, doc offices, colleges, churches).  Done.

4. Postage petition: www.thepetitionsite.com/1/childhood-cancer-awareness-postage-stamp

            This is a petition with a different topic: to get a USPS semi-postal stamp approved/made to raise money for

childhood cancer research.  Sign IT, too! 

5.  Post the "Petition Pentathlon":

            Post this 'pentathlon' event-info./link (http://care-aware.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!DBE452D9D129BF48!152.entry) 

            &/or the URL/web-address/links (above) for the petitions on your website/blog, etc.

PS 

YES, petitions DO make a difference.  Signing/distributing will not only show your support (like a virtual-hug) to all those who have children who are being treated for cancer, or who's child has died; but it will help spread awareness, and show the media that there is a need & interest for more coverage &/or airtime for the issues, as well; & all that (plus the stamp) can lead to additional funding, resources & support, as well.

RELAY PORTION OF THE EVENTS:

Every event is a “relay-event”, as well – the more people we pass awareness information on to… well, the more awareness there IS !  So, even if you do nothing else (‘though we hope you DO participate in whatever events possible!), please PASS IT ON (see #5, above, for the address/URL/link which you can post/pass, for this)!

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NOTE:  This is a series -- beginning after the Summer Olympics 2008, & continuing indefinitely.  The "events" (above) will change periodically.

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Olympic & Other Champions

The Summer Olympics 2008 have just ended.  Medals have been won.  The athletes were in training for years.  These are admirable people – full of strength & stamina & courage.  Watching them can be inspiring.  They push beyond limits which previously seemed impossible.  They are champions to many.  

I did’t need to watch the games to find champions.  I’ve been blessed to know many of them, over the years.  Lately, I’ve witnessed & read the stories of many of them online:  Inspiring people who happen to be dealing with various health issues.  They are children & adults who have been challenged by things like various heart problems, cancers, & an assortment of other chronic &/or life-threatening illnesses or disabilities.  They are admirable.  They are full of strengths which defy their physical limitations; they have internal stamina which I believe not only rivals but goes beyond that of most of even-the-best athletes; they have the courage to move forward through unimaginable trials fraught with fearful things ( all-too-often very real & present dangers) including death, itself.  Their bodies are pushed beyond limits which seem impossible (&, sadly, sometimes are).  They (& their families & caregivers) are champions to many.

They are champions who are largely-unseen & all-too unknown.

At the very same time in which our Summer Olympics of 2008 were being broadcast around the world, children all over the world were & are racing against the clock as well… but most are doing it with very little awareness of or media attention for their struggles or their heroism.  They did not choose their “events”.  They didn’t sign up for it-all.  If they “win”, there are no Olympic medals.  If they lose… it could mean the loss of their very lives.  It’s clearly not a “game" ...or even a sport, even though their young bodies are pushed beyond that of any athlete’s (& most still somehow find it within them to play & even to smile & laugh throughout it all).

Today, I’m writing about children with pediatric cancers, specifically; ‘though this also applies to many other children & adults with other health issues.  I’m focusing on them because the awareness/ribbon color for childhood cancers is gold; & we’re also heading towards the month of September, which is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

You may have heard statistics on childhood cancers. 

Perhaps, like myself (before the past few years), you heard things about how much higher the overall cure-rate is, now (&/or as compared to long-ago)… or of improved treatments for certain (more common) types of childhood cancers.  These things are essentially true.  But so are the following facts:

• Cancer remains the #1 cause of death by disease of America's children - more than Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy, Asthma and AIDS combined.  Approximately 3,000- children will die this year from cancers – that’s about 250 children EVERY SINGLE MONTH!  Over 1,000 new cases will be diagnosed each MONTH; & 35-40,000 are in treatment at any given time.

• Although five-year survival rates for childhood cancer have increased over the years, nearly one quarter of children will die 5 years from the time of diagnosis.

• Pediatric cancers rarely are found in adults. They are almost always exclusive to children.  Cancers diagnosed in children react differently than most adult cancers.  Only 3% of the budget from the National Cancer Institute goes toward pediatric cancer research; yet many of the advances in adult cancer treatments are due to breakthroughs in childhood cancer research (approximately 70% of children with cancers participate in a study, while only about 3% of adults do). 

• Treatments often involve lengthy hospital stays &/or outpatient treatments which can extend over a period of months to multiple years.  Children may often need to be isolated from other people/activities (even certain foods, at times) due to their heightened risk of infection.  Families experience multiple severe stressors from the financial, emotional, physical, psychological, social & spiritual strains from it all.  Parents may lose or have to give up jobs; insurance issues may add to the stress; siblings experience their own multitude of issues from it all. 

• More than 2/3’s of survivors will deal with one or more (sometimes life-long) “late effects” from treatment, which can occur in any organ or system of the body, & include such things as Graft Versus Host Disease (GVHD – can occur from bone marrow transplants), learning disorders, growth problems, sterility, hearing &/or vision loss, neuropathy/pain, heart damage, amputations (& prosthetics) & the possibilities of recurrences &/or secondary cancers.

