Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15 in the United States

(Thursday run, 5 miles - 1 mi warm up, 6x400, 8:33 pace (2:09) with 400 RI, 1 mi cool down. Actual 1 mi 11:23, 6x400: 2:04, 2:05, 2:03, 2:02, 2:01, 2:00, 1 mi 10:59; 10:56 overall pace)

Last Friday, I had a guest post from Alene at Journey to Badwater, describing her work as an infusion center nurse.

If you're new here, my 5 yr old daughter, Gabby...

is currently in treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Pediatric cancer is sad, obviously. No one needs to be told that. But until I was personally impacted by it, I had no idea of the actual numbers behind the suck.

• Cancer the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children 1 to 14 years of age.
• Over the past 20 years, there has been some increase in the incidence of children diagnosed with all forms of invasive cancer, from 11.5 cases per 100,000 children in 1975 to 14.8 per 100,000 children in 2004.
• Despite very aggressive therapies that approach the limits of tolerability for the child, the overall survival rate for childhood cancer has remained unchanged since 1998

Those statistics tell us, that there has been an INCREASE in the number of kids diagnosed with cancer, yet the survival rate is stagnant. It has not improved in over a decade.

At some point in my time training with PCRF, I heard about a local girl, Jessica, who was being treated at CHOC for a brain tumor. I've followed her blog, off and on, through her treatments, deciding to homeschool, Thanksgiving, celebrating Christmas in Denver... and finally, to today, where they announced that she lost the fight against cancer yesterday.

Jessica was 12.

You can read here about Jessica, Team NEGU, encouraging kids with cancer to Never, Ever Give Up, and her Joy Jars Project.

This is the thing, you guys.

Jessica's story is NOT UNIQUE.

That was Gabby in her first four months of treatment.

Every cancer kid I've met, has the same smile. The same peacefulness about them. We spent three weeks in the oncology unit at CHOC. EVERY single kid that I saw, every one, had a smile.

They are full of promise.

This is why I'm fundraising for Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation.

These kids never stop hoping, or waiting for something good. They deserve better treatments, better odds than what they have.

CLICK HERE to donate to PCRF. Last year we raised just over $2,000. This year? I want to crush that.

I've lined up some fantastic and FUN giveaways, for a virtual race that I'll announce next week (Hint: Sparkles, and GU, and hangers, oh my!).

For any donations received before then, I'll give you 1 additional entry per $5 donated. Donate $5, receive 1 entry; donate $10, receive 2. You're all smart, I know you get it.

If you're in SoCal, and your May calendar is still looking naked, Team Gab would love to have you! Click the "Team Gab" tab ^^ up there for details.

Donate. Help fund research to fight and end pediatric cancers.