Childhood Leukemia - September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

photo from: fineartamerica.com

After a long dreary winter, one of the first flowers to spring from the ground is the daffodil. Representative of new life, the daffodil is the American Cancer Society flower. When someone has survived the disease, sending flowers is a wonderful way to say "Congratulations!" The more colorful the better! You can read more about gifting flowers to cancer survivors at this florist's site:  http://www.flowershopnetwork.com/blog/flowers-for-a-cancer-survivor/ But if you have flowers in your garden or in the back field, a personal bouquet will have special meaning! 

September is Children's Cancer Awareness Month. Because I wanted to include varied names of organizations and foundations that support research and treatment of cancer, I searched the internet for a list. Most unfortunate is that the list is extremely long: unfortunate because it represents a tragic need for this support around the world.

 

Reading about the services provided, the support to family and patients, and the success in the rate of cures or remissions, tugs at the heart strings. Watching the videos brings home some of the emotional costs not included in the statistical figures. A warm note is hearing the children state with emphases: "I beat cancer."

The following sites offer important information about childhood cancer, research, treatment, experiences, and heartwarming success stories.

 

 

The Jimmy Fund
solely supports Boston's Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, raising funds for adult and pediatric cancer care and research to improve the chances of survival for cancer patients around the world.

You will find the history of the Jimmy Fund at this site:

http://www.jimmyfund.org/about-us/about-the-jimmy-fund/

 

American Childhood Cancer Organization
Help make a difference in the lives of the nation’s
childhood cancer patients, survivors, and their families.
You can learn how by clicking on this link:
http://www.acco.org/childhood-cancer-awareness-month/

St. Baldrick's Foundation
St. Baldrick’s Foundation exists to change the realities of Childhood Cancer
They work closely with leading pediatric oncologists to determine the most promising
research "to fund and create funding priorities to make the greatest impact . . ."
Read the sad facts of these realities and more here:  http://www.stbaldricks.org/


Hawaii Children's Cancer Foundation
Serving the Needs of Hawaii's Families Coping With Cancer
Serving to assist, support and advocate for the needs of children diagnosed with cancer, their families, and long-term survivors of childhood cancer: http://hccf.org/

https://www.youtube.com/embed/w3mF54ucXZc

(if this video link is unavailable, you can view it at http://hccf.org)

 

"I don't think it's fair that anyone has cancer." Child with cancer

"Helpless." Mother of child diagnosed with cancer

"Released from job, foreclosed on house." Parents of child with cancer

"She's on the swim team." Smiling Father of child whose cancer is in remission

 

 

 

 

THOSE WHO DARE and COPING NATURALLY Poems #40-41

40

Those Who Dare*

 

 

Dare to be aware of surroundings

That keep it real, like being

Honest

Safe

Responsible 

Dare to build communication between

adults and teens that develops

decision-making skills

through role play 

Saying “no” does not only relate to

drugs or alcohol or sex or cigarettes,

but to anything

that steals control 

Refuse

Explain

Avoid

Leave 

Get right.

By keeping it REAL you learn to cope naturally.

 

*DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) originated in 1983, improved upon in later years to become an exceptional program thanks to all the hard work and trial-and-error that went before.

 

*****

 

I worked for a police department in Minnesota. At the time, they were one of the first departments to promote DARE. The local youth in the area looked up to the police, and the program held drug use to a minimum. At the time, the focus was on helping teens to maintain control of their lives. But it is important for young people to learn that they will always have a right to be in control of their lives.

 

Allowing someone else to take control of your thoughts and actions is one of the worst forms of degradation I can imagine. Relinquishing that control through force is truly unimaginable to me.

 

***** *****

 

41

Coping Naturally 

A coyote forced out of

its comfort zone by hunger

seeks food while coping

naturally. 

The child abandoned in

the street to wander, by instinct

learns to scavenge

for survival. 

Souls lost to dependence find

light and guidance in

the supernatural of their

own existence.

 *****     *****

 

This poem follows the ending with the words "you learn to cope naturally." My first thought was of animals coping in the wild. When their natural habitat is disrupted, their instinct is to roam to other areas to meet their needs.  This led me to thoughts of humans who are forced to cope in less than ideal situations. Finally, I focused on persons with addictions who must find ways for them to cope naturally.

 

As used in this poem, the word "child" can refer to the product of our environment where people are abandoned without guaranteed shelter or daily meals. The homeless focus on finding food for sustenance and shelter from the elements through scavenging. Basic needs are met through their instinct for survival.

 

When words are first written, their meaning is not always clear. Poems aren't meant to provide answers to the universe, but to provoke thought that can ultimately lead to solutions. As long as the world ignores encroachment on wilderness habitats, homelessness, and addiction, there will always be threat of extinction, homelessness, and addictions in the world.