How can you help?

[Esther]

Most of us know a family who have lost a child to cancer. It is one of the least known and least funded diseases out there; and often has a very low cure rate.

Some are giving up special things for the month and donating the money saved to various Childhood Cancer or research organizations. Some are "passing it on" by doing something special for a stranger and then giving them a brochure telling about childhood cancer and requesting that they pass the good deed on.

Here are some ideas that don't cost much or are free. Along with the deprivaton and monetary contribution, we should add in something for "Awareness". How about a sign or banner in our front yard. Run an ad in the newspaper or little local blabber, put a sign or banner on your grocery cart, encourage your family to join you in this effort,  put a childhood cancer awareness magnet on your car, wear a wrist band, write a message on your car windows with window markers, post a sign in your work place, give brochures to total strangers or neighbors when you're out and about, buy & wear your childhood cancer awareness shirt all month when possible, send a message and reminder to everyone on your email list, and put a link or something about childhood cancer on the signature of your emails and forum posts. Organize an Awareness walk or join in on one. Imagine how many people we can make aware of the suffering of our children with cancer. And maybe some day we will see we've saved the lives of some of our little ones.

[karen J]

I try to educate people by reiterating what Otto Warburg discovered (and won the Nobel prize for) 80 years ago. Sugar feeds cancer. It's known as the Warburg effect. Most people ignore me. Or they say "well she/he has to eat something". Sugar feeds cancer.

Most brochures or cancer awareness/education websites recommend a low fat/ high sugar diet for cancer patients (sound familiar?)- which only makes them sicker!

Most organizations that claim to be funding cancer research are just lining their pockets by fund raising (selling sugar). The people who need the money most are the people that have cancer. The people who make the (insert product name here) with the pink ribbon on it are not helping anyone who has cancer, in fact they are making it worse.

There is an ongoing study in Germany that is successfully treating end stage brain cancer patients with a high fat/low sugar diet. This is what caregivers should be doing here in the US. Instead, caregivers here are feeding the cancer. My father was fed pancakes with syrup (dead in 6 months) and my brother was fed ice cream (dead in a few weeks).

When are people going to wake up?

[Esther]

What is the cure rate of the patients not given sugar? I guess I'm puzzled as to why the researchers aren't utilizing this information and then passing it on to treatment centers and cancer specialists. Doctors aren't gaining anything by not telling their patients this information. Why would medical people deprive hurting patients of this, knowing if they quit eating sugar, it would save their lives? I don't understand.

The effort this month is particularly pointed to spread awareness in any way it can be done. People are used to hearing that older folks have cancer. But noone wants to hear about a child suffering. If people don't hear, then money won't be given and research cannot be done and a cure never found.