Who Cares - Childhood Cancer Awareness

Every day, 36 children in the United States are diagnosed with cancer.More than 40,000 children undergo treatment for cancer each year.Children who go to school with your children.Children who play with your children on the playground. Children who are a part of families who shop at the same grocery stores as do you, driving alongside you on the highways, dreaming the same American dreams that you dream….and unless perhaps the child has no hair, you likely have no idea! One of those children is my child. Last year, my then three year old, now four year old daughter Madison, “Maddy”, was diagnosed with Stage 4 High Risk Neuroblastoma;one of the most rare types of childhood cancers. She was given only a 30% chanceat survival. There was a large tumor inside her belly. So large she looked like she was nine months pregnant, at three years old. The tumor had wrapped itself around major organs and arteries, pressed her right kidney down towards her right leg, her intestine up into her chest. The cancer had spread into her legs, her arms, her shoulders, her lower spine, her bone and bone marrow.

That same day we found out there was a large tumor inside her belly that had wrapped itself around major organs and arteries, pressed her right kidney down towards her right leg, and pushed her intestine up into her chest. My baby couldn't walk, had a temperature of 104 and looked like she was 9 months pregnant at the age of 3.

In the last 40 years, the overall survival rate for children's cancer has increased from 10% to more than 80%, but for many more rare childhood cancers, the survival rate is much less.

So…………..Who Cares? Well, I CARE! And in an effort to get up and do something about this, reclaim some of the power that this ugly disease has stolen from my family, and due to an indescribable yearning and desire for my child Madison and ALL children to be cured of cancer, I partnered with a local photography team with a national platform, Eunique Jones Photography, to send this message to the public! About 6-months ago I reached out to Eunique to propose a campaign to raise awareness about Childhood Cancer. Through that conversation, Eunique selected Maddy to pose as her mini Robin Roberts in her “Because of Them, We Can…” campaign and we have been collaborating ever since.

We need to raise more funds to go towards research to find cures to save these children’s lives!

That’s where you come in! With your help and support, we can bring awareness to childhood cancer and make a difference!

To follow the Who Cares page, please like Maddy's Facebook page.