It’s great to see Teeja’s bright smile after so many months of grueling treatment, but what you don’t see is everything that led up to this snapshot in time. The difficult journey for Teeja and her family is similar to what most families experience; a tortuous struggle through the painful stress of treatment, the heartache of watching a child endure so much, wondering if it will all be worthwhile and at the same time, trying to deal with the unrelenting financial stress of high out-of-pocket expenses.

It often involves painful chemotherapy and immune system treatments, radiation, surgery, injections, reactions to meds, countless tests, and most of all, hoping that new research is providing the best possible therapy for their child.

Cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among U.S. children between infancy and age 14. Although the incidence of invasive cancer in children has increased slightly over the past 30 years, mortality rates have declined by more than 50 percent for many childhood cancers thanks to improvements in treatments and to the high proportion of patients participating in clinical trials.

Kickin’ for Kids was founded to provide hope to these children for a healthy future and improved quality of life as they and their families do the heavy lifting – dealing with treatment and the life-altering nature of a pediatric cancer diagnosis. This is what your donation helps support:

• childhood cancer research
• marrow donor testing
• support for outreach programs and families dealing with a childhood cancer diagnosis

Your Donation Helps Save Lives!

Learn more about Kickin' for Kids by visiting www.kickinforkids.org and visit www.bethematch.org to learn how to become someone's lifesaving marrow donor.

* Giving amounts are representative of the way your funds will be used. Kickin' for Kids is an all-volunteer, 501(c)(3).