The Importance of Educational Childhood Cancer Resources

When our daughter Alex was first diagnosed with neuroblastoma, we had so many questions – What is neuroblastoma? Is it cancer? How is it treated? What will the treatment be like? The thoughts and questions that went through our minds were overwhelming and scary.

After asking Alex’s oncologist numerous questions, our next step was to search for information on the internet, in medical journals and medical textbooks. We quickly learned that there were endless sources of information on childhood cancer and neuroblastoma, but it was extremely difficult and time consuming to weed through. It was our first experience with the many frustrations and challenges that we faced throughout the course of Alex’s treatment.

Those initial difficulties were quickly replaced by our frustration with facing several differing opinions on the best course of treatment; the challenge of traveling out of state for access to the latest treatments; the frustration of negotiating through the medical system of co-pays and “not covered” expenses; and ultimately our greatest frustration and challenge over our inability to find a treatment that would cure Alex.

When Alex started her lemonade stand, that frustration was very much on our minds, but for Alex, her lemonade stands were the fulfillment of a simple wish to help kids with cancer. Those early efforts quickly transformed into an initiative toward finding new cures and better treatments for all children with cancer. As Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation has grown from the front yard to a national foundation, we have committed ourselves to looking toward filling the gaps in funding, designing our medical and nursing grants programs to fill those gaps. However, we also recognize that in addition to these gaps in research funding, there are some very large holes in the information and resources that families of children with cancer have at their fingertips.

So, we knew we had to do something to help parents and families as they enter the battle against childhood cancer. We need to provide those around childhood cancer with an understanding of what they are fighting. In that light, we have launched a brand new Childhood Cancer Center at www.AlexsLemonade.org/resources/cancer-center to sort through the abundance of information out there. Separated into three categories, Parents, Teens and Kids; our Childhood Cancer Center aims to answer the frequently asked questions that we all have about the disease.

As an idea of just what is being offered, all three sections explain the various types of childhood cancers, treatments, dealing with feelings, diagnostic tests and body basics on an appropriate level for the audience selected. So, whether you are a parent whose child has cancer, or you just want to learn more about the cause you are supporting, this is the place to find those answers!

It is so important for us all to understand childhood cancer, whether we are dealing with it on a personal level, or a more removed one. We are so proud of the new area of our website, and plan to continue updating it. We welcome your comments and feedback, and hope you will take the time to look through the new Childhood Cancer Center.

All the best,

Liz and Jay Scott