No parent expects to be told their child has cancer. No parent wants to hear their child say, "Mommy, I don't want to die" or "If I grow up". These are the words that I have heard coming from my son. From the moment your child is admitted and the doctors walk in to break the news to you, a parent hears in their own mind, "Your child has just been given a death sentence, but we will do everything we can to see this does not happen". There has not been one night since he was diagnosed where I have not cried myself to sleep asking for Brody's life to be spared.
Even though the hospitals will do what they can to give these kids some kind of activities, there still is not much for these kids to do while they are in the oncology ward. Many children are put into isolation because their immune system is jeopardized and they cannot leave their rooms.
Brody's aunt gave him a camera and a scrapbook kit when he was admitted into the hospital. Not only to give him something to do but to help record his journey with cancer. Brody has never scrapbooked before, but he took to it and enjoys every moment.
When Brody was working on his scrapbook in the common area of the unit, kids came out of their rooms to see what he was doing. Some of them sat down and helped him with it and they had fun together, while others just enjoyed watching. It gave them something to take their minds off the reality of what was happening to them. There were smiles and laughter, the best medicine known to man. After we went back to Brody's room, he looked at me and said, "Mom, why don't we get all the kids their own scrapbooks. Can we do that?" I told him to think about it and come up with a plan. A week later Brody announced his new charity, Scrapping with Cancer. “We are all fighting to beat cancer, right mom? So let's make our project about scrapping with cancer, is that a good idea?” he asked.
Brody sees no limits with what can be achieved through this program. He came up with the idea of Scrapping with Cancer so that every child diagnosed with cancer can create their own photo diary of their battle with cancer and can look back and say "This is how I beat cancer and these are the people who helped me". Brody does not want anyone to feel sorry for him, that's not the type of kid he is. He is a child who has a heart of gold. He is the type of kid who does not want to see anyone hurt. Brody wants you to know that this charity is not about him but about helping all children with cancer.
I don't know if my son is going to survive but this is what he wants to do to make a difference. Brody does not want people thinking he is looking for a hand out. He is working hard to make this project a reality. He has the determination, the will and the heart to help other kids with cancer. This is his choice, his project and this is what makes him happy.
In Brody's eyes, this is his job. For most of his treatments he goes down to the O.R. as they have to give him chemo into his spinal fluid to reach the brain. After he is done with his treatment, we leave the hospital and, even though he is not feeling well, he wants to go to different businesses with his proposal package to see if they would be interested in helping him fund Scrapping with Cancer.
With the money he raises, Brody assembles scrapbooking kits either for a boy or a girl. We then take the kits to the Cancer Society, who distributes the kits to the kids on the oncology ward in Brody's name. Brody is very hands on with this project and works very hard. I don't know too many adults who can do what he does after a chemotherapy treatment, let alone after he gets out of the O.R. They wouldn't have the strength. I know I wouldn't have the strength.
As I mentioned, in Brody's eyes this is his job and instead of earning a paycheck like the rest of us, Brody will give the gift of joy to a child who is fighting for their life. This is his payment; he's earned it and deserves it.
Not only is childhood cancer the number one killer disease in children, but it is estimated that by the year 2010, 1 in 300 young adults within the general population will be a survivor of childhood cancer. Each day, 46 children are diagnosed with cancer. Approximately 1 in 300 young people will be diagnosed with cancer before the age of 20. Today, despite progress in research, childhood cancer kills more children than any other disease combined. The cause of most childhood cancers is unknown, and at present childhood cancer cannot be prevented.
The majority of children with cancer require rounds of chemotherapy to treat their disease. Many require surgery and/or radiation to remove the tumor. For some a bone marrow transplant is their only hope of survival. The length of treatment for childhood cancer ranges from 3 months to 3 years. In general, treatment for adult cancers is considerably shorter.
Three in 10 children will lose their battle with the disease. Significant advances in cancer therapy, the result of scientific and clinical research, mean that approximately 75% of children diagnosed with cancer are expected to become long-term survivors. The improved prognosis for childhood cancer has not been realized without a cost. The intense and extensive medical treatment necessary to achieve a cure often creates additional life threatening and life altering challenges for the child as they endure treatment during a period when they are developing emotionally, physically and intellectually. The reality is that now, as more and more children are surviving cancer, it is increasingly important to address the ongoing and emerging needs of the child and their family in order to achieve complete and long term healing.
To learn more about Brody and his charity for children, visit www.scrappingwithcancer.org.
Update from Carmen: Since this story was written we have decided to take Brody’s charity to an international level! We are going to be working with Candlelighters Canada to help us deliver kits all over Canada. We have also received interest from groups in Africa, New York and Hawaii. Brody's wish for the Make-A-Wish Foundation is to go to Hawaii and we will be taking kits with us to give to the children in the hospital. The Hawaii Children's Cancer Foundation is going to help us deliver the kits and they are interested in bringing the program to their state. We are looking for people to work with us in opening a chapter in Hawaii. We are also looking for opportunities and people who would be interested in working with us and opening chapters in other states as well. Our board of directors talked about this and all agreed - who better to work with us than groups of scrapbookers!
