St Jude and ALSAC that funds it is such a wonderful organization that does such important work. No patient gets a bill and the families are supported through it all. They truly deserve the non-profit tax status they have.
Then I think about the charlatan con-men (and women) who use faith as a tax exempt means of fleecing the simple and willfully ignorant. Then there are the preacher politicians who have another tax exempt scam going.
We should re-visit the qualifications for tax exempt status in light of Sloan-Kettering and the Trump worship going on in many churches. We need more St Jude’s and fewer tax exempt con-men.
10
The life expectancy in the USA is falling - for all but the upper class. Instead of focusing this counties resources on the citizens of this country the elites bring us another responsibility. Sure I want every child to have the best care medicine can provide, but I am going broke. My fellow Americans are using their lifetime savings for medical insurance, sky high deductibles, copays and coinsurance. When their coffers are empty will the elite give up their wealth and privilege so that every last person on this planet has every need taken care of? Call me heartless or selfish or nativist or rascist for wanting to care for my family, neighbors and fellow citizens before I tackle other problems in the world.
6
It's sad, but quality doctors in poor countries often serve humanity better by emigrating to first world countries where they can further their training, work where their skills can be applied, and still send a portion of their earnings back home. A few extra dollars per person in the third world can inexpensively raise the health standards for many locals, albeit at the expense of high cost care for a tragic few.
Hopefully, measures to support the training and compensation of local doctors will improve care and limit years of brain drain. Ideally, public health should build from the ground up. But sometimes the emotional tug of severe but treatable child illnesses can help spur the outside investment needed to improve entire public health systems.
4
I survived advanced stage Hodgkin’s Lymphoma at age 14.
My survivorship (into my 50s now thank God) has included infertility problems and two separate secondary malignancies.
I have frequently comforted myself in thinking that if I had been living in an impoverished country I would have died as a teenager and despite the suffering I have endured over my health adversity how fortunate I am.
Thankful to see this important issue in the New York Times.
18
Thank you for focusing on an issue that does not make the daily head lines. While middle income countries like India are making great stride in the management of childhood cancer countries in Sub-Saharan Africa are lagging behind. According to the World Cancer Congress estimate the average annual cost of childhood cancer treatment per child in low income countries ( LICs) is about $2000 compared to about $100,000 in the US. Even though the cost appears small by comparison , it is still a heavy burden on the health care budget of (LICs). Twinning programs like the ones that St Judes and LICs have been conducting successfully in Central America may be and are used as a model in Sub-Sahara. With the reduction in prevalence of communicable disease like malaria , non communicable diseases like childhood cancer and type 2 diabetes are become more prominent. It is therefore timely and appropriate to focus on those and similar diseases in LICS. An added bonus is that the experience gained in treating childhood cancer has a salutary effect on the management of adult cervical and breast cancer.
10
Can you imagine a day when health care becomes universal (and this includes cancer of course), not only as a basic right to share the knowledge and apply the technology available,recognizing that every life saved is a gain for our global society? This is akin to make homelessness non-existent, as the provision of Housing is so much more efficient in preserving our dignity and economy. Akin to making all Education free, as the best investment any country can make is in human talent?
16
I wonder what the statistics are of children in rural and low income areas in this country are of getting the proper diagnoses and treatment. Studies show that the further a women lives from a academic health care system the lower her chances are of surviving breast cancer. The same is probably true for children.
We should fully support excellent healthcare and education for people everywhere.
17
@C T
I have seen statistics where some parts of the US have infant mortality rates the same as some of the Latin American countries.
This article for 2015 numbers in Alabama says blacks have an infant mortality rate of 15.3 / 1,000 births.
4
If the Allied nations spent more collaborative energy and $$ on health care, research, prevention than on military "protection" services or trade, all of humanity would benefit.
10
It's great to see a good news story these days from the NYT and I wish Gabo all success in his future. However , looking at the picture of this well-dressed young man in a lovely living room at his home, I can't help wondering whether his success story is as much due to his family's relative wealth in an impoverished country as it is to the availibilty of treatment. Would a child from a favela or barrio in San Salvador have the same access to treatment as young Gabo?
21
It is nice to see collaboration across borders. It is nice to see a bad disease tackled.
