Every 4 hours, a child dies from cancer.

We've all heard of these common types of cancer: Breast, Pancreatic, Colon, Prostate, Lung, and Leukemia.

But what about Neuroblastoma, Rhabdomyosarcoma, Osteosarcoma, and Retinoblastoma. What you all are probably thinking is 'What are those???' They are all types of Childhood cancer. They're not the only types, just the most common.

Neuroblastoma- A cancerous tumor that develops from the nerve tissue. Usually in infants and young children.

Rhabdomyosarcoma- A cancerous tumor of the muscles that are attached to the bones.

Osteosarcoma-Most common type of bone cancer.

Retinoblastoma- Cancerous tumor in the Retina, a layer of nerve tissue in the back of the eye that senses light and and sends images to the brain.

So, now you've heard about a few types of Childhood Cancer. Now, I titled this post ' A Special Kind of Problem'. Why? Childhood Cancer has names and faces. Children are special, they're precious. They are our nations future. So, if so many of them are dying from cancer, where does that leave the rest of the world? It leaves us without a next generation.

I first heard of 'childhood cancer' through a website of a little 2 year old girl who's had stage 4 high-risk Neuroblastoma. I guess I knew in the back of my mind that it was there, and kids had cancer. But until I found Layla's story, there wasn't a name and a face. Layla's parents tweeted and blogged about layla and her treatments. They loved their daughter, and I read the tweet the day she died. Her mom said 'Layla Grace Marsh gained her wings early this morning. 11-26-07 - 3-9-10" I cried, I honestly did. To read Layla's journey from the beginning to the end, go to www.laylagrace.org and go to 'Who We Are' Layla's parents knew that Layla would have wanted them to live her legacy, and to help other kids with cancer. They have since started that Layla Grace Foundation. You can read more about the foundation on www.laylagrace.org.

That was the first time I had really started to understnd the effects cancer can have on a family, and especially when it's a child.

Braden Hofen is 5 years old, and also fighting Stage 4 High Risk NB. Braden lives in Kansas City. He relapsed in November of last year, and as of January 26, 2011, there is no more cancer in Braden's body. www.caringbridge.org/visit/bradenh

Kate Mcrae, 5, is fighting brain cancer. Her parents are with her alongside her every day, and they struggle with her. Kate is undergoing radiation of her brain and spine to get rid of the remaining cancer cells, and her and her parents both hate the treatment. It is so bad, that they had to practice it, and Kate can't cry or they have to sedate her. Luckily, she's good at not crying. Please pray that Kate's radiation goes easily without any complications! www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate

So, now that there's names and faces, I hope it helps you understand a little bit better. But how can we fix cancer? Well, as of today there is no official cure. There's chemotherapy, and radiation. But they only attack the tumors, and they don't always even do that. Every 4 hours, a child dies from cancer. However, there are some things you can do.

A) Raise Awareness

B) Pray

C) Let the family know you care. Leave a note on their website, let them know someone's thinking about them.

So, I have a challenge for all of you. Tell 5 people about childhood cancer, and let 5 families know you care (I'll leave a list of websites on the bottom). I don't think any of you will actually do this. I think you'll just move on to the next blog post.

www.caringbridge.org/visit/mcraekate

www.caringbridge.org/visit/bradenh

www.caringbridge.org/visit/elliepotvin

www.caringbridge.org/visit/asherrayreynolds

www.caringbridge.org/visit/ little_christina

www.caringbridge.org/visit/graceburlage

www.laylagrace.org

www.victoriasvoyage.com

www.helpsupportemalee.com

There you go. I don't think any of you will beat my challenge. But let me know if you do!(: