Celebrate Children’s Health Month by helping to Cure Kids Cancer

There is nothing more heart-wrenching than a parent losing a child.
Unfortunately my husband and I have had that experience. Two years ago my husband lost his 25-year-old son Rudy to Diabetes, a preventable disease.
If something is preventable, wouldn’t you want to do everything in your power to help prevent it and save your child? I would hope so, so now here’s your chance.
I was invited to a luncheon and toured the Aflac Cancer Research Center of the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta and met Grainne and Clay Owen, two very passionate parents who lost their son Killian to Leukemia when he was just 9-years-old.
Along with a group of fellow bloggers, the Owens told us about their pain-staking battle to get Killian the treatment he needed. But unfortunately lack of funding for research on the illness stymied their efforts. And even when the Owens got close to getting their ailing son the required treatment, they couldn’t get the dose they needed because FDA regulations got in the way and they hadn’t approved the medicine Killian so needed to perhaps make him better.

The Owens tried everything they could for Killian and subjected him to tests, trials and even tried a bone marrow transplant from Killian’s twin brother. Six months before Killian was due to finish his four years of treatment, a routine blood test showed he had relapsed. He received the bone marrow transplant from his twin brother Garrett but 90 days after the transplant he relapsed a second time.
Then, the Owens got special permission from the FDA for Killian to try an experimental drug at the National Cancer Institute. But because Killian was the pioneer for this drug the FDA strictly limited the dosage he was allowed. He would have needed twice the dosage he was given for it to be effective. Says his mother Grainne, “The only thing worse than being told your child is dying of cancer is being told there is a second generation of that drug in development in the lab, which might have saved him – but there was not enough money to get it into treatment.”
Killian passed away, but the Owens have continued to fight and in honor of Killian they founded the Curing Kids Cancer organization, which funds research into finding cures and treatment for this devastating disease.
When we asked the Owens what do they really need people to do, they said to donate money. Funding the research is vital.
So far, Curing Kids’ Cancer has raised and donated over $1.5 million to cutting edge childhood cancer research all over the USA – they hope to reach $2 million by the end of 2011. Please know that more than 40% of new cancer cases are children under the age of five.
As Founder of Atlanta Diaper Relief, I truly understand the need for trying to raise money and how difficult it can be. So I ask everyone to do what you can. Especially when we can be a solid part of the solution. Help the Curing Kids Cancer Foundation today by making a donation HERE or by visiting www.curingkidscancer.org.