I’ve personally witnessed (albeit largely via cyberspace) the journeys of numerous (probably hundreds of) families whose children were diagnosed with pediatric cancers.  I’ve learned that there are still plenty more childhood cancers out there with a very low cure rate, & little (if any) funding, overall; & that even those children who are “successfully” treated (&/or who fall into a high-cure-rate group) still go through treatments which, quite frankly, in any other setting than that of the hospitals & doctors & the loving parents who are trying to save their lives would likely be considered as child abuse… &/or also often include precautions mirroring those used for hazardous waste (such as for the handling of certain IV chemotherapies used in treatment or how pregnant mothers are not-being-allowed to bathe their children or have skin-to-skin contact, at times, due to the toxic leaching of particular chemo(s) through their skin/sweat, etc.).

Children are dying.  I’ve “watched” (from afar) it happen to more children than I can bear to count (each one is “too-many”). You may think that statistical odds like 70, 75, or 80% (for the 'more-common' cancers) sound pretty encouraging... until a child you know somehow falls into the other 20, 25, or 30% who don't make it... and that's only for those cancers with the 'better odds'.  And the odds for the so-called 'rarer' cancers ("rare"? - whole 'nuther issue, there!) can flip those odds on their head, & then some.  During these recent olympic games, many parents were thinking of their child who will no longer be able to play one of those sports or attend any more events even as a spectator, or even watch them, again, with them... on their couches at home, on T.V. because they had died. 

During their lengthy treatments, the children are often rendered unable to eat (throwing up/diarrhea, stomach/abdominal pains, mouth/throat/intestinal sores), “poked” scores of times (or having to have tubes &/or "ports" surgically put in) & are literally crying out to God (“pweease, Dawd” - in some of the littlest-ones’ language) &/or their mommies & daddies who sit helplessly by, watching the cancer &/or treatments which are meant to save them wreak havoc on the small bodies of their dearest children --  the least of which is hair loss (& bone marrow transplants cause skin to “molt” & finger- & toe-nails to drop off, by the way).

You may be thinking, by now, that I'm overdramatizing it all.  I wish I were!!

It's dramatic enough all on its' own.  Imagine (& we hope that you DO have to 'imagine', yet) if it happened to your child, grandchild, godchild, niece or nephew or whomever – a child YOU know.  Unfortunately, even if it hasn’t been, yet -- it could very-well BE.  Approximately 1 in 300 children will be diagnosed with a childhood cancer before reaching adulthood.

When a child is murdered, forces are activated immediately to seek out, capture & contain that child’s killer.  When a child goes missing, millions of people are informed immediately through multiple media sources, & every resource possible is made available so that everyone can help rescue that child & bring him/her home safely.  When a child gets cancer?… well, when’s the last time we heard about THAT on T.V.??  How many people beyond that child’s family, doctors, & immediate community are even aware of the extent of what s/he’s (& their family’s) going through, with their treatment process?  And how much funding is dedicated to the search for a cure for childhood cancers? – ONLY 3 PERCENT of all cancer research monies!!  How often (if ever?) have we seen their stories, the facts, the realities of all that is going on with them in the news, or on other television shows (primetime shows, CNN, etc.), or addressed in newspaper & magazine articles?  Personally... I can only recall a few minutes, here & there... & it wouldn't have given me much of a clue as to what's really going on (probably mostly some images of some cute bald-headed kids & stories of them being visited, or receiving gifts of some sort... perhaps a couple of minutes-worth of the softened basics about their treatment process?).

YOU (& I) can help CHAMPION THE CURE FOR CHILDHOOD CANCERS!

Are you thinking that just one very-small thing that YOU could do really wouldn’t make much difference?  Think about how incredibly small the differences were, in the Olympics, between medalists (or winning a medal & not ):  thousandths of a second, sometimes – even ties!  …  Each small drop of water, when combined, can fill a bucket… or even an Olympic swimming pool.

“Inches  make a champion.” 

- Vince Lombardi (American Football Coach, national symbol of single-minded determination to win. [1913-1970])

It starts NOW. 

We're NOT in training. 

The 'race' is already being run by too many young 'champions'. 

The 'Gold Medal' -- THE CURE! -- needs to be won!!!

I wish I could say that it was all being taken care of by someone else, somewhere, but it's not.

WE'RE IT!!

We CAN do it!!!

WE can CHAMPION THE CURE for CHILDHOOD CANCERS!

Put yourself in the events.

"Go for the GOLD"!!!

One step, one stroke, one action, one word at a time.

Begin with the "EVENT" actions listed above.

...and, "Thank You", in advance!

© 2008 Care Aware  http://care-aware.spaces.live.com

The "Permalink" for this "Go for the Gold - Petition Pentathlon" entry is: http://care-aware.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!DBE452D9D129BF48!152.entry.

