Community Update

December 5, 2013

Dear Editor,

During this holiday season, wouldn’t it be great if all children with cancer had the gift of knowing they would eventually be cancer free? Pediatric cancer remains the number one killer disease of American children. There are about 35 children diagnosed every day from this life threatening disease. The Creating Hope Act of 2011 ensures a newer policy that allows pharmaceutical companies to develop drugs to help children with rare diseases such as cancer. How will this affect the future? Children are the future. We must provide them with the life-saving drugs they need to cure this awful disease.

I believe that this act is important for children who suffer from rare diseases. Each of us should be supporting and enforcing this policy.

According to numerous sources, it’s been proven that adults have more treatment options for rare diseases than children because it is harder to develop effective products for them. It is extremely challenging for clinical trials to be organized on this specific segment of the population. People must be made aware of this. I’m sure you will agree that this is not fair to the children who desperately need treatment.

Children should not have to suffer and die. This policy was put into action more than a year ago. There is still much work to be done in order for children to get the treatment they need to survive cancer.

Thanks for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,
Kelly Burkhard of Commerce, MI