You Can Help Save A Childs Life read to find out how

Story of a 10 year girl who has a very rare cancer and associated syndrome. How you can help see she gets the treatment she needs

(PRWEB) March 27, 2004 --Every year thousands of people all over the United States dont receive proper medical care because they are unable to afford travel expenses to and from medical treatment facilities. An increasing number of these are children. Most of these will die from these diseases because they go untreated. Thats where The Gift of Life Air Transportation Organization steps in. Our professionally trained pilots and aircraft are always standing by ready to provide safe reliable air transport. Whether it be a hospice flight so a person may spend their last days at home with family and friends, or transporting blood and organs, moving medical personnel, making sure a patient gets to an appointment or medical care, a family member gets to another that is sick or dying or has been in a accident, getting supplies and relief personnel into disaster areas or disaster victims out . We are here when you need us 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

This year alone new cases of cancer are expected to increase by over 60,000 from last year. The facts speak for them self! In the United States 1 in every 290 children by age 14 will develop some kind of cancer, thats 9,200 new cases this year and 1,600 of these children will die from cancer this year! In 1997 1 out of every 300 children by age 19 would develop cancer, and 1,500 of these children died every year. Its 2004 and as you can see cancer in children is getting worst. Its getting worst for all of US! Men have a 1 in 2 and Women a 1 in 3 life time risk of developing some form of cancer thats 1,368,030 Americans that will develop some form of cancer This Year! And 85,000 of them will be right here in Texas! 563,000 Americans will die from cancer this year thats more than 1,500 People A Day.

Please read about this special little girl on the next page it is only 1 of many such cases we get. We need your support to be able to provide this service.
If you would like more information about The Gift of Life Air Transportation Organization please visit our web site a http://www.giftoflifeair.org it will also provide a link to Katelynn's personal page. You can make your donation there, or mail the attached support form with your check.

Thank You For Your Support
Sincerely;
James Morrison
President/Chief Pilot

My name is Katelynn I am 10 years old I live in North Carolina and I have Carcinoid Cancer it is a very rare form of cancer, I also have secondary disease caused by the cancer called Carcinoid Syndrome it is even rarer only 9 children have been diagnosed with it since 1977 (study done by St. Judes) I am one of them, as one specialist put it having Carcinoid is like being a pink elephant, and the syndrome well now you are now a pink elephant with polka dots, and there is no know cure but there is a treatment.

I have slow growing tumors inside of me that produce excesses hormones that make me very sick, it causes me to have vomiting, diarrhea, tachycardia, breathing problems, extreme bone pain, flushing(this is where my face become red its like having hot flashes), abdominal and chest pain. I am so sick most of the time so my mommy has to stay at home to take of me.

I see a specialist in Iowa City, Iowa but in order for me to get to my appointments we have to drive over 16 hours each way, its very hard on me being so sick the last time we made the trip I spent 3 days in the hospital because the stress of the trip made me even sicker. It is also very hard on my mommy having to
drive that long.

I want to be able to be a kid again, go to school, play with my brother and sister and my friends. I want grow up to be a doctor or veterinarian; I know that treatment is available. I want to get well. I am so tired of the pain and being sick all the time, all I want is to get well. PLEASE GIVE ME THAT CHANCE.    

MAKE A DONATION TO: The Gift of Life Air Transportation Organization

They will make sure I get to all my appointments so I can get the treatment I so desperately need.

Thank you so much.
Sincerely
Katelynn

Carcinoid Cancer: Is a rare type of cancer it is very slow growing and often misdiagnosed, what is even rarer is the syndrome associated with carcinoid cancer known as carcinoid syndrome. The carcinoid tumors can produce a hormone overload in the body causing such symptoms as vomiting, diarrhea, tachycardia, breathing problems, extreme bone pain, flushing, abdominal and chest pain. Because of the misdiagnoses of this disease the carcinoid patient often die before the tumors are even found.

The patient who also suffers from carcinoid syndrome dies from the effects of the excessive hormones these tumors produce long before the cancer actually kills them, unless treatment to prevent this excessive production of hormones is undertaken. This treatment involves taking the drug sandostain or using other methods to prevent the overload of hormones in the body.

To complicate matters even more this disease is so rare in children that even specialists in carcinoid cancer and carcinoid syndrome are limited in there knowledge of treatment for children. According to a study done by St Judes only 9 such cases involving children have been documented since 1977 and this little girl is one of them.

Since chemo-therapy and other known cancer treatments are ineffective in the treatment of the slow growing tumors of carcinoid cancer, the only known cure for carcinoid cancer is to have the tumors removed surgically when possible. Unfortunately Katelynns tumor is a neuro-endocrine tumor and cannot currently be removed this way. Research in nuclear medicine for children this young is unheard of.

There is hope with new research and with the U. S. testing of a new drug LU-177 (which has been used in Europe), Katelynn and children like her that suffer from these and other catastrophic illnesses do have hope.

PLEASE BE PART OF THAT HOPE and lets make sure that these children and people that suffer from these illnesses can get to the places where these treatments are available.

BECOME A FLIGHT SPONSOR! Even a small gift goes along way in providing us the opportunity to provide both short and long range AIR TRAVEL TO PATIENTS and FAMILY MEMBERS to medical facilities around the country for treatment.