Our dear friend Samantha Crowell lost her fight to Wilm's tumor this morning. She was a beautiful, sweet, young lady. It was very hard to break this news to Meghan. Prayers are needed for her family during this difficult time. Irregular cells can develop in the kidneys while a baby is still in the womb. These cells can then grow into a wilm's tumor. There are only 500 cases of Wilm's tumor each year in the United States and about 2% of these children are teenagers with Wilm's tumor. Samantha and Meghan are these rare cases. Meghan had a 17 month remission after her transplants. If she had relapsed 6 months ago, the investigational drug that she is now taking wouldn't have been available. We don't know if this is the best drug but it was never offered to Samantha. There is such a need for research to get the best drugs to the patients and sometimes the rarer cancers don't get the funds. We are very reluctant to ask for any money after the wonderful benefit that was held for Meghan's medical funds. But if you are interested in donating to Wilm's research, you can donate through Curesearch by clicking on this link: You can scroll down the page to "Fund the Cure," and click on "Donate Now." Following these steps will insure that your donation is directed to the Wilms Initiative. Please try to make a donation this month during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. ONE MORE CHILD LOST TO CANCER IS ONE TOO MANY.
Help us reach the day when every child diagnosed with cancer is guaranteed a cure. As always thanks for your prayers, love, and support! Sue P.S. Meghan is doing well with the new treatment this week.
|
