Father Of 3-Year-Old Leukemia Warrior Gains Over 127,000 Petition Signatures In Hopes Of Increasing Federal Childhood Cancer Research Funding From 4% To 8%
Did you know that according to the National Cancer Institute, the leading cause of death by disease past infancy among children is cancer?
This year alone, over fifteen thousand and six hundred children in the United States will be diagnosed with childhood cancer. And tragically, nearly one thousand and eight hundred children will die from the disease.
Chad Ehlers, and his daughter, Mia, are all too familiar with these saddening statistics.
Mia is now three years old, but after turning one, she was diagnosed with blood cancer.
Ever since then, she has been battling leukemia while trying to have a semi-normal childhood. For example, Mia loves playing with dolls and experimenting with makeup.
But, Chad explained how even the beginning stages of a leukemia diagnosis and treatment had an extreme effect on the physical, social, psychological, and spiritual elements of Mia’s childhood.
“Childhood cancer patients and their families go through overwhelming experiences as they exude aggression, anxiety, depression, and communication problems. Moreover, these children and their caregivers have to bear the brunt of going through the current horrendous and inhuman treatment process, treatment complications, and many other care-related problems,” Chad said.
And at Mia’s ripe age of three, she has already been saddled with anxiety, depression, and even post-traumatic stress from her extended hospital stays, physical symptoms, and fear of reoccurrence.
On top of that, Chad and his family have had to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. Not only are they now trained to think the worst when Mia expresses she has a headache or slight fever, but they also have to watch Mia navigate childhood– which is supposed to be one of the happiest periods– with a severely decreased quality of life.
VadimGuzhva – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purpose only, not the actual person
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Plus, Chad has been forced to figure out a “new normal” that is loaded with frequent hospital visits, piling up medical bills, and the mere uncertainty of not knowing how much longer his daughter has left.
In turn, these life-changing experiences have opened Chad’s eyes to the lack of funds allocated to cancer research by the federal government.
He believes that the administration’s current funding rate of four percent is an utter disservice to childhood cancer patients and caregivers across the country.
So, he has created a Change.org petition in hopes of doubling that funding figure to eight percent for more substantial cancer research.
“The signing of this petition will facilitate the lobbying and passing of a healthcare policy or law that allocates a higher percentage of national resources to childhood cancer research,” Chad wrote.
“The increased funds would be a much-needed shot in the arm as public healthcare institutions would constantly be actively researching childhood cancer all year round, rather than waiting for September, which is Childhood Cancer Awareness month.”
He also hopes for the funds to be specifically allocated toward allowing researchers to improve the identification of children who are genetically predisposed, shorten the amount of time spent on medications, alleviate post-treatment side effects, and more.
Mia currently has two hundred and sixty days left of her own cancer treatment. Moreover, the petition needs twelve million signatures in order for lobbying to commence.
And so far, it has gained just over one hundred and twenty-seven thousand signatures from Americans across the country.
“I am signing for my twelve-year-old leukemia warrior. They deserve better!” wrote one petitioner, Natalia Ortega.
“No child should have to pay for research for treatment. No parent should have to beg for help to keep their child alive,” wrote another petitioner, Trisha Brazda.
To learn more about Chad and Mia and support their mission of increasing childhood cancer research funding, you can visit the Change.org petition linked here.
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