History:Brandon’s Defense was established in May, 2009 in honor of Brandon Gordon (Gordie #22) after a 731 day battle with Oestosarcoma. Brandon often wondered where the gold ribbons were? Why you never hear about "childhood cancer" in the media? Why the protocol he was on was 30 years old? And his last wonder was why there were no more options for him to keep fighting. Even with countless tumors throughout his entire body and extreme difficulty breathing, Brandon still wanted to fight! A mission was developed based on what was important to Brandon and the many other children battling cancer, and "Brandon's Defense" will carry on the fight until there is a cure! There is no finish line until we find a cure!
Mission:To increase the awareness of childhood cancer, fund pediatric research and to provide resources for children with cancer. All of our initiatives are accomplished by volunteers.
Vision: That research will continue to increase survival rates for all cancers, so that that one day, every child can be guaranteed a cure.
* NECESSITY BAGS: for families of newly diagnosed children with cancer or other life-threatening illnesses. Bags will contain toiletries and helpful items needed for an extended hospital stay.
* BACKPACKS: each newly-diagnosed child will receive a backpack with things to help entertain them while they are in treatment and a nice soft blanket to keep them warm.
* SNACK PANTRY: clinic visits can be long – sometimes lasting several hours. A snack box will be available at MSU pediatric clinic for patient use.
* TOY BOX: when a child has a procedure, blood draw, or just needs a little lift while they are at MSU pediatric clinic they can choose a toy out of the toy box.
* GAS CARDS: traveling to and from the clinic and/or hospital several times a month can be costly. We can provide gas cards for those in need of some assistance with their transportation costs.
At least 50% of the funds raised go directly to fund pediatric oncology research. Visit the RESEARCH FUNDED tab on the left of this page to learn more about donations that have been made. You can also visit: http://bit.ly/Qm4Ujq
What we need:There are a lot of things that you can do to help kids with cancer. There is no such thing as too small of a gift or gesture. Funding is always a priority because without generous people supporting us we would not be able to fulfill our mission. Others ways to help is by donating new and/or used laptops, video game consoles and video games to provide to families that have a child with cancer. Any and all donations are tax deductible to the extent of the law and will be greatly appreciated! Please email info@staystrongdoit.com if you have any questions, donations or ideas on how we can better our program.
Did you know:
·1 in 300 children will be diagnosed with cancer before the age of 20.
·1 in 5 will die.
·13,500 children are diagnosed each year.
·Cancer is the #1 disease killer of children ages 1-19.
·Only 3% of cancer research money goes toward childhood cancers.
·There are currently 30,000-40,000 children fighting cancer in the U.S.
·In the past 35 years ONLY “ONE” new cancer drug has been approved for pediatric use.
Here you see the faces of sarcoma patients, survivors, and those who have lost their lives to sarcoma. They come from around the world, since Sarcoma Knows No Borders. Brandon can be found on page 9.
