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Erica Voll is a Philadelphia-area blogger. In this article, she discusses National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and how she, along with other Philadelphia-area bloggers, are logging miles to raise awareness with Alex's Lemonade Stand. 

September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. And throughout the entire month, I, along with other Delaware Valley bloggers, am joining Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation to go the distance with the Million Mile Run.

How Far is One Million Miles?

• A trip to the moon and back, twice.
• More than 40 times around the earth.
• More than 3,000 trips from NYC to Los Angeles.
• More than 38,000 marathons.

With firsthand knowledge of just how far parents of children with cancer would go to find a cure for their child, the Foundation is challenging supporters to collectively walk or run one million miles during the month of September to work toward better treatments and ultimately cures.

The brainchild of Foundation Co-Executive Director, Jay Scott, a running enthusiast, the Million Mile Run will invite ambitious individuals, as well as teams, to pledge to walk/run and contribute to the one million mile goal during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. Drawing from the inspiration of Foundation creator Alexandra “Alex” Scott, who set out to raise $1 million through lemonade stands in 2004, Jay Scott feels that through combined efforts, reaching one million miles in just thirty days is attainable.

“The Million Mile Run will act as an easy way for walkers and runners of all abilities to contribute to the fight against childhood cancer and raise the profile of the awareness month,” says Scott. “Though some people have commented that one million miles might be a crazy goal, and maybe they are right, my daughter Alex taught me that when you set your mind to something and garner the help of others, anything is possible. She reached her million, and I think we can too.”

The Million Mile Run will utilize both the MapMyRun application and the ability for participants to manually enter the miles they log daily. Individuals who participate will average three to four miles a day, while teams can split up the 100 miles. For instance, a group of 4 employees can walk a mile at lunch every day and easily reach their goal. Additionally, participants are urged to recruit friends and family members to pledge dollar amounts for each mile, or provide a straight donation.

“September has become highly recognizable within the childhood cancer community as an important time of year,” says Liz Scott, Alex’s mom and co-executive director of the foundation. “However, for the general public, it still flies highly under the radar. We think the Million Mile Run has the ability and mass appeal to change that, one mile at a time.”

Individuals and teams who are interested in participating or learning more about the Million Mile Run can visit MillionMileRun.org where they will find a video detailing the effort.

Register for the Million Mile Run here.

About Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation

Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front yard lemonade stand of cancer patient Alexandra “Alex” Scott (1996-2004). In 2000, 4-year-old Alex announced that she wanted to hold a lemonade stand to raise money to help find a cure for all children with cancer. Since Alex held that first stand, the Foundation bearing her name has evolved into a national fundraising movement, complete with thousands of supporters across the country carrying on her legacy of hope. To date, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, a registered 501(c)3 charity, has raised more than $60 million toward fulfilling Alex’s dream of finding a cure, funding over 300 pediatric cancer research projects nationally. For more information on Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, visit AlexsLemonade.org.
 

September is childhood cancer, gynecologic cancer, and Hodgkin lymphoma awareness month.

Be sure to subscribe to the Focus On Cancer blog and like the Abramson Cancer Center Facebook page for more information on childhood, gynecologic, and Hodgkin lymphoma cancers throughout the entire month.

At a Glance: Childhood Cancer

• Although survival rates have improved over the last 30 years by more than 50 percent, cancer is still the second leading cause of death in children.
• In 2013, an estimated 10,000 children will be diagnosed with cancer; 1,500 will die from their disease.
• The two most common childhood cancers are leukemia and brain/central nervous system tumors.
• The National Cancer Institute has ongoing, major studies to research the most effective treatments for childhood cancer on on-going

Learn more about the treatment for childhood cancer at the Abramson Cancer Center.

At a Glance: Gynecologic Cancer

• Gynecological cancers include cervical, endometrial, uterine, fallopian tube, ovarian, vaginal, and vulvar cancer, gestational trophoblastic disease and choriocarcinoma.
• Two of the four major types of HPV virus cause 70% of cervical cancer cases.
• Endometrial cancer is the most common form of gynecologic cancers, causing up to 6 percent of all cancers in women.
• Women with ovarian cancers rarely show symptoms until the cancers are advanced, making ith the 5th most common cause of cancer death in women.

Learn more about the treatment for gynecologic cancer at the Abramson Cancer Center.

At a Glance: Hodgkin Lymphoma

• Hodgkin lymphoma affects the lymph nodes and lymphatic tissue.
• While there’s no known connection between Hodgkin lymphoma and toxins, chemicals, or environmental agents, HIV-infected patients generally have a more aggressive, advance form of the lymphoma.
• Hodgkin lymphoma makes up 6 percent of all childhood cancers, but is extremely rare in children under the age of 5.

