September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month...

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and today is the last day of the month. What have YOU done to make a difference in the life of child with cancer or for a family with a child battling this nasty monster? Remember, my brave little friend Coleman who has earned his angel wings once said, "an act of kindness, big or small, is the greatest gift of all." Once the clock strikes midnight at the end of the month, September will be over. But the fight to cure childhood cancer won't be. And we need to start facing the facts and amp up the funding so that sufficient research can be getting done. For instance on average, 36 kids are diagnosed with cancer EVERY DAY in the United States. That means, that 1 in every 4 elementary school has a child with cancer and the average high school has two students who are current or former cancer patients. Not only this but cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children over the age of 1 even with cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, AIDS, asthma and juvenile diabetes combined. Childhood cancer cannot be prevented. It spares no ethic group, socioeconomic class or geographic region. It can happen anywhere, anytime and to any child. Scary thought?? Yes. Wish you could do something about it, yes? Then by all means, DO SOMETHING!!! Donate your time by volunteering at a children's hospital, Ronald McDonald House, or a sibling/parent support group. Donate money in any amount to a research based or hospital based credible source (always, always know where your money is going--it's sad how many people try to make a buck out of people trying to do something good.) Make hats or blankets for the children in the hospital. Donate gift cards to general places such as Target, Walmart or Visa cards, gas cards and fast food cards for families in the hospitals to use. Spread the word. Advocate for these kids and their families! 

Many people look at me with a sad look when I tell them what I'm going to school for and the professional field I have picked to work in. They think, "isn't that so sad? how can you stand that? what a depressing job..." Yes there are sad days and yes, there are days that I can't stand because it is so unfair seeing cancer strike such innocent kids. But otherwise, I don't think of it as a depressing, downer of a job. Every day I get to the hospital, I find hope. The halls are filled with laughter and I'm always greeted with hugs and smiles. The kids I meet have the cards stacked against them every day and they still wake up more optimistic than even the most well off people I know. My heart hurts for them all more than they would ever know but because of their spirits, they make my job worth every minute. I cherish all of my time that I get to spend with them. Every day I am inspired by the kids and families I meet to do more with my life, try harder, be a better person, don't give up on myself, not to stress over the little things, and to let go of my worries. The toughest lesson I've learned though from too many of these kids is to love wholeheartedly every minute of the day because we never know when our last minute will be. The fight doesn't end because the month of September is ending. And thanks to mine and Jordan's amazing family and friends, we were able to make a $350 donation to Dance Marathon, the student organization at Iowa that raises money to support kids treated for cancer at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital! We raised this money during our Dollar Dance at our wedding reception and honestly, that is one of our favorite decisions we made about our wedding! We are grateful for the money we received and are honored to be donating it For The Kids. This organization is very near and dear to our hearts as this is where we met each other, both of our closest friends and it led us to our career paths. 

This is why we fight for the cure and why we keep dancing. For sweet kiddos and precious babies like Jasmine. For the kiddos who have earned their angel wings. For the kiddos who have fought the good fight and won. And for the kiddos who put their gloves on day after day and fight back. Make a difference for them. Be the miracle. For The Kids, always and forever.

http://dancemarathon.uiowa.edu/
Donate and get involved!
Creating Tomorrow By Dancing Today!