Yes, it’s hard to think about kids with cancer
THE European Union seems to have put on a show of unity by shunting thorny issues aside to hold down the uneasiness resulting from Britain’s vote to leave the bloc.
The EU held a summit meeting excluding Britain, and issued a declaration that committed the group to offer “a vision of an attractive EU” in six months.
In March next year, the bloc will mark the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Rome, which has served as the basis of European integration. By holding a series of summit meetings before then, the leaders said they will work out some concrete measures.
Discontent has spread not only in Britain but also among other EU member countries over inadequate measures to deal with refugees.
With regard to this issue, the EU has made clear its policy in controlling the flow of refugees. Control of the bloc’s external borders will be reinforced, for instance, by operating a “European Border and Coast Guard” before the end of the year.
Yet the declaration is a mere list of measures that member states found easy to agree on and lacks originality.
Of grave significance is the EU decision last year concerning mandatory quotas for the resettlement of refugees remains up in the air, due to stiff resistance from Eastern European countries.
Should the disarray among member countries continue, “a vision of an attractive EU” will become a sham.
With the growing unrest triggered by the flow of refugees, political parties known for their anti-refugee, anti-EU stances are gaining power in member countries, including France. Even in Germany – a major driving force for the EU – an emerging right-wing party critical of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s broad-minded refugee policy made strides in recent state parliamentary elections.
For the EU to maintain its unifying force, it will be necessary for member countries to deepen their cooperation and strive to resolve the refugee problem.
In regard to growth strategy, the “north-south divide” among member countries has become increasingly intense, with Germany emphasising fiscal discipline and structural reforms of member countries as opposed to southern European countries, including Italy, that call for increases in public spending. It is vital for member countries to make mutual concessions during upcoming summit meetings.
The EU must not forget that it is a leading free trade bloc in the world and should not become inward-looking, even as it faces the ordeal of Britain’s exit.
Japan and the EU are in negotiations with the aim of concluding an economic partnership agreement. Both sides should do their utmost to reach an accord.
IT’S 6:30am and the sun is starting to peek out over the horizon. I take another gulp of my coffee, and leave the keys with the valet outside the hospital. I check my camera, making sure I have a formatted memory card and fresh batteries in my flash.
As I grab my bag from the back seat, I can’t help but notice the mismatched socks, leftover granola wrappers, and wrinkled school fliers that litter my car. I take a breath, thankful that my kids’ seats are empty. I’m not at the hospital for them this morning. I’m there for 4-year-old Phoebe.
About four years ago, I started taking pictures of sick kids. I look for smiles in hospital rooms and look past IV poles in hopes of capturing the fleeting moments of carefree childhoods that exist alongside tragic diagnoses and crippling test results. I look for little hands grasping onto hospital beds as toddlers take their first steps in brightly decorated triage rooms. My heart skips a beat when I see an older sister smile at a younger sibling, knowing that siblings, too, suffer when their loved ones are sick.
Please don’t ask me why or how I do it. (If you insist on knowing, I will tell you that offering these pictures is nourishing to my soul.) Please don’t tell me that it must be so sad. (Of course it is. But it’s also incredibly rewarding and beautiful.) Instead, please ask me what you can do to help kids like Phoebe.
In the age of social media, it is easy to run across pictures and stories of kids facing devastating odds and feel helpless. As I stood by Phoebe’s bedside that day, I felt that way, too. Phoebe had been diagnosed with DIPG, an aggressive brain tumour. While there are treatments to improve her quality of life, the long-term prognosis is tragically grim.
Only 4 percent of all cancer funding is earmarked for childhood cancer research. And in the past 20 years, only three new pediatric cancerspecific drugs have been developed. This month, when you see pictures on Facebook reminding you that September is childhood cancer awareness month, please don’t just get sad. Get involved.
Here are some things you can do this month to help children like Phoebe.
1. Call your representatives in Congress. Tell them that you care about cancer research legislation. Learn about federal cancer programs. Ask your representatives to participate in the Childhood Cancer Caucus, “a clearinghouse for information on pediatric cancer and a forum to aid Members of Congress in working together to address pediatric cancer”.
2. Participate in childhood cancer awareness and advocacy foundations. Give money if you’re able. Many organisations help cancer patients and survivors develop important allies in the fight against childhood cancer. As the St Baldrick’s Foundation explains, “Childhood cancer drugs aren’t very profitable for pharmaceutical companies, which is why so few have been developed. But as a result of the childhood cancer community’s united advocacy efforts, the Creating Hope Act changed that, offering companies vouchers to expedite the development and approval of these drugs.”
3. What is your superpower? Medical providers offer the crucial life-changing support to children battling cancer. But consider if there is some special talent that you have to offer these families. Whether you are a great cook, a decent photographer or a gifted party planner, families can really benefit from your services.
4. If you know a family battling pediatric cancer (or other life-altering challenge), consid- er offering to help in specific, concrete ways. Helping doesn’t require a huge commitment or some unique talent. And while general offers to help are appreciated, it can be difficult for a family to ask you to help with a specific task. Instead, consider the daily things most families do – food shopping, cleaning, picking up dinner – and offer to complete that task. Or if you know something that the child really likes, consider creating opportunities for the child to have a magical experience during the days in between treatment. For example, kids who love animals might really like free tickets to a zoo, kids who adore cooking might be wowed by having a chance to cook with a talented chef. And parents who are completely and utterly exhausted might appreciate a pre-paid night out to dinner and a movie – child care included.