Neuroblastoma Walk for a Cure

Okay, it is time to sign up. On April 3rd, 2010 from 9:00 AM to noon we will all be participating in the 3rd Annual Neuroblastoma Walk for a Cure. You can sign up right now at http://www.NBWalk.org. Even if you can't make it, go to the site and sign up to guarantee your very own official Neuroblastoma Walk for a Cure t-shirt. This is one of those occasions where your support will truly make a difference.

I know.

This year 100% of the funds raised will be utilized to help bring a cutting edge new therapy to the state of Texas.

A little background.

As many of you know, neuroblastoma is an incredibly sneaky disease. Most kids get a laundry list of scans and tests to mark progress and assess response against the disease. There is a litany of blood tests but there are a multitude of scans that they receive. You have probably heard of many of them: x-rays, bone scans, CT scans, PET scans, and MRIs. One that you have probably not heard of is the MIBG scan.

The MIBG scan is probably the most specific neuroblastoma scan that we have. For most patients this is the single tool that is capable of finding cancer hiding in the body that the other scans can't pick up. For this reason, it is a tremendously important tool for children with neuroblastoma. It works where most other scans fail.

Not too many years ago they discovered that they could increase the amount of radiation that they used for the MIBG scan and turn this scanning technology into an actual treatment. You see, if MIBG can find the neuroblastoma why can't it also deliver a payload of radiation and kill those hard to find cells. It is with this idea that MIBG therapy was born.

MIBG therapy is a targeted radiation delivery system. It can help deliver radiation to the disease while sparing healthy tissue and organs.

MIBG has been tested in clinical trial in the US for several years now. However, it has only been offered in a few locations throughout the US. This is a huge problem as many believe that this is a treatment that should be potentially available to every high risk neuroblastoma patient as a part of upfront therapy. I can tell you from my perspective that I have seen MIBG therapy be the single treatment capable of bringing some kids into remission. When all else failed, MIBG was the treatment that has saved some kids lives.

The funds raised from this years NB Walk for a Cure will help bring MIBG therapy to Texas. In fact, it will make Cook Children's the first MIBG center in the state of Texas and the closest MIBG Treatment center for almost 1000 miles.

This is a no-brainer. There is no doubt that your "walk money" will make a difference.

• It will go towards increasing the research of a treatment that has already been proven to work in some children with neuroblastoma.
• It will bring this important treatment closer to children in the state of Texas.
• It will speed up the research that will help to improve the treatment.
• It will increase the availability of an important component of neuroblastoma treatment.

Please join us for the 3rd Annual Neuroblastoma Walk for a Cure.

We can make this a reality.

This is one time when purpose will save lives.