"4% is not enough...for my friends."

Rowan and I signed up for this year's "Head for the Cure 5K" which will be held in San Antonio this Saturday morning.  The Head for the Cure Foundation's mission is to raise awareness and funding for brain cancer. Rowan wanted to do this for Jalene, so we signed up under Team Jalene and will walk with her family in her memory and honor.

As we prepared this week, Rowan and I decided to make a poster for him to carry during the race.  He wanted it to honor all of his friends with cancer, so he started making a list.  I talked to Rowan a little bit about how important charity fundraisers like this were because only 4% of the National Cancer Institute's annual budget is dedicated to childhood cancer.  He was shocked, and said, "That's not fair. We can do better than that.  I'm losing too many friends to it."  Then he did some math of his own, some pretty amazing math...

"50% of my friends have cancer.

30% of those friends have brain cancer.

and 66% of those friends are in heaven already.

4% is NOT enough funding!"

We cut out pictures of Rowan's buddies, we typed up his profound words, and we made the best poster we felt we could make. One that we hope honors all of his friends, both here and in heaven. 

He smiled as he studied each of his friends faces.

Then he read his poster, again...

and again...

He took such great care placing each of the pictures...

and each of their names...

Here is the finished product!

Rowan is honored to represent such an amazing group of children.  He is happy to fight for them, he just wishes it didn't have to be for this reason.

We hope the HFTC race is a huge success Saturday, but we also hope that Rowan's message gains attention at the race, and beyond.  Because Rowan is right... 4% is not enough, not when my son has buried more of his friends as a child, than I have as an adult.  It's not supposed to be that way.  As Rowan said, "we can do better than that".

Two cancer organizations that Rowan and I support are:


http://www.headforthecure.org/

http://www.stbaldricks.org/


Donate if you can. If you cannot, please pray for more support and funding for pediatric cancer research.





This post is in honor and memory of Rowan's friends who have battled or are battling cancer.

He's walking for all of you, but Jalene, you inspired him to do it.