That's AJ, forever our 14 year old son - always smiling, happy, healthy, athletic and a joy to be around.  So sadly, AJ left us on January 5th, 2008, a victim of childhood cancer.  He was just one of the 3,000 CHILDREN every year that die from this disease!   America must increase childhood cancer research funding and raise awareness of childhood cancer - the #1 killer disease of our children! 

By signing you support these goals:

Unfortunately we the undersigned have become aware, some of us all too personally, of the leading killer of our children from disease, childhood cancer.  We are writing to challenge you to investigate this killer and broadcast a show which describes its impact on our children and their families, tells the incredible stories of these children, and asks that the "uninitiated" Americans help. 

At one point, we were also "uninitiated" and wish we could return.  But once you have heard those words, "your child has cancer", once you have seen the children, their families, the medical professionals who care for them, once you have seen how each child impacts the lives of so many around them, you too will be changed and driven to DO SOMETHING.  Simply too many of our children continue to fall victim.  Current awareness and funding are woefully inadequate to achieve our ultimate goal, a cure. 

Cure Search is an organization which unites the world's largest childhood cancer research organization, the Children's Oncology Group, and the National Childhood Cancer Foundation through our mission to cure childhood cancer.  This Group and its members treat over 90% of childhood cancer cases.  Research is the key to finding the cure.  Some data on childhood cancer:

- Cancer is the #1 killer from disease of children in the United  States

- Approximately 12,400 children are diagnosed with cancer each year

- Each year, about 3,000 children die of cancer; more than from asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis, congenital anomalies, and pediatric AIDS combined

- About one in 300 boys and one in 333 girls will develop cancer before the age of 20

- The incidence, or frequency that cancer is diagnosed, has risen since the 1970s for some types of childhood cancer, but rates have been fairly stable in more recent years

- The causes of most childhood cancers are not yet known

There is a bill being "debated" in Congress right now to fund research specifically for childhood cancer. The bill will provide research funding of $30 million per year for five years. For comparison, that same amount currently funds fund 2 hours of the war overseas.  So our war is vastly under-publicized and under-funded.

Each child can provide hours of heartbreaking, heartwarming, and incredible stories.  They may live or die, yet each will forever impact those around them in ways beyond their years.  Each is a treasure, with so much to give, so much to live for, and so much to yet do.  Visit Care Pages or Caring Bridge for real life examples.

We will continue to petition everyone in Washington DC, television news magazine, talk show and news publications we can until we are successful.  We are committed to raise awareness and funding so that we can stop this killer of our precious children.  

Thank you for helping.