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

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.

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.

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. .

2 Stories of Hope, Boy & Girl of the Year

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NC-VtASaK9Y

I thought that this was a great source because it presented actual people who have had cancer. It showed the difficulties of children with leukemia. I thought that the boy and girl should have talked more than the parents because they are the ones who had fought the cancer. I did not like how it was promoting a company even though the company is for a good cause. I loved how the girl proved her parents assumption (that she was "just not a tough kid") wrong by showing how courageous she was.

Stress Management Aids Children With Cancer In Hospital Setting

Being told you have cancer “can be an overwhelming event”(St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital). Just being in the hospital setting can cause stress and anxiety. A child’s normal development can be effected when battling a serious illness. Since the child will be in the hospital a lot he or she will not get the peer interaction skills a child needs. Even though hospitals try to copy peer interaction it does not work with every child. Being in an uncontrollable situation will sometimes anger the child and make them aggressive. Also some kids will not accept the fact that they are sick; this may cause their bodies to reject the medication and lead to their death. In other cases a child will become so dependent on the help of their parents and doctors that they will not be able to do things on their own after treatment.
I agree with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Being in a hospital is very scary. When I was twelve I was told I had a bad parasite in my stomach and had to stay at the hospital over night with IV’s hooked to me; I was terrified. In contrast to St. Jude’s research I believe that good things could come from beating cancer. If you beat cancer at a young age this could give you the mentality that you could do anything in life. Fighting for your life would be scary. It would make you not take life for granted and make you appreciate the time you had on Earth more so than if it was always given to you.

"Stress Management Aids Children With Cancer In Hospital Setting." medical news today. St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Oct 2009 . Web. 31 Mar 2010. .