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In the meantime, while we tackle the sexy diagnoses, hunger, diarrheal illnesses and infectious diseases kill millions of children. In the meantime, medical centers in the USA will provide up to 3 bone marrow transplants each to children with futile outcomes, while millions go to bed hungry. The cost of one transplant would feed and clothe the children of a village in a 3rd world country for years.
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cancer is terrible, and all children should have a chance to have it prevented or cured.
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death by hunger and infectious disease is terrible and all children should have a chance to have it prevented or cured
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In a world of finite resources, a much greater good could be done with the resources used for cancer treatment...but someone would have to make population control and nutrition sexy.
8
Everyone should be entitled to quality medical care as a human right.
The WHO is an invaluable entity giving better prospects to people the world over.
What a shame that Trump spent his time at the UN this past week degrading the worth of crucial global institutions.
Surely the welfare of the world's citizens, including vulnerable children, means more than scoring cheap political points.
15
The best cancer therapy is low tech and free: the Warburg Effect 1931 Nobel Prize explains how cancer cells depend on glucose. So a glucose restricted diet blocks tumor growth and eventually kills them. So stop eating and drinking sugar, and all processed foods loaded with disguised sugars.
9
This simplistic and sophomoric therory was debunked decades ago. Cancer patients need all the comfort they can get, including an occasional chocolate chip cookie.
25
Sorry, but my grandfather was a Type I diabetic who ingested minimal amounts of sugar and glucose..He worked out and exercised..Then he died of cancer in 1971.
13
@Javier Borrajo
Cancer cells, like all cells, depend on glucose. The body converts carbs, fats, and proteins into glucose as needed. Although reducing sugar and processed foods in our diets will improve overall health, a glucose-restricted diet is not an effective treatment for any type of cancer.
4
Why should wealthier countries contribute here? The $7 return on investment goes to the native country of the child, not the contributing country. As a tax payer, I see many higher priorities here at home.
Similarly, why should industry “make the technology of cancer care affordable”? These are businesses, and, were I a stockholder, I would be furious at companies becoming transnational social welfare organizations.
I am all for private charities getting involved, however.
3
@QED You're all heart, aren't you... Overseas aid is a cornerstone of humanity and goodness knows the US has been more than responsible for conditions in Central America.
By the way, it's a myth that companies only exist to maximise profits - they can set any social aims they want and many do. The only time when shareholder value becomes paramount is if the company puts itself up for sale. If you don't like a company's social objectives, I urge you not to invest in it as clearly the only person who matters is you.
13
@QED’s reflexive arguments against a reportedly very cost-effective program for fighting cancer, and further arguments about even making domestic cancer treatment more cost-effective are a perfect example of why, as a voter, I will reject these
4
@QED
Thank you for explaining why we can't depend on the free market to provide health care.
Thank you for showing us why the health care industries must be heavily regulated by the government (or run by the government entirely, as countries with better and cheaper systems than ours).
Why shouldn't we confiscate your wealth and use it to provide vital services to the poor? That would maximize the general welfare.
Answers from Ayn Rand don't count.
28
These are important steps to be sure, but treatment should not be the only avenue. Prevention should be considered. Pediatric brain cancer is increasing, as are metastatic breast cancer in premenapausal women and pancreatic cancer (among others). Yet, less than 5% of NIH funding is spent on identifying preventable causes. One place to start is the fact that every baby born in this country has well over 100 industrial chemicals in their bloodstream.
15
@Reader
I strongly agree. We produced a video arguing that we need one in four cases of childhood leukemia could be prevented, but the cancer foundations and agencies continue to focus almost entirely on treatment and the too-often elusive search for a cure. You can view it here: http://littlethingsmatter.ca/2018/02/12/cause-or-cure/
2
Many medical miracles are on the horizon.
The thing about 'miracles': once we figure out the components, the solutions no longer seem 'miraculous.'
In fact, we often find ourselves asking: "What too us so long to figure this out?"
Kudos to everyone out there trying to heal, searching for answers, helping make things better -- and not giving up.
12
Finally, a central American success story that shows us where to focus our efforts. Let's see a few more of these before the window of opportunity closes.
18