Author's Note: This rant isn't written by me, but I thought that it was too important a rant to not include in my book. So the credit for this rant goes to my anonymous source who wrote this for me who didn't want to be named. This rant really opened my eyes up to the way childhood cancer is treated, and the massive lack of funding for diagnosing and treating childhood cancer.
When you think of cancer, what do you immediately think of? I asked ten people this and got three different responses: breast cancer, skin cancer, and the zodiac sign.
I'm sure not many people think of childhood cancer. And when they do, they think of Saint Jude's Children's Hospital. They think of the poor, bald children who populate their commercials all over television.
And I'm not saying that is a bad thing. In fact, I'm happy childhood cancer is starting to get the attention it deserves. But a commercial can't do nearly as much as more awareness can do.
It bothers me because I, a sixteen year old kid, just got diagnosed with cancer. Stage four ovarian cancer. I have tumors in both ovaries and my abdomen. And with my dad's insane amount of smoking, they're doing tests on my lungs to make sure his three packs a day aren't the cause of my two month consistent chest pain.
There are less than 200,000 cases per year of ovarian cancer. There are very few cases of ovarian cancer in the age below of 20. I have a less than 30% chance of surviving through the six month (minimum) chemo. I'm going to lose both of my ovaries and my uterus. I'm going to have a minimum of three surgeries in the next few months. And I still may not even survive.
Now I do actually have a point to this. What bothers me is that childhood cancer only have 4% of all cancer funding. Out of 100 dollars, only 4 of those go to childhood cancer. And with some cancers becoming more "popular" and fatal, that four percent isn't doing anything.
I went to this online shop looking for cancer awareness shirts, and all I saw were breast cancer awareness shirts. 'Save the tatas' was a very popular shirt; where's our 'save the children' shirt? With cancer diagnoses rising, we can't afford to lose the next entire generation due to lack of awareness and funding.
By the time you have read this, I will have had a hysterectomy. I am unable to ever have my own kids. I have lost the one thing that makes me a woman. I can't start my own (blood) family. I'll get hit with baby fever and while all my friends are getting pregnant, I'll be looking at adoption agencies for a child.
I'll have very little, if any, estrogen produced in my body. Time to take hormones so I don't hit menopause at age sixteen. I'll lose my hair. I've already lost a few friends and I just got diagnosed less than a week ago. I'm on high doses of chemotherapy that even adults can't handle. Worst of all, I'm losing my childhood. This was the year I was supposed to learn how to drive, get my first job, start to learn how to do this thing called adulting. But now I can't. Because cancer.
If I hadn't told the beginning of my story, very few people would even know that childhood cancer isn't just what you see on TV. It isn't rare either. Every day, dozens of kids are diagnosed with cancer. Childhood cancer is real and it's going to hit hard. Still think that four percent is enough?
So, please. Let's raise awareness for childhood cancer. Because kids get cancer, too. If you don't help now.. then when? It may be you next. I didn't think it'd be me, but here I am with an IV stuck in my hand.
It's our generation, our future. Let's put the future in good hands and get an end to childhood cancer.
- Just another kid with cancer [anonymous source]
