Living the Dream

"Sociologists tell us the most introverted of people will influence 10,000 others in an average lifetime." Tim Elmore

I think about this statement all the time whenever I meet someone who is "living the dream" of the average life. They have a job, own a house, they have two kids and a dog and maybe a boat, but today I thought about one such person who is much too young to experience much of this dream life. Even though this boy is young, energetic and full of life, the final chapters of his story are being read and the last page is about to be turned. While many people who live to be in their 70's influence 10, 15 or even 20 thousand people, this 13 year old fighting a monster called childhood cancer is impacting hundreds of thousands of people. Its very hard to put into perspective because no one imagines influencing so many people unless they are considered some kind of leader. As I think about a father's son who just became a teen, and a mother who was already worrying about handing him the car keys in just a few years, its nearly impossible to see how such an amazing young man should be able to reach the world with his story.

 

When a child has fought long, surviving diagnosis, relapse and enduring pain beyond their years, their journey of "living the dream while enduring the nightmare" becomes abundant with life. Its bittersweet to think about the legacy of someone so young, but that is the problem childhood cancer faces as it attempts to boast of its power and strength. It doesn't take a college degree, working in the corporate world and making a million dollars a year to begin influencing people, it takes courage, faith and hope that this life will be significant regardless of how long it lasts. Childhood Cancer is so limited and even though children's lives have been limited because of cancer, an influential life is a matter of perspective.

Please keep sharing The Truth 365 YouTube videos
http://www.facebook.com/theTruth365film
and The Petition http://www.thetruth365.org/petition/ 
on facebook, twitter and your blogs
because the Children of Cancer are about to get the attention of more people than Taylor Swift.

Send Lane Goodwin your best @ http://www.facebook.com/PrayersforLaneGoodwin

picture by Jordan Smith

Brian G. Jones @ http://www.facebook.com/briansphirstblog

Rain on my Parade

Its ok to speak my mind here isn't it? I mean, this is my blog, just a journal for myself and for anyone I invite to read it. So what's on my mind tonight? What am I thinking about? This is going to be personal tonight and I won't hold back while fighting a war where my own son is on the front lines. I'm going to say it like I see it. CANCER SUCKS!

 

As I turn on Spotify to listen to my favorite American Idol winner David Cook, to drown out the noise of the day I remember fuming today while I was digging holes for a fence post. Sometimes when work is getting to me, I can't get it off of my mind, but today it wasn't work, it was...are you ready for this...Tic Tacs!

I was in the store getting some water to drink when something pink caught my eye. I didn't have to look to know what it was but it was enough to disturb my thoughts for the next few hours. I know hundred of people who have been working like crazy, even if only a few minutes a day to raise awareness for Children's Cancer, because September is the one month a year that we can parade around with our Gold banners, and then all of a sudden it starts raining pink.

 

I'm not trying to be overly critical here because I have family and friends who have survived breast cancer because of breast cancer awareness and breast cancer funding and breast cancer research that leads to breast cancer treatments. I know a lot of people in the childhood cancer community who also have faced breast cancer and lost loved ones to breast cancer, BUT...breast cancer is cancer just like childrens cancer. The big difference I see is that the Pink Lady boasts about her cancer so much and so many people are on her team that the rest of us feel completely ignored and I think its time to level the playing field. You don't but a basket ball star like Michael Jordan on the same court as my son Lincoln, and you don't show the Superbowl on the same day as the NBA championship game.

 

Cancer is cancer and as children experience 12 main types of cancer, they don't see it as anything but a Monster!

 

 

We wage war on cancer and we choose our battles as it affects us, but we find ourselves in a troubling spot where children's cancers are called rare are less derserving of attention and funding. That is why we fight for our kids in September and we deserve every single second and I know people who, if they were to be diagnoses themselves with breast cancer, would not shift their focus from raising awarenss for children.

So how are we going to get through each September when the CEO of Tic Tacs sees a profitable opportunity to use the Pink Lady to sell more Tic Tacs? We need to focus hard on raising awarness for our children 365 days of the year until no more children are lost to this monster. Its going to take commitment from the unpaid and overworked childhood cancer community whose secret weapons are the faces their children on the battlefields.

The Truth 365 film is just beginning and is poised to go viral on September 23rd to prove to the world that children with cancer need them more now than ever to support them. What I would like to see is for the Pink Lady to make it a point to share childrens cancer in the next 365 days of awarenss that all cancer victims deserve. The Childhood cancer community needs to cry out like my son in a grocery store who wants some tic tacs until mommy gives in, trust me it works all the time.

