Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C)

Another mom wrote this and I have some of the same concerns, so I thought I would post it here for you to consider about this national cancer awareness program airing tonight:

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Written by a fellow cancer mom:

Here are the bullet points about SU2C that concern me....

I have been very vocal about doubting SU2C.
I'll try to summarize what several online friends, pediatric community organizations, and childhood cancer research groups are concerned about. Here are the bullet points of what worries us:

- In the beginning, SU2C had ZERO representation of childhood cancer. How can you be against Cancer and forget about the children who have it?

- Pediatric cancer is terribly underfunded in comparison to adult cancers - yet the SU2C telethon was placed in "Childhood Cancer Awareness Month" - nullifying our attempts to have the month celebrate OUR KIDS, raising awareness of CHILDHOOD Cancer

- Now, there are slight signs of pediatric cancer being whispered about for SU2C - but none of the advertisements, press releases, or public appearances by the organizers have touched on the difference between funding research for adult vs. pediatric cancers. Pediatric cancers DO NOT benefit from Adult research - they are TOTALLY different

- We pediatric cancer parents are FED UP with seeing the faces of our children used to gather funds for adult research. The "Faces" of cancer for the Relay for Life fundraiser are often more than 75% children - when less than 1% of the funding goes toward pediatric projects.

- We fear they will use our children's faces and stories - then hand the money over to adults.

- We do not dispute that Breast, Lung, and Prostate cancers are far more prevalent than all Childhood Cancers combined. However, those adult cancers are well funded by the federal government and private industry. Pediatric cancer is not. If SU2C intends to pass out money based on the number of people who are likely to be diagnosed with a particular cancer, (the way the ACS does) - then only use ADULT stories, ADULT faces, ADULT sympathy. Leave
our children to those of us who care about them and who will work hard to raise money for them. DO NOT use our children to benefit adults. The adults don't need the help.

- If SU2C intends on only caring for adults - then they should acknowledge that they are purposefully forsaking children, and place any and all future telethons in a month far away from Childhood Cancer Awareness month. We respect the right of SU2C to raise money for the specific groups they wish to support. We DO NOT respect their use of children if the monies gathered are not allocated equal to the amount of time/percentage of use of the children. In other words, if you use kids for 30% of your stories, give 30% of the money to pediatric organizations. Its a simple equation. Or, ignore children, and let us raise our own funds, in our own month.

- Don't lump pediatric cancer in with adult cancer. They are vastly different beasts.

- Ultimately, it boils down to this: STOP using the struggles and losses of pediatric patients, who are fighting for the chance to live their lives, for the benefit of adults. STOP exploiting our children.
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I personally have experienced some of these feelings so I thought I would put this out there to let others know that there IS a difference in adult cancer research and childhood cancer research. While I do believe that supporting ALL types of cancer research is very important, of course I am partial to making sure MY money and effort is for CHILDHOOD CANCER RESEARCH because we are directly affected by it.

I do know our local TV station has recently filmed at our children's hospital for a program to air just before this adult program, so hopefully other cities' stations are doing the same.

With HOPE,
Tammy