Thursday, May 13, 2010
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Parenting a Child with Leukemia

Parenting a child can be very difficult. As Hector said in "Parenting a Child with Leukemia" a child with leukemia is almost impossible to parent. A child with leukemia is going through so much stress. They have lost all of their independence and freedom which as a teenager is the worst thing that can possibly happen. Getting educated about the leukemia helps you explain to your child in th eway you know they would understand most. Going and getting his friends to visit is a huge help so your child can still keep his friends. Bring things like "puzzles, favorite book, or stuffed animals" for you child to play with(Hector).
This was a great source. I am so glad I have not been diagnosed with this disease because if my parents took my freedom it would be as if my life had ended. I have wondered if you could hook up and X-box to the hospital TV to give patients something fun to do and occupy their mind from the treatment. I did not like the things Hector suggested to bring because none of those idioms interest me.
Hector, Myrrh. "5 Ways to Parent a Child who has Leukemia." About.com. N.p.,June 25,2008. Web. 26 April 2010.
"Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia"

This essay talks about how each diagnosis in leukemia is treated differently. "B" cells in ALL in treated with a high dose of specifically: cyclophosphamide, cytarabine, and methotrexat. The treatment for most childhood ALL is four component: remission, injection, consolidation, continuation, and treatment of subclinical central nervous system (CNS) leukemia. Doctors usually start, under normal conditions, with three medications: glucocorticoid, vincristine, and asparaginase. Doctors see which drug work and which ones do not and this helps them decide wich medications to use next. Cell "B" treatment is done in two eight-month coarse of intensive therapy (Jeffrey E. Rubnitz). Cell "B" treatment has a more vigorous treatment than normal cases of leukemia.
This was a great souce. It gave specific details on exactly how treatment is done. I did not know how long a treatment for leukemia could be. I thought that the patient went to the hospital, ran test, took a couple of shots, and then left. This is not the case. Patients can spend months at a time in the hospital getting multiple shots everyday. I loved how factual this essay was without using a lot of fluff.
Jeffrey E. Rubnitz, FChing-Hon Pui irst. "Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia." Oncologist 2.6(1997):374-380.Web.18 Apr 2010.
Leukemia
Leukemia is more common in adults; however many cases are in children under the age of fifteen. Leukemia is the primary cause of cancer related death in kids. 3000 cases of childhood leukemia are diagnosed every year. ALL is the most common form of childhood leukemia.
This is very inspirational! Since the improvements of treatment most everyone under the age of fifteen survives leukemia. I had no idea that six kids get diagnosed everyday with this disease. I wish it could have had more information on leukemia and not so many pictures though. This was not my best source but the video was uplifting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfTy2GYLLJo
This is very inspirational! Since the improvements of treatment most everyone under the age of fifteen survives leukemia. I had no idea that six kids get diagnosed everyday with this disease. I wish it could have had more information on leukemia and not so many pictures though. This was not my best source but the video was uplifting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfTy2GYLLJo
Leukemia

Leukemia by Judith Peacock gives the ins and outs of childhood leukemia. Peacock tells us exactly what leukemia is, all of the different types, diagnosing leukemia, and treatment for the disease. This book also gives the reader ways to get help and find financial aid. Within this book it has many stories of leukemia patients and what stage they are going through. In the chapter "Treatment for Leukemia" Peacock tells the story of Alfonzo who had to have a bone marrow transplant. He had trouble finding a donor and finally found "a man 800 miles away"(Peacock 33). Alfonzo hopes to meet the man who, despite the distance, saved his life.
I loved this book. It was very detailed in every aspect. My cousin in Tennessee has leukemia and when I told him about this book he told me he already read it and that it was great. I love how this book tells about leukemia straight up and it does not talk down to the reader. I am also glad this book does not talk about the people dying of leukemia but rather the people beating the disease.
There was something I would change if I wrote this book. Most of the stories on the actual kids with leukemia had no ending! Did they live?! Did they die?! Peacock tries to make it sound like all of the kids live but never actually states it. This is like false advertisement and is frustrating!!
Peacock, Judith. Leukemia. Mankato, Minnesota: Capstone Press, 2000. 64. Print.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Relay for Life

Relay for Life
The Relay for Life was made to raise awareness of cancer and money to support families and research. People come from all around to show support by walking laps and donating money. Some companies will tell a runner that for every lap they run they will give them so much money. Big companies is how the Relay for Life gets most of their money, but it takes the entire community to come together and donate money to make it a great success. People who have lost loved ones to cancer almost always come to the events. Relay for Life sells T shirts and hats to raise money for this event; they also sell food and drinks. Every shirt you buy or dollar you donate makes a difference.
I thought the Relay for Life was fun. I went bought a shirt for my mother and I and walked two laps. There were a lot of my friends there so we talked and bought some pizza. I felt good knowing all the money I spent there was going to save lives and I even got full in the process. This is a great fundraiser and I suggest everyone to precipitate in it.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Roberts Story

In this section Robert talks about the long term effects leukemia had on his body and mind. Having Leukemia hinders your immune system, and you have to go to the doctor a lot to jump start your immune system. He compares this to an exhausted guard who needs a cup of coffee to wake up and work again. The disease has forced him to grow up faster than a normal kid would at fifteen. He is glad that he “was forced to mature” by the disease because he would not have otherwise (Robert). The only bad thing is he has a hard time hanging out with his peers because of their immature attitudes.
This is my favorite source! It is about a true leukemia patient and how having the disease affected him. In my other sources it has the parents talking for the children, but this is an essay written by the fifteen year old about his story. I like the way Robert was telling his story and giving comparisons on what was going on. I wish he would have talked about what it was like going through the treatment; that would have made it even better because it would give the readers even more insight into the troubles of a leukemia patient.
http://www.candlelighters.org/Information/TreatmentandSurvivorship/SurvivorshipStories/AboutRobert.aspx
"About Robert ." American Childhood Cancer Association (2010): n. pag. Web. 8 Apr 2010.
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