Sunday, September 4, 2016

September 4: Let’s talk about 4


The National Cancer Institute is a government funded division of the National Institute for Health. The research funds the NCI receives are government allocated research funds for cancer. Of that funding only 4% goes to childhood cancer research.

That means YOUR MONEY, your tax dollars, your government funded cancer dollars are being allocated 96% of the time to adults. You may think, “Hey, I’m an adult and if I get sick, I want to be looked after. I don’t want to suffer a horrible illness with no good medical options. I want mild side effects and I want to be cured!”

That all sounds good. Too bad our kids don’t get a voice in that.

See, the National Cancer Advisory Board does not have any pediatric oncology representation. A bunch of adult doctors are making all the decisions on how childhood cancer information is tracked and how research is funded. The kids need one of their own to be their voice!

You will see the hashtag #morethan4 used a lot as a way of saying our kids need more funding. A more action-oriented way of doing that is to contact your legislators and tell them to sign the STAR Act. The STAR Act demands better tracking and research on childhood cancer patients. The STAR Act pushes for better long term outcomes for childhood cancer survivors. (Tillery will be a survivor, but what will her medical makeup look like after so much chemo so early in life?) Perhaps most importantly, the STAR Act gives a pediatric oncologist a seat at the table to be the voice for kids like Tillery.

To learn more about the STAR Act or to find contact information for your legislators, visit this link. http://stepupforchildhoodcancer.com/take-action/star-act/


#morethan4 #STARact #tilleryisloved #stepup

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