A few months ago I shared that our friend's 9 year old daughter, Lauren, wanted to do a fundraiser for Jonah. After the turn of the new year and a little bit of coordination, Jammin' For Jonah happened a few weeks ago. It was a huge success and Lauren and her friends raised a little over $1,400 for the pediatric brain tumor research program at Lurie. Today Jonah got to present a ceremonial check, which also gave him a chance to see some of his favorite people. We are so grateful for Lauren's strong and generous spirit that inspired and motivated her to raise money for a cause close to our hearts. The fact below highlights the fact that this sort of grassroots effort actually has an impact on the big picture. Keep up the good work Lauren & friends!
FACT
Childhood cancer is the number one killer by disease of kid in our country. At least 7 kids die from cancer each day in the US alone. Cancer kills more children than any other disease, more than asthma, cystic fibrosis, diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined. Approximately 2,500 children with cancer die each year in our country alone (more children die of brain tumors than any other type of cancer). 1 in 285 children will have the disease by age 20.
Despite these numbers, the NCI (National Cancer Institute) only allocates 4% of their annual funding to pediatric cancer research and pharmaceutical companies spend almost no money on research & development for childhood cancers because adult cancer is viewed as more profitable and less risky. Accordingly, there is an estimate $30 million a year gap in childhood cancer research funding.
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