Cancer Charity 4 Life – Raising Childhood Cancer Awareness in Northwest Arkansas!

The Roar of a Lion – The Heart of a Lamb

The Lion.  It is a majestic creature that, when nearby, leaves the simple Human in awe.  However, this is a different kind of “awe” from all others.  For, though our Flight Instinct is telling us to move on, we can’t help but to remain standing in awe among the presence of it’s greatness; as if in the company of something Angelic, and much more powerful than ourselves.

Then comes the Majestic “Roar,” when the King of the Jungle confirms his authority with the slight opening of the mouth, followed by the deep and powerful grumbling from within.  Once again, though it causes us to tremble, we can’t help but to linger… if to only hear the power one more time.

I must confess, in my recent interview with Kristi Rogers, the founder of Cancer Charity 4 Life, I felt this “awe” of which I have just described.  And in just a moment, I’m going to reveal to you what it was that brought about this overwhelming delight…

Why Cancer Charity 4 Life

Cancer Charity 4 Life is a Non-Profit Cancer Research Foundation in Northwest Arkansas that was formed to raise not only funds, but also the awareness of a very rare cancer known as Sarcoma.

Sarcoma is a cancer of the connective tissues inside the body, such as the muscles, nerves and bones.  These Sarcomas are tumors that can occur anywhere, oftentimes staying hidden deep within the limbs of the body.  And though Sarcomas can be aggressive and difficult to treat (due to how rapidly they can spread throughout the lungs and other parts of the body), there are many who still survive the disease.

However, as you begin looking into the statistical data of this horrible disease, you will find some facts that are very disturbing.

Sarcoma makes up less than 1% of all cancers found within adults – which is why we really don’t hear much about it.  Sadly, this is also why there is not much funding going toward the research for a cure.  However, before you go thinking, “Well… it is less than 1%,” there’s something else you should know.

Sarcoma makes up nearly 15% of the cancers found in our Children!  15 Percent!  Therefore, if we use the statistics released in a report by the National Cancer Institute in 2014, we discover, “In 2014, it is estimated that 15,780 children and adolescence ages 0 to 19 years will be diagnosed with cancer and 1,960 will die of the disease in the United States.” That would also indicate that roughly 2,376 of those children were diagnosed with some form of Sarcoma.

“But wait just a cotton-pickin second!  2,376…?  I thought You said this was ‘RARE’!”  Exactly the point I was about to make…

When ‘RARE’ Isn’t Really Rare At All

In a report released by Sarcoma Alliance, Darling, Joan, “How Rare Is Sarcoma Really?,” you will find the difference between “Rare,” and “Not so Rare,” is actually determined by the way statistics are given.

For example, and to somewhat paraphrase, Darling explains how Sarcoma cases with children are given as follows: “5 out of 1,000,000” children are diagnosed with Sarcoma each year.  However, Reports about diseases such as prostate cancer and breast cancer are stated differently.

You will hear facts such as, “One out of every 6 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in his lifetime.”  Or, “One out of every 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.”  However, the “5 out of 1,000,000 children” statistic is given in terms of “each year.”

With that being said, Darling goes on to explain and break down the statistics to show that approximately One out of every 8,500 of OUR CHILDREN will be diagnosed with a Sarcoma Cancer by the age of 20.  Do you see what she has done?  She’s taken the “each year” statistic and has figured it into the first 20 years of a child’s lifetime – the way it should be reported. Darling states, “The explanation is the difference between the chance of getting it (sarcoma cancer) in any one year, and the cumulative risk of getting it at any time during childhood.”

Now, I’m not implying these statistics are given this way to intentionally confuse the public.  Nevertheless, One of every 8,500 children sounds a whole lot different than 5 out of a 1,000,000 children.

The Heart of a Lamb

When I first began writing this sponsored article, I told you that I would reveal what it was that had inspired an incredible sense of awe both during and after my interview with Kristi Rogers.

First, I must tell you that Kristi and I had never before spoken with one another.  We had only chatted through social media on a few occasions.  Ironically, however, we quickly realized we had something in common… the Sorters’ Family from Prairie Grove, Arkansas.

In January of this year I had had the incredible honor of writing an article about the greatly missed Jarren Sorters – a young man who continues to inspire a countless number of children and adults in Northwest Arkansas. Read about the Play4Jarren Foundation!

Unbeknownst to me, I’d never realized that it was Kristi Rogers alongside Jarren in so many of the photos I had seen over the past year.

When the day finally arrived, Kristi answered the phone and began to speak, while I just found myself listening; hanging onto every word intently!

Taking notes as quickly as possible, every now and then I would manage to break in with a, “Now how do you spell that?” or a “And when will that take place?”  But Mrs. Rogers would quickly be back on track.  Forward, she continued to march. Until finally, about an hour and a half into our interview, something very peculiar occurred to me… a special moment where I was able to gain an incredible and completely unexpected clarity.  It was a moment that would bring me shame if I were to keep it hidden from the rest of the world… an occurrence that left me in “Awe!”

Please allow me to ask, have you ever taken a moment to watch an artist paint a picture?  You might peer into the canvas a good twenty or thirty minutes, and still not have a clue as to the masterpiece the artist is bringing to life before your very eyes.  But then it happens!  With the slightest stroke of the brush, he finally lays out a shadow, or ray of light, or something else that reveals the truth; the reality of that which was known only to the artist just moments earlier. 

Kristi Rogers performed the miraculous on the day of our interview – a feat that I am certain has never before been seen, and quiet possibly may never be seen again.  For, not only did she paint a masterpiece that day, but she did so in the most unique and unprecedented fashion… by using only her words, and my hand.

An hour and a half into our interview I looked down at the piece of notebook paper on which I had been scribbling notes.  It was then that I witnessed one of the most beautiful masterpieces I had ever seen in my life.  My eyes were gazing upon the absolute flawless, most perfect picture of………. Love!

You see, ladies and gentlemen, since October 31st, 2014, Kristi Rogers has been battling a disease known as Sarcoma.  And an hour and a half into our interview, when I looked down at my notebook, she had not mentioned a single word about her own personal battle against the disease.  Not… a… single… word!

Kristi had no idea of the confusion running through my mind while I was looking down at the chicken-scratch in my notebook, as I asked, “Now, when were you diagnosed?”  And that’s when it happened!  That’s when the master painter, with the slightest stroke of her brush, revealed the truth that had been hidden.  Her reply of “October 31st, 2014,” was the magical stroke that immediately transformed my chicken-scratch into a priceless masterpiece… the perfect picture of LOVE.

Kristi Rogers hadn’t been explaining what needed to be done to raise money for her, or her foundation, or even Sarcoma research.  She had spent her time explaining what needed to be done to raise money for Children with Sarcoma.

With The Roar of a Lion, Kristi’s passion for raising Childhood Cancer Awareness immediately put me in a state of awe.  She lit a fire inside me that compels me to learn more about how I can help Children with Cancer. 

And yet, with The Heart of a Lamb, she uses the platform she’s been given (brought on by this disease itself), to boldly and selflessly cry out for all the little children of the world. 

Please, come out and support Cancer Charity4Life’s next event on June 30th, 2017, at Arvest Ballpark, where the Northwest Arkansas Natural’s team up with Cancer Charity4Life to Strike Out Sarcoma!

To learn more about how you can get involved, please contact Kristi Rogers at kristi@cancercharity4life.com.  Or… Be a Cheerful Giver and Donate Right Now to help fund Cancer Research for All The Little Children of The World!