I wondered if you would mind if I share something that is near and dear to my heart? I'm sure that most of you who have been on this forum longer than the past few months or so know about the loss of my daughter, Ellie, to cancer (Neuroblastoma) back in 2007. She was nine years old and would have turned 17 at the end of this month. I have been so grateful that you all have understood my need to mention her and honor her in small ways through fashion or in this "Off Topic" section. It has never been my wish to cause anyone pain by bringing this up. It is just as natural to me as breathing... she is as much a part of our life and family as our son is. She's just not here every day in the same way.

At the risk of sharing more than some may want to know, I just have such a burden right now to let everyone know that in the U.S., September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, and the color chosen to represent this is GOLD. In the last couple of years there has been a renewed push to unite the childhood cancer community in order to get the word out about the dire state of affairs for these children. I believe that there is an incredible amount of sympathy for these children, but I think that the disconnect happens when people see the incredibly heartbreaking images of weak, bald children and just cannot bear the emotional pain... and look away. I have so much compassion for this because, to be perfectly honest, I am so emotionally fragile on some days that I also need to look away. It can simply be too much. All of this is my disclaimer to say that if you cannot bear this post and need to look away, I won't judge you. I get it completely.

If you are willing and able to take the emotional risk to connect for just a while, I wanted to plug you in to a way to help this important cause just by simply adding to the numbers of those who know what is going on and why. At this point in the game information is significantly more important than money. Of course everything always comes back to money, and ultimately better funding produces the desired results, but in order for there to ever be enough money, the facts must be known and understood. This post is not about asking you to reach into your pockets. I'm looking to reach into your minds and hearts. Below I have provided a number of ways for you to learn, and please don't think I am saying you need to check out all of them! I am simply trying to provide enough variety to find something you can grab ahold of at your own pace and comfort level.

I apologize to those of you outside of the U.S. The facts, links and websites are nearly all U.S. based (I have one for Australia), but I do believe that it resonates on an international level. If the amount of people from all over the world that I met in New York who were also seeking treatment for their children was any indication, the rest of the world seems to be in the same unfortunate situation. I do believe, however, that other countries are vastly ahead of this one in terms of alternative treatments, and allow more freedom in the pursuit of them, and this is something I am very passionate about.

If you have stayed with me this long, I am so grateful.

Below are some links for you to check out as you are able. They are all personal to me in some way, so please know that they are not random things I am throwing together. I am also not wanting to make this all about us, but I do think that having a personal connection helps people to take in the information better. Finally, sharing these items in any way shape or form (word of mouth, social media or any other way) just exponentially increases the awareness factor, so please do as you feel led.

The Truth365 is my #1 pick for comprehensive information regarding childhood cancer. A few years ago they put out an Emmy award winning documentary. We are in it for a quick minute - our son Ethan is at the 9:41 minute mark and John and I are at 1:24 and 16:11. Before the film came out, they released a short trailer, which is my very favorite part of the movie! I'm sure that this is not at all connected to the fact that Ethan's part of the movie is in it (at 3:25). You will see his name listed as "Nathan" but it was fixed for the full film. This trailer was more recently updated and lengthened (although still short) into a very moving and beautiful
synopsis of the state of things in the childhood cancer world - given to you from the mouths and hearts of children. (Ethan is not in this one.) It contains much of the footage from the shorter trailer, and it also shows which one of the children from the original trailer died after the film came out, by listing the dates next to their names.

• Tear Drop Rating: High. Despite this, I can't fully describe the beauty and tenderness that this film portrays, and the remarkable restraint they show in not manipulating the emotions and pulling on the heartstrings unnecessarily. I'm sure this is one of the reasons we were only briefly in the film - I cried through the ENTIRE interview! (If you really want that torture, you can see the worst of it here at the 2:40 mark of another trailer that went out before the movie.) I have to be honest - the movie and trailers are emotional, and some of the photos are difficult to see. You need to know that going into it, but it has been masterfully crafted to serve its mission over delivering information above all!

The Truth365 Australia is up and running, complete with their own documentary. I have only just now found out about it, so I have not had time to watch and review, but I am SO excited about it. From my quick look, it seems that the website may still be under construction, but the film is accessible.

Beat Cancer Today is my friend Aaron's Iowa based non-profit. Aaron lost his son Eli to the same cancer Ellie had. This is their mission: "... to create awareness of childhood cancers and to provide financial support for childhood cancer research, and for patient and family support programs."

• Fun fact: Aside from purchasing products from their website, you can support Beat Cancer Today by selecting them as your charity of choice when placing orders on Amazon through Amazon Smile, and a small percentage of your purchase is given to them without any more coming out of your pocket!

This video is wonderful and adorable and features our little friend, Talia. She is also in the movie and links above, but this one has some outtakes and more footage and is just full of Talia's vibrant Tali-ness, despite the serious subject matter. You'll get it when you see it. We met Talia in the hospital just after she was diagnosed with Neuroblastoma (5 months after Ellie). She outlived Ellie by quite a bit, but she did pass away a couple of years ago, before her 14th birthday.

• Tear Drop Rating: Low

• Fun Fashion Fact: Talia had her own You Tube Channel where she posted many hours of makeup tutorials. They are wonderful and funny and crazy, and quite good. Talia's theme was "Makeup is my wig". Her fans loved her so much that they got her on the Ellen Show.

• This video is a little more emotional, but is the vibrant, jubilant life of Talia Joy set to music. It. Is. Awesome.

The following statistics and facts, as well as many others, may be found on the Truth365 fact page where they document the sources of this information. Here are just a few that you may find surprising:

• Cancer is the #1 cause of death by disease among children.

• Childhood cancer is not one disease - there are 16 major types of pediatric cancers and over 100 subtypes.

• 43 children per day or 15,780 children per year are expected to be diagnosed in 2014 with cancer (10,450 ages 0 to 14, and 5,330 ages 15 to 19).

• For 2014, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) budget is $4.9 billion. It is anticipated that childhood cancer will receive 4% of that sum, or $195 million.

• Prostate cancer (patient average age at diagnosis, 66 years), receives more research funding from NCI than all childhood cancers (patient average age at diagnosis, 6 years).

• Since 1980, only three drugs, two used in the treatment of ALL, and one for use in high risk Neuroblastoma (only just approved in 2015), have been approved in the first instance for use in children and only four more new drugs have been approved for use by both adults and children. Since 1980, fewer than 10 drugs have been developed for use in children with cancer - including those specifically for children and those for both children and adults - compared with hundreds of drugs that have been developed specifically for adults. Equally important, for many of the childhood cancers, the same treatments that existed in the 1970's continue without change as of 2014.

It's September. Will you GO GOLD with me... for all of our children?