Children Cancer Research Fund 2009

I have been a supporter of the Children’s Cancer Research Fund (CCRF) for several years now and I am honored to have the opportunity to support a charity that is making such wonderful strides to “defeet cancer”. Recently I attended the annual “CCRF Walk-A-Thon” where I joined a number of other teen entertainers there to support the event.

(Here we are at the start line…can you spot me? LOL)

CCRF was started with the inception and implementation of a remarkable project that would help change the medical environment for all children. Having seen the courage, strength and need of the children, Founder Matti Contopulos found a new way to bring fresh hopes and more than a few smiles to the children with cancer and their families.
(From CCRF website: http://www.ccrf-kids.org/)

This is definitely a cause that I strongly support, I have many cancer survivors in my family, as well as relatives who have lost their lives battling cancer, so this definitely “hits pretty close to home”. Through this fundraiser and others like it, new possibilities are being explored in cancer research. As a result, more children are finally being able to receive the proper medical attention.

(In the honor of those taking steps to defeat cancer, a carnival/fair was set up at the finish line of the walk-a-thon)

According to the National Cancer Institute, “In the United States already in 2007 alone, approximately 10,400 children under age 15 were diagnosed with cancer and about 1,545 children will die from the disease. This makes cancer the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children 1 to 14 years of age. On average, 1 to 2 children develop the disease each year for every 10,000 children in the United States”.

It is definitely a serious issue and one that continues to need support and awareness. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope that you too will share the importance of this cause with your friends and family, it’s just another step on the journey to defeat cancer.

We can all help to make a difference by taking steps together!