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Also watch Paul and the Dragon in the pictures above @
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The Pink Lady

There is some buzz going on right now on the internet because of some parents who stood up and spoke out in regards to breast cancer and childhood cancer after losing their child this year. As most people are quickly becoming aware, September IS Childhood cancer awareness month, not breast cancer. If someone were to guess when breast cancer awareness is, they may say September, October, or they just may say all year long. The truth is October is breast cancer awareness month, and for that I am grateful since I know 3 people very close who have survived it. So why all the buzz? Probably because most parents with children suffering from breast cancer become frustrated that Pink starts to show up before October begins. When we, who have children fighting for their lives because pediatric cancer research is significantly under funded and people are unaware, are trying for just 30 days to raise awareness for our kids, the Pink lady begins to overshadow our only Golden opportunity. I personally think its more about the third parties, like grocery stores, news channels, and even the NFL, making more profits by turning peoples eyes toward all of the pink.

http://www.facebook.com/speakuptosilencecancer
Childhood cancer needs a voice and it can't just happen with a few. If all of the women who are surviving breast cancer got behind childhood cancer in the same way they supported their own billion dollar cause, how much of an impact would that make on the childhood cancer community? I know everyone hurts because of cancer, but you can't tell me that losing a child is easier than losing a friend, mom, or sister. Ask anyone who has ever lost a child to anything.

This E-card make a very strong point, that many understand, but many more won't accept because breast cancer has hurt them personally. I think we just need to remember everyone, and give them all a fair chance a life, but considering the funding given to BC, Childhood cancer deserves a whole lot better.

Feel free to comment on the Facebook comments to the right.

Looking Ahead

Tonight I wanted to sit outside as I write because the weather is perfect as the sun just set and the day comes to a close. I love this time of year as summer is ending and my favorite season begins. The leaves are just starting to change colors here on some of the trees, but the great oaks are tempting to drop their leaves soon which leaves me with a lot of work cleaning them up off of the streets. I actually like it, as long as they don't get too wet. We drove to a park today and on the way home passed a pumpkin patch. Tomorrow morning I am going to try some of my pumpkin spiced coffee and watch a little football too.

September is half way over and the summer is about to end but my favorite month is also about to begin. In October is both Lincoln's and my birthdays and this October I am taking vacation for the Make a Wish trip to Disneyland. We are all excited to get away from everything we have known for the last year and just have some real time as a family. I sometimes wish I could just take the whole month off every year, but 10 days should do it before I have to get back to it.

After a year of going through cancer treatment with our son we have experience a lot more then we ever thought possible. The hospital visits, the side effects and the cost of treatment has truly taken a toll on the family life we have always wanted. Along the way we also have had family suffering from other diseases like Parkinsons, Cystic Fibrosis, heart problems, and two new cancer diagnosis, one on each side of our families. We have truly been through the fire in the last few years but we have never given up hope. Just when there is no way possible for us to believe anymore, someone comes along to help us out and make the burden lighter again. We all carry heavy loads but we carry them together and that makes all the difference during the long hard journey.

As seasons have changed in the world and in our lives we thank God Almighty, creator and sustainer of life and we thank our friends who are near and far, those we have never met face to face. We thank you for listening, giving, helping and caring and we know you would do it again. We can't wait to pay it forward as we continue our search for a cure and we hope to meet you all one day.

Looking forward to fall,

Brian, Jenny, Emma and Lincoln

"Shout Out" Saturday week 2

Just about everyone I know has some kind of electronic device that keeps them connected with the rest of the world. Even my grandpa has an iPhone and he would rather check his weather app instead of looking out the window to see if the sun was shining. When my son was first diagnosed with leukemia in 2011, my wife and I both had iPods in the hospital that let us communicate what was going on with our son.

Today's first Shout Out belongs to the Healing Hunter Foundation who donated an Apple iPod to every child battling cancer at Doernbecher's Children's Hospital. Watch this:

You can also see Hunter's family in the most recent Truth 365 preview by clicking on the Truth 365 image on the right of this blog. LIKE on FB @ http://www.facebook.com/HealingHunterFoundation Follow Lightning Cupcakes on Twitter https://twitter.com/LightningCakes This week a 13 year old girl, battling two types of cancer, was invited to meet her inspiration on national television. Talia Joy's fans cried out for her to meet Ellen Degeneres on her daily show to raise awareness for children's cancer, and to make Talia's wish come true. She got more than she expected too, watch here:

LIKE on FB http://www.facebook.com/angelsfortalia

Watch on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/taliajoy18

 

The St. Baldricks Foundation has been shaving heads for cancer research for some time now. They have raised millions of dollars that only scratch the surface of funding needed for childhood cancers and now they are joining forces with Stand up to Cancer to form a dream team in the fight against pediatric cancer. Check out facebook and see what Justin has been doing as the Ambassador of St. Baldricks.

LIKE on FB http://www.facebook.com/StBaldricksFoundation

Follow on Twitter https://twitter.com/StBaldricks

 

Finally I want to mention a young boy fighting for his life right at this moment. Please pray and support Lane Goodwin today

LIKE on FB http://www.facebook.com/PrayersforLaneGoodwin

 

 



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