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Nicole Adams is about to join her Fundraising goal of $ 2,000 for cancer research in children.

Since September 1, Adams has been putting on his running shoes almost daily to help his 4-year-old daughter and other cancer-stricken people.

"I will travel 100 miles in September to raise awareness and get funding for cancer research in children," said Adams, whose daughter was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia.

September is National Childhood Awareness Month. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 10,590 children under the age of 15 will be diagnosed with cancer this year in the United States.

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Nicole Adams and her daughter Madi. (Photo: Michelle Gaitan / San Angelo Standard-Times)

Overall, the The American Childhood Cancer Association estimates that more than 300,000 children under the age of 19 are diagnosed each year.

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Running 5 miles a day – unless unforeseen problems like rain – is Adams' contribution to The Million Mile Challenge launched by Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation.

The National Foundation – created by four-year-old Alexandra "Alex" Scott, who died of her illness – is dedicating her fundraising efforts to finding new treatments and treatments for all children with cancer.

"Since the launch of the Million Mile (six years ago), participants have accumulated nearly four million miles and raised more than $ 3.8 million for childhood cancer research," said Annie Korp. public relations coordinator. "In 2017, we had over 7,000 Million Mile participants, and this year we have more than 1,500 teams and more than 8,000 participants."

The money is awarded in the form of grants after a peer review of applicants seeking funding for research projects, she said.

"We are funding projects in the United States and Canada," said Korp. "Since 2005, we have raised more than $ 150 million to fund more than 800 research projects."

Korp said the efforts of the foundation and its supporters helped make a difference in cancer research.

At the age of 4 months, Madi Adams was diagnosed with juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia. She is now a healthy 4 year old. (Photo: Courtesy photos)

"The reason we fund research is that less than 4% of the government's cancer research budget goes to childhood cancer," she said. "It's so vital for organizations like Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation to do what we do."

the The National Cancer Institute, the federal agency for cancer research, said its annual budget, set by Congress, was about $ 5 billion.

Madi, Adams's daughter, overcame juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, a rare form of blood cancer that occurs when white blood cell production by the bone marrow is unbalanced, wiping out healthy red blood cells and platelets.

They discovered that Madi had cancer during a health exam while she was a baby.

"His spleen and liver were resting in his pelvic bone," Adams said. "Her belly was very, very big."

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Madi Adams. (Photo: Michelle Gaitan / San Angelo Standard-Times)

A spleen or hypertrophied liver is one of the few signs or symptoms St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital says to be associated with JMML. Other common indicators include:

  • Fever without known reason
  • Infections such as bronchitis or tonsillitis
  • Feeling very tired
  • Easy bruising or bleeding of the skin, nose and mouth
  • Red rash or tiny red dots on the skin
  • Painless swelling of the lymph nodes of the neck, armpits, stomach or groin
  • Pain or feeling of satiety under the ribs
  • Dry cough
  • Difficulty gaining weight
  • Small appetite
  • Growth retardation
  • Feeling irritable
  • Anemia

"It's 1% of all leukemias, and most diagnoses occur before the age of 4," Adams said. "And there is a 50% survival rate at this stage."

Madi was treated at Riley Children's Hospital at Indiana University Health at the age of 8 months. She has had a stem cell transplant – the only treatment option available for her cancer.

"She's doing very well" now, said Adams, giving credit to his team of doctors.

"We really trusted that they knew what they were doing and they did it," she said.

The family moved to San Angelo in 2017, but still returns to Indiana for all of Madi's treatments.

According to the National Cancer Institute, the most common cancers in children under 14 are leukemia, brain tumors and other central nervous system (CNS) and lymphoma.

In recent decades, cancer rates among children have increased slightly. ACS treatment has been advancing in recent decades with improved survival rates for children with cancer.

More than 80% of children with cancer now survive five years or more, up from 58% in the mid-1970s. However, survival rates vary depending on the type of cancer of the child and others factors, notes the SCA.

Adams will continue to run about 5 miles a day until September 30, when the challenge will end. She finds the strength to do it through her daughter and other people like her.

"I have the intention of hitting my 100 miles," she said, describing herself as a passionate runner. "I remember my daughter and how much pain she was and all those kids who died, (and) I push harder because I know these kids do not have an option."

"For me, it's just a motivation," she said. "I have the option of not running, but I choose to run because they have no option. There is no cure."

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