September is....

• 46 children are diagnosed every day and 12 of those will die within 5 years
• 12,600 children join the cancer battle every year (160,000 worldwide).  
• There are 40,000 children in the US in cancer treatment every year.
• 80% of pediatric cancers have metastasized at time of diagnosis as opposed to only 20% of adult cancers 
• The intense chemo and radiation used for pediatric cancers cause lifelong disabilities and secondary diseases in 60% of patients.
• We lose over 3,000 children every year to cancer, cancer remains the #1 disease killer of American children.
• The US government and the American Cancer Society (Relay for Life) spend less than 3% of their budgets funding pediatric cancer.
• Chemotherapy drugs for childhood cancer have changed very little in the past 40 years.
• Every 4 hours a child dies from cancer. 

Cancer does not take time of or show respect for holidays.  Today 46 families heard the devastating news and the same is true for tomorrow and the next day and the next and Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Today 46 new families joined in the war for their child's life.  The month of September we remember, we make their fight known, and we give them a voice.  There are people out there who don't even know that kids can get cancer. There are people who think St. Jude is the answer.  There are people who think we have medicines for everything.

For the month of September we will REMEMBER and HONOR and HOPE and FIGHT and HELP and PRAY because the battle wages on everyday and the victory is far from won.