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Business & Tech

Childhood Cancer: A Big Fight for Tiny Patients

Milwaukee-area families, including Port Washington residents, spread awareness through fundraisers for their kids and others.

A large fight is being waged to stop cancer that affects little patients around the world. September is National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, something Sky Burmeister is working hard to get the word out about.

“You hear about adult cancers, but not children’s. I don’t know if that’s because of the sensitivity surrounding it, but (awareness) is slowly growing,” Burmeister said.

Her 14-month-old daughter, Amara, is fighting a malignant rhabdoid tumor of the kidney. In May, , while she underwent chemotherapy and blood transfusions.

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Amara finished treatment on Aug. 30. A few weeks later, she came down with a fever, so her parents took her to the ER. Doctors found that she had a blood infection and sent her to Children’s Hospital in Milwaukee where she has been receiving treatment.

Since being diagnosed at nine months of age, Amara has shown strength through all of the doctors’ appointments, tests and treatments. "She’s been a rock star through all of it," Burmeister said.

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In 2007, the National Cancer Institute reported approximately 10,400 children under the age of 15 were diagnosed with a type of cancer in the United States. About 1,500 children will die from the disease each year.

Even though cancer is the leading cause of death in children ages one to 14, it is still rare within the age group. About one to two children for every 10,000 develop the disease each year in the United States.

While it is rare for a child to be diagnosed, there are signs a parent should watch for and take their child to see a doctor about if they notice becoming a trend over a long time period.

"The stuff that’s most concerning from a physician’s point of view or a parent should watch for would be repeated bruises to areas that you didn’t notice any trauma to," said Maren Miller, a pediatrician with Aurora Advanced Healthcare who practices in Ozaukee County.

In addition to watching out for bruises that repeatedly form in unusual spots, Dr. Miller recommends watching out for bruises that take a very long time to heal — over a span of several weeks or more.

Children that consistently mention pain in their joints or extremities, especially if the pain wakes them from sleep at night, is another red flag parents should take notice of.

"The other major thing that would make me concerned as a physician or a parent is if kids have headaches, especially if they’re associated with vomiting in the early morning, but improve as the day goes on," Dr. Miller said.

Dr. Miller stresses regular doctor’s appointments for children are important and encourages parents to not skip their children’s regular exams.

As children get older, Dr. Miller also suggests parents should start thinking about having their daughters receive the HPV Vaccine.

"HPV, or the human papilloma virus, causes almost all types of cervical cancers," Miller said.

The vaccine helps protect against the two most common strains of cervical cancer. Miller said the HPV vaccine is a good way to help protect your child from illness down the road.

"Knowing that we have a vaccine that can protect against such a common cause of cancer as adults, we can give it to kids and prevent them from getting this as adults, is something people should look into," she said.

There are several things people can do to help raise awareness about the disease or help people who are fighting cancer.

"The most personal thing that anyone can do is either donate blood or see if they can become a bone marrow donor," Miller said. She encourages people to get tested to see if they are a match for a patient and have their name put on the National Marrow Donor Program list.

Amara’s mother would like to see people take a day to donate to a cause or participate in a race.

"Even if it starts with one family, it will grow," Burmeister said.

Burmeister is working with another person to organize the first CureSearch walk in the Milwaukee area. CureSearch is a national nonprofit foundation that works to fund and support children's cancer research.

Several events are going on in Southeastern Wisconsin this month that people can participate in, including the . There is also a fundraiser being held in Port Washington this weekend for Veronica Jean-Rose, who is fighting a rare disorder where certain white blood cells grow out of control and hurt the body.

For now, Amara will stay at Children’s Hospital to undergo further testing. When she’s not in the hospital, her mother said she’s busy being a mover and a shaker at home. She’ll crawl around the house and practice walking along the sofa to keep up with her four other siblings.

Amara’s mother is making it her mission to make sure other families don’t have to go through what the Burmeisters’ have endured.

"Right now my goal is to find some form of care that can get rid of this for good."

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