Grace: A Child's Intimate Journey Through Cancer and Recovery
Dear Oprah,
I absolutely love how you have taught your audience, over the years, how to live their “best lives.” Although I am only sixteen years old, I have emerged from an experience that has clearly illustrated to me how I am to live my “best life.” That experience was battling Hodgkin lymphoma when I was thirteen, and I am living my best life by pouring my heart and soul into helping other children with cancer.
Did you know?
Childhood cancer is the #1 disease killing children.
Every school day, 46 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with cancer– 12,500 children each year.
One out of every five children diagnosed with cancer will die; in some forms of childhood cancer, one out of every five children will live.
The causes of most childhood cancers are unknown and cannot be prevented.
When children are diagnosed with cancer, 80% have advanced stages of the disease, compared with 20% of adults.
One of my favorite words is “gelatinous.” (Just making sure you are paying attention!)
There are 40,000 children in the United States battling cancer as I write this.
Will you please, please, Oprah, shine your light on childhood cancer? If you would open your heart to this request, childhood cancer would suffer a serious blow to its cruel and evil existence. Like no one else, you can bring awareness to childhood cancer. Like no one else, you can help begin the process of driving childhood cancer to extinction.
Like no one else, you can…
Will you?
Please?
Melinda
16 Year-Old Author of Grace: A Child’s Intimate Journey Through Cancer and Recovery
Nurse Cyndi, the Blue Chemo Fairy
Melinda Marchiano 
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