The National Institutes of Health define rare diseases as conditions that affect fewer than 200,000 people. But for families facing one of these diseases, like Beckwith-Wiedemann Syndrome (BWS), these diagnoses don’t feel rare. BWS affects approximately 1 in 10,000 kids and is linked to increased risk of certain childhood cancers, including Wilms tumor and hepatoblastoma. With proper treatment and monitoring, these cancers are treatable, which makes it critical to properly identify kids with BWS... Read More
The Childhood Cancer Blog
Welcome to The Childhood Cancer Blog
from Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation!
Every day, approximately 47 children in the United States are diagnosed with cancer. This is equivalent to two classrooms full of children. And each year, childhood cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in the United States.
Childhood cancer happens, and it is scary, but there is so much everyone can do to make a difference, fund research and support families as they go through cancer treatment. This year, you can join Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) in helping kids with cancer.
Not sure how to help? ALSF founder Alex Scott believed that safer treatments... Read More
When Beth Cook’s then 8-year-old son Travis was diagnosed with childhood cancer, she did not know what to say.
The diagnosis came after Travis hit his head really hard and Beth thought he had a concussion. An MRI revealed there was no concussion, but there was cancer in the form of a diffuse and inoperable brain tumor.
“I did not know what to tell Travis, but I had to tell him,” recalls Beth. “I told him there was something in his head that didn't belong there, but it was going to be ok because he... Read More