Grandparents Day

I've said it before, but this grandfather's post from the St. Baldrick's blog perfectly illustrates how childhood cancer affects the whole family. I'll never forget calling my dad right after being sent from the pediatrician's office to the hospital for an official diagnosis, and before I could say more than a few words, he just calmly said, over and over, "I'm coming." And he did come, and so did my mom. And so did Trevor's parents, who, quite fortuitously, had just moved to Austin two months before and were then living within earshot of the hospital. We all came together for Georgia and Ivy, for one of the most important, most difficult moments in our lives - and we made it through together.

So to Lolly, Poppa, Romy, and Ratty, we say thank you for your continued love and support. We love you and are so blessed and grateful to be able to call you "ours."

Bright, Brave, and Beautiful

That's how I described Georgia on the photo card we were invited to create for these special edition lipsticks from Votre Vu. And whaddaya know? They used her card in the promotional flyer:

With this multi-year campaign, Votre Vu is really taking action and doing SOMETHING for childhood cancer. Their continued support of the 46 Mommas and the St. Baldrick's Foundation is making a difference and helping us raise awareness, funds, and hope. It's a beautiful thing! See for yourself:

Action Items plus HOPE!

September is also Blood Cancer Awareness Month, so here's a way for you to take ACTION for leukemia, lymphoma, and Hodgkin's Disease fighters of all ages: Sign this petition from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and help us put an end to dangerous "specialty tier" pricing for anti-cancer medications. HR 460, the Patients' Access to Treatments Act of 2013 would eliminate harmful pricing structures that allow health insurers to charge so much for certain drugs that cancer patients are forced to skip doses – or go without crucial treatments altogether. These patients are already in a fight for their lives, and they shouldn't have to fight for their medicines as well. Please let your voice be heard!

Also, if you are in the Austin/Central Texas area, the Blood and Tissue Center of Central Texas is currently in urgent need of O+ blood. You can schedule a donation appointment by phone or online or just walk in as soon as possible. And if you have a different blood type, or live outside of Central Texas, please donate when you can, and help ensure that a safe, steady blood supply is available for those who need it.

And finally, a HUGE congratulations goes out to Dell Children's Blood & Cancer Center and specifically to our hero, Dr. Neff, for being awarded a $250K Hyundai Hope Grant for childhood cancer research! Dr. Neff and his team will investigate the molecular changes in cancer cell metabolism in response to medications, with the goal of predicting outcomes and allowing for optimized care and personalized chemotherapy treatments. Dr. Neff says that "using the patients' blood and actual cancer cells to create a metabolic profile will greatly improve the understanding of the drugs and how they are used in therapy. This could result in higher survival rates in children with leukemia with less chance of relapse and with fewer side effects." That sounds like HOPE in ACTION to us!

Thumbs up!

We Can Do It!

Rosie the Riveter, 2007

It's Labor Day, and most of us are enjoying a nice day off. But since childhood cancer doesn't take a holiday, we wanted to encourage you to take action for kids in the fight. Raise awareness, donate blood, or register as a bone marrow donor. And if you'd like to help fund research (yes, please!), here are some ideas from the St. Baldrick's Foundation - no head-shaving required!

Today - and every day - we just ask that you do SOMETHING to help end childhood cancer.

We can do it!

Welcoming September

Well, maybe "welcoming" isn't the right word, but we're certainly acknowledging that September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. That said, we know that all cancers are bad. There is no "good kind" of cancer to have, and all cancers need to be cured. But the reality is that funding for childhood cancer research is at critically low levels, with the National Cancer Institute devoting less than 4% of its annual budget to all 12 major types of childhood cancer - combined. So a myriad of non-profit groups and organizations step in to help fill the gaps, but many of those still only funnel pennies on the dollar to actual research - sometimes less than ONE penny. And in the meantime, 46 kids are diagnosed every weekday, and 1 in 5 of those kids will be lost. Unacceptable.

So what to do? Take ACTION. Learn the facts about the state of childhood cancer funding, and spread the word. Research the organizations you want to support, and be confident that your generous donation is going to the latest and best research available. Of all the things children in treatment need, The Science is the most important, and getting that science requires The Dollars. That is our focus here at Peachy Keen HQ, and we thank you for your continued support this month and the 44 months since we heard the words, "It's cancer, but it's curable."

As it happens, we spent the first day of Childhood Cancer Awareness Month looking at antiques, eating shaved ice, and wearing silly hats. How lucky we are. Now it's back to the business of funding cures - please join us!