I have been inspired to support MSK because of my best friend. She was the strongest and kindest warrior I knew. I am asking my closest friends and family to help me raise money so that hopefully, one day soon, we can help find a treatment that could have cured her and many others. Children only receive 4% of the national funding, which is significantly less than what Americans spend on Starbucks in just one day. With funding from the government being so small, the best way to make strides in treatment is by the donations of generous people. Children have to choose between the deadly chemo or the deadly cancer because there are very few treatments tailored to children, while adults have over a hundred options. Cancer is the number one cause of death by disease in children and a child is diagnosed every two minutes, yet childhood cancer is still associated with the word “rare”. Gold is the color to represent childhood cancer and symbolizes how precious children are and their tenacity and resilience following their cancer diagnosis. Unlike other cancer ribbon colors, the childhood cancer ribbon symbolizes all children with cancer.
In honor of my best friend, I have been raising money so a significantly less number of children have to die from cancer. Cancer shouldn’t take over children's lives and this is why we advocate for the kids who can't. For the children who have to grow up in hospital beds, the children who have to fight a bigger battle than most of us will ever face in a lifetime and the children who talk about what they want to be when they grow up not knowing their illness is terminal. Be the reason children get to grow up.

I thank you in advance for any donations you give or awareness you spread

Best, 

Galena Ellen Tanjeloff