Blog content is the copyright of the author & Care Aware, & is not intended for others’ publication (or copying/pasting to other webpages) or profit.  Please feel free to pass on this website (care-aware.spaces.live.com) or “permalinks” (above & below) to individual blog entries to others, &/or print them out (for non- profitting/publishing purposes) in order to help spread awareness (& hopefully a few smiles, as well).

Sunday, August 24th, is:

Sacrifice Our Wants for Others' Needs Sunday

www.bk2hk.org/week/sunday

&

Kiss-And-Make-Up Day 

it's also...

NationalPeach Pie Day

Strange Music Day

AND, the day that the... 

Waffle Iron was Patented
[In 1869 - invented by Cornelius Swarthout of Troy, New York.]

There’s a lot of awareness information out there for breast cancer (thank goodness)…

…but, how much do YOU know about the ‘non-lump’ -- & most-aggressive --  form of breast cancer called “IBC” (which stands for Inflammatory Breast Cancer)?

While I had known about it already, I learned some additional things today.

You (&/or others?) may learn more, also, by watching this important & informative news piece*:

http://komonews.s3.amazonaws.com/ibc/komo_ibc.wmv

[*Note: some graphic images are included in this video.]

A related item:

Don’t forget to click the button at the Breast Cancer Site to get free mammograms funded. It’s free to us – sponsor-supported. (While you’re there, remember to click on the other tabs to get free donations for the other causes, too!)

Here’s the address:

www.thebreastcancersite.com

You can get a daily reminder email set up by clicking on either “Remember to Click” (upper left) or the “Daily Reminder” (& free pin) banner (center left). OR, if you have Internet Explorer (& probably with the other browsers, too?), you can set that page up as your “home page” so that it pops up automatically, first thing each day (just click on the arrow next to your little house icon, then choose “Add or Change Home Page”).

Friday, Aug. 22nd, '08 is: 

"Be an Angel Day"

[Or, in my case, "fake it 'til ya make it?" LOL]

"Daffodil Day" (AU - for Cancer)

["Daffodil Days" are organized to raise funds by offering the flowers in return for a donation.]

"Tooth Fairy Day"

[Umm... what happens if you lose a tooth on the other days??  Or, is this the day when the Tooth Fairy gets money?? ]

"Eat a Peach Day"

[Okay.  Don't mind if I DO!]

There's also...

the Lentil Festival in Washington state,

&...

Potato Days in Minnesota. 

August 20th, 2008 is:

"Lemonade Day".

There's an "odd holiday", for you.  ('Though, BELIEVE me - they get a whole lot "odder" than THAT!!)

On a related awareness note, do you know about "Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation"?  It's an organization which was founded by a little girl with cancer to help other children with cancer by raising money for childhood cancer with her lemonade stand sales.  Though Alexandra, sadly, is no longer here, what she started with her simple idea of selling glasses of lemonade has grown amazingly-well.  Learn more about it at their website:

www.alexslemonade.org

As the old saying goes:  "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade", aye?! 

Welcome to "Care Aware"!  Thanks for being here! 

There are many health & life issues which need more awareness due to a variety of reasons.  The first step to resolving an issue is to become aware of it.    The first step to acting is being aware of the various options which are available to act on.

So, I've opened this space intending to post things which I've become aware of, because I've realized that the things I'VE learned, myself, have made a difference to me & others.  I'd started posting some self-researched awareness pieces, links, & events on a private health site, some time ago... after seeing the need.  But as the very point of awareness is to have more people come to know about things, it finally occured to me that it made more sense to put it-all in a place which can be seen by everyone on the internet.  I know... ironic, isn't it?! -- I'm pretty slow, sometimes,  when it comes to becoming aware of the obvious, myself!!   LOL  I look forward to continuing to learn more while I share things with all of you who visit here. 

Awareness can be serious stuff -- especially when it related to health issues or preventing awful accidents & such.  On the flip-side, you'll find that I also enjoy the lighter side of life, awareness-&-events wise... in the form of odd holidays &/or bizarre or simply-commonplace events.  So look for some of those, interspersed throughout my blog-postings.  Laughter also helps with healing, depression, & stress-relief, after all, right?!   

Congrats, too - 'cause - just by coming here & reading - YOU have already helped spread awareness! 

PS  Please keep in mind that any "facts" & things posted here are things which I've found out on my own (by surfing the internet or which have crossed my path in day-to-day life).  I cannot guarantee the accuracy of all of the information (although I make a concerted effort).  Information is not meant to diagnose any healt condition; please consult your own medical professionals about any information which may relate to your own health situations, &/or do additional research, on the information provided here, on your own.

Blog content is the copyright of the author & Care Aware, & is not intended for others’ publication (or copying/pasting to other webpages) or profit.  Please feel free to pass on this website(http://care-aware.spaces.live.com)  to others in order to help spread awareness (& hopefully a few smiles, as well).