For my 40th birthday, I am getting myself a midlife crisis (I mean, it is FORTY, what else am I to do) and have decided to run a marathon: specifically, the Edinburgh marathon on May 29, 2022. Since my knees should not be the only “beneficiaries” of this later-in-life commitment to fitness (which mostly entails running 11 to 12 minute miles and cursing humidity, rocks, and my hamstrings while being outstripped by passing butterflies), I feel very privileged to run for Worldwide Cancer Research. They have been kind enough to commit my money to research which focuses on pediatric cancers.

As an American, I have always been proud of the trails blazed and the cures and treatments discovered by American minds and with American funding in laboratories and hospitals across the country. However, I was dismayed to learn that not all cancers are equally funded: the more common the cancer, the more funding there is. This makes sense somewhat; it is a numbers game, and you want to save the most people you can.

Pediatric cancers are relatively rare, though. That’s the reason they (as in ALL types of cancers that affect children, of which there are many) get 4% of all federal funds allocated to cancer research. However, even though these cancers are “rare,” 40 kids are diagnosed with cancer every day in the US; that number is 800 worldwide. One in 285 kids will be diagnosed with cancer by the age of 19. One in 285 isn’t even that rare. That’s one kid per smallish elementary school.*

Pediatric cancer research in the US is consistently underfunded, which is why I am proud to run this marathon for Worldwide Cancer Research. Please join me in being a Curestarter by donating to this cause!

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

*All information from Alex’s Lemonade Stand.