Ila Jean "Bean" Rathbone

The cancer world is not pleasant. The past couple of weeks in particular have had many children losing their earth battle against cancer, and several others relapsing or progressing...and this is just of the children that I follow! Tonight, I am deeply saddened at the death of a little girl named Ila Jean, who battled stage IV neuroblastoma for almost six years, joining another young neuroblastoma warrior, Tanner Evers, who passed away on friday. Having followed Ila's journey since around June of 2011, shortly after her relapse, little Ila Jean won her way into my heart, despite being thousands of miles away, and following only via the internet. Cancer does not discriminate in so many cases, but particularly in children. And neuroblastoma is often called a silent cancer, more than 60% of children are not diagnosed until they are at stage IV when there is very little hope for a long-term cure...

In the past month or less I have read about the deaths of
-Piper Needham, a spitfire two-year-old who died from a massive lung infection and infant leukemia
-Ty Barberine, who endured a successful bone marrow transplant only to become mysteriously ill from an unknown cause and live for several weeks on breathing support and dialysis before his body finally gave out
-Gage Driver, a little boy who died yesterday from DIPG, one of the worst brain tumours there is
-Tanner Evers, a long term neuroblastoma warrior
-and of course Miss Ila Jean

And so many children have progressed or relapsed or are facing very difficult points and need prayers and in some cases sheer miracles
-Ashley Reimer, who has relapsed with ALL a second time, discovered at her one-year post-bone marrow transplant check-up. She is a brilliant young woman only a little younger than I am, and had just gotten fully back into university and is now facing a daunting battle.
-Ethan Hallmark, a neuroblastoma warrior, who has relapsed with a hybrid neuroblastoma (VERY difficult to treat)
-Brooke Hester, who progressed through the humanized 3F8 antibody treatment and is now undergoing intensive chemotherapy
-Lindsay Simmons, a 12 year old ALL patient, who has relapsed, like Ashley, for a second time and is not doing well at all.
-Kodi Tutt, a seven-year-old neuroblastoma warrior who had a 'level three' reaction to the antibodies she was receiving and cannot have anymore-now facing a difficult decision as to remaining treatment
-Ariel Gariano, a 13-year-old relapsed rhabdomyosarcoma patient, who in addition to facing a lot of medical uncertainty had her family's house catch on fire this past week
-Liza Scherr, a DIPG patient who has progressed
-Joey Keller, a medullablastoma (brain tumour) patient, who has progressed after taking a needed break from chemotherapy
-Wesley Jaeger, a medullablastoma patient who is enduring chemotherapy after struggling for almost four years and is currently beginning to run out of options

And these are just of children that I follow. Sometimes, I wonder why I follow these children...but then I realize that by being aware, I can be a better advocate, and from time to time, I can even offer support through online messages when it feels right.