Learn more about the treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma at the Abramson Cancer Center.

Melanie Gaffney is a proud childhood cancer survivor, and a contributor to the Focus On Cancer blog. Today she is cancer-free, but lives with the after effects of her cancer treatments. 

As a cancer survivor, relapse and second cancers are always in the back of your mind. The thought of cancer coming back doesn’t rear its ugly head daily, but sometimes the idea of getting cancer again can stop you dead in your tracks.

I have been cancer free for a very long time. I’ve had a couple of scares, but have always come out on top. Just this past January, during a routine cardiology visit, my incredible physician, Dr. Joseph Carver, discovered a lump on my thyroid. It wasn’t visible to the eye on the outside, but it was there, just under the skin.

I sat there at the end of my exam and stared, listening to him tell me about this lump, and all I could hear was “cancer, cancer, cancer.” As he spoke, all I could think was: “How will I prepare my kids? How will I afford childcare during treatments? Will my 5-year-old son be scared and understand? Will I lose my hair?”

Dr. Carver’s words would penetrate my thoughts every now and then, but for the most part he was just a blur.

Learn more about the Abramson Cancer Center's Living Well After Childhood Cancer program.
Once I mentally came back to the room, I sat and listened. He told me: “Melanie, people find lumps and nodules on their thyroids all the time, and they turn out to be nothing. But, with your personal history, your chances of having cancer again are higher than average.”

He told me I’d need a biopsy, and as he discussed the next steps, I listened intently to every word. I knew that I had to do everything just right to make sure that if it was in fact cancer, I had the knowledge I needed to take care of myself and those around me.

After my appointment it was time to start to make the calls to my family to tell them what was going on. They weren’t easy calls to make - even though I only knew it was a lump –we all knew my chances of what it could be.

Because of my scheduling preferences, my appointment for a biopsy wasn’t for six weeks. I can honestly say, without hesitation, that they were the longest six weeks of my adult life. I went through the motions, work, home, kids, etc. without always focusing on it, but I would break down in tears every day, every single day.
For those six weeks I had cancer, or, I might as well have.

I have incredible people in my life, that change their plans to accommodate my appointments, who are there for me as soon as a I need them, who blindly support me and my family. My friends actually organized a dinner during those six weeks, to just celebrate our friendships and lives together. At that point, I knew that if I did have cancer again, I was going to be just fine regardless of the outcome.

The day came for my biopsy, I was ready; emotional but not scared, strong but humble. I was ready for whatever the results were going to be.

I got my results: 100 percent benign.

I had cancer for six weeks – in my head and in my soul and in my heart, I had cancer. But now, knowing I don’t, I am ready for whatever else being a survivor may throw at me.

I have a feeling this may be just the beginning, that more scares will come and there may be a time where I am not as lucky with the outcome, but until then….
I don’t have cancer.

If there is any good news about childhood cancer, and childhood cancer diagnoses, it’s that more and more children are doing well after a cancer diagnosis. In fact, three fourths of the 12,000 young people diagnosed with cancer under the age of 18 each year are expected to have excellent outcomes.

As more children with cancer have better results, the number of adults who had cancer as a child continues to rise. This exciting result reflects the efforts of cancer researchers around the country who have dedicated their lives to finding better treatments that also reduce the potential long-term side effects from cancer and its treatments.

Late Effects of Childhood Cancer

There may be late effects of childhood cancer. These effects include

• Impaired growth
• Heart problems
• Lung problems
• Thyroid problems
• Bone density problems
• Dental problems
• Fertility
• Liver problems
• Kidney problems
• Learning problems
• Emotional problems
• Second cancers

Feelings of Recurrence

Feelings of recurrence among survivors is very common. The Abramson Cancer can help you address them through our Living Well After Childhood Cancer Program.

The Living Well After Childhood Cancer program was established with a grant from the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF). The LAF continues to help support the program and credits it as the premier model for helping survivors understand, address, and control the medical and psychological effects of a cancer diagnosis.

At Penn, we focus on you and your particular medical situation and personal questions or needs. We help you understand the effects that your prior surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy may have long-term on your health. These effects are commonly called ‘late effects'. Because we know that there may be psychological effects directly related to having had cancer as a child, our team is also prepared to help you work through your concerns. Other issues, such as insurance and infertility, are also discussed in a private, supportive environment.

Our goal is to make you feel empowered and that you are in charge of your long-term health.

If you are a childhood cancer survivor, or know a childhood cancer survivor, visit the Living Well After Childhood Cancer program at the Abramson Cancer Center.