Spring Fundraiser by Russ Greene
Recently, CBA students began their annual spring fundraising drive for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). They have been raising funds for over 15 years for LLS and consistently rank in the top schools for “per capita” giving even though we are a smaller school.
How can that be? At many schools, students simply collect spare change at home and turn it in at school. CBA follows a long tradition of training students to serve the King of Glory, and, in that context they learn to serve in all directions – their community (through city-wide service projects), their school (through decorating the campus with banners and other creative elements for special events) and others less fortunate through raising funds for specific causes.
In the fall, students raised funds for our sister school in the Congo. In the spring, they raise funds for the Leukemia Society. To that end, students participate in bake sales, car washes, weekly on-campus snacks sales and lunches, door-to-door canvassing, movie nights, and many other activities.
You may ask, what exactly is Leukemia, how is it treated, what does the LLS do with the money they raise, and how close are we to a cure for Leukemia. Let’s look at those questions…
What is Leukemia and what are the symptoms? Leukemia is a cancer of the blood, or more specifically, a cancer of the blood cells. The rapid growth and dividing of blood cells (that become Leukemia cells) begins in the bone marrow, and essentially crowds out the production of healthy red blood cells, platelets and white blood cells, all of which serve vital functions in the body. Red blood cells carry oxygen to the brain and all parts of the body. When there are fewer red blood cells, the brain needs more oxygen which leads to rapid breathing and fatigue. Platelets help blood to clot so when there are fewer of them bleeding is prolonged. White blood cells help to fight infections caused by bacteria, parasites and viruses so a shortage of these opens up the body to more infections. Because Leukemia cells begin in the bone marrow and eventually spread to the blood stream, patients also experience bone pain throughout the body. Severe weight loss is common.
Current treatment begins with chemotherapy to kill the rapidly dividing blood cells. Initial treatment lasts four weeks to kill all cells. If all cells are destroyed the patient is in remission but not cured. The Leukemia can return. The second phase aims to kill any remaining cells and to prevent any cells from traveling to the brain. Chemotherapy is injected into the fluid surrounding the brain in order to reach any Leukemia cells that may be in the brain. The final phase is a two to three-year maintenance regimen of low dose chemotherapy. If the Leukemia finds its way to the brain or a person is at great risk of this then radiation directly to the brain is applied, and, as a last resort, a bone marrow transplant.
The money we raise will be used to . . .
- Encourage scientists to pursue blood cancer research. Grants to young scientists help grow research talent even as federal research funding becomes increasingly limited.
- Develop “targeted therapies” that kill cancer cells selectively. By hitting specific molecular targets, these treatments don’t harm patients’ healthy cells, resulting in fewer dangerous side effects.
- Test immunotherapies. Immunotherapies strengthen a patient’s own immune system so it can better fight infections and attack cancer cells, reducing the need for damaging chemotherapy.
- Improve the safety of today’s cures.LLS funds research to predict, manage and prevent complications in patients most at risk for long-term and late effects of treatment.
- Help patients and their families make informed decisions.LLS supplies information and counseling to help guide patients through their cancer journey and access current treatment and clinical trial options.
- Offer community services. Among the wide array of programs LLS provides are those that link newly diagnosed patients with trained volunteers and that help young cancer patients return to school after an absence resulting from treatment.
- Encourage our state and federal legislators to support blood cancer issues. LLS brings to the attention of lawmakers the urgent need for increased government funding and support of research and patient access to affordable treatment and quality care.
And, finally, how close are we to a cure for Leukemia? There are over 100 distinct types of cancer (4 main types of Leukemia), many requiring a different cure so many scientists believe it is unlikely that a cure for all could be developed. Additionally, many cancers mutate and adapt as well as create subclones of themselves that do not respond to treatments which work on the original manifestation. Effective treatment is an ever-moving target. Methods of studying cancer are currently limited to working with lab-grown tumor cultures which lack the complexity of tumors in people. Consequently, drugs that work on lab grown cancers often do not work in live human tests. Claims of imminent cancer cures arise periodically but none have proved real.
All this being said, since the 1970’s the average mortality rate from cancer has dropped significantly and is still falling. Overall annual cancer deaths have decreased by 27% in the last 25 years. Much of this is due to a reduction in smoking and early detection and treatment. The lifetime probability for Americans of a cancer diagnosis is slightly more than 1 in 3.
Cancer is the second most common cause of death among children ages 1 to 14 years in the US, after accidents. In 2019, an estimated 11,060 children in this age group will be diagnosed with cancer and 1,190 will die from it. Leukemia accounts for almost a third (28%) of all childhood cancers, followed by brain and other nervous system tumors (26%).
Cancer incidence rates increased in children and adolescents by 0.7% per year since 1975. However, death rates have declined continuously. The 5-year relative survival rate for all cancer sites combined improved from 58% for children diagnosed during 1975 to 1977 to 83% for those diagnosed during 2008 to 2014.
The mission to find a cure for cancer, in general, and Leukemia, in particular, may continue without foreseeable victory for a long time. All of us have been touched by cancer among family and friends and we continue to raise funds for this critical mission. Please join us in this crucial undertaking.
Our goal is to reach $5,000 this spring, and you can help. If you have been inspired to contribute financially to this cause, click here to contact us.
Resources:
https://www.worldwidecancerresearch.org/blog-post/havent-cured-cancer/
https://www.cancer.org/latest-news/facts-and-figures-2019.html
