Reach out NOW!
Thursday my 15 year old came home complaining of a tooth ache for the 3rd day in a row! I had my non over-reactive hat on that day and said very flippantly “its probably because you don’t floss, go floss, your teeth are disgusting”.! I guess in the back of my mind I am always thinking we have dealt with cancer, diabetes so a toothache is so stupid …go deal with it!
The next morning my son wakes and is in excruciating pain and I lift his upper lip to find a huge purple abcess….yikes I don’t think this if from not flossing. I immediately went into MOM mode and call some very kind friends that get us in immediately with an Endodontist (no easy feat, thank you Douglas Family) ! He has immediate procedure to prepare for root canal and Dr. tells me he will be in worst pain of his life, needs drugs immediately and antibiotics. OH by the way he is supposed to leave the next morning for his High School Crew Retreat! By the time we get to the Pharmacy he is doubled over and crying so loud I could not hear anything but his screams. (he never cries)
He would not let me leave his side all day, and we had to rinse his mouth on the hour with salt water. I laid by his side for 20 hours and he would not let go of my arm (also a rare occasion). Again I was struck by Pediatric Cancer Month, and this (today) is the last day. I thought there are so many beautiful Moms and Children out there RIGHT NOW clinging to their children holding them and praying to take away their pain. FOR most it is an ongoing pain daily with poking, prodding, chemo, surgery etc. Think of how tired these MOMS are…… I was exhausted after one night. A very special mom that Mothers Grace has encountered, Candace Still is busy dealing with her young son Harrison’s cancer of the jaw. Mothers Grace visited him at the beginning of the year in the hospital, yesterday I read on his caring bridge site that he is still in chemo 9 months later.
Can you imagine the toll on this family daily, physically, mentally, and emotionally, for their little angel?
Please take the time today to go to the following link and sign the petition to help fund pediatric cancer and get funds more balanced towards children’s cancers. The statistics are staggering and very eye opening!
https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/fund-childhood-cancer-research/d3l9g0Kf
1.) Childhood cancer is the NUMBER ONE disease killer in children in the US.
2.) Cancer kills more children than any other disease, more than Asthma, Cystic Fibrosis, Diabetes and Pediatric AIDS combined!
3.) In the U.S. almost 3,000 children do not survive cancer each year.
4.) Only 3% of the National Cancer Institute Budget goes toward Pediatric Cancer Research.
5.) Research funds are scarce as most money is diverted to well-publicized adult forms of cancer, such as breast and prostate.
Think about reaching out to one of these Moms today, if we do something small and take something off their plates they can spend time letting their children cling to them!