Monday, September 24, 2007

The Loneliest Road Campaign

On September 10th 2007, five fathers from around the globe started on a grueling adventure in hopes of saving the lives of their children and others affected by a devastating pediatric cancer known as Neuroblastoma. This prominent pediatric cancer is not hereditary, a known byproduct of some industrial/ecological waste, it is merely unexplainable.


Standard treatment protocols around the globe offer little hope. Stage IV patients such as our children have a 20% survival rate. Innovations in immunological therapies have raised the bar however they do have complications. Recently it was brought to the attention of parents by the fields leading scientist's that a complimentary, far less symptomatic antibody could be manufactured, however the funding was unavailable. Depressed, angry, but excited for the possibility we asked how much would this cost? 2-3 million dollars! Ultimately this is the monetary value placed upon the lives of 150-300 children who could directly benefit from this antibody each year.

In hopes of making a difference, we parents are taking a stand!

What is the Loneliest Road? The loneliest road makes up part of our ride along Hwy 50 better known as the loneliest road in the United States. It is well off the beaten path and at times offers little evidence of any human life. Fittingly the name relates to the daily challenges, our families, and particularly our children's face in eyes of this devastating disease.

We will begin in Sacramento CA and collectively ride 3700 miles, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to Washington DC where we will unite with other Neuroblastoma families, showing our strength in numbers ensuring social awareness is gained.

We are tirelessly committed to this challenge. Outside of our children’s hospital rooms we are training hard, day and night, whenever a free moment becomes available. Each rider will be equipped with GPS tracking devices to follow our progress and be keeping daily blogs concerning our ride. Our support staff is just as committed. Together we aim to cause a media buzz/frenzy, which will help gain the crucial philanthropic funding necessary for the development of the antibody. We beg for your help and your support. Please check back with us daily and spread the word. We invite you to be part of our children’s lives and our family’s adventures (please see our children’s individual websites which outline our daily struggles, routines and treatments).

Respectfully, The Five Fathers





Routes:
California

San Francisco (Media Events)
Sacramento (Take US 50 from Sacramento to Reno)
Go North and pass to the east of South Lake Tahoe

Nevada

Reno (Take US 50 from Reno to Salt Lake City)

Utah

Salt Lake City (Take Route 40 from Salt Lake City to Denver)

Colorado

Denver (Take Route 36 from Denver to Kansas City)

Kansas

Kansas City (Take Route 50 from Kansas City to St Louis)

Missouri

St Louis (Take 50 to Route 150 into Louisville, KY)

Kentucky

Louisville
Lexington

Virginia

Blacksburg, -Virginia Tech
Roanoke (Take Route 460 to Lynchburg)
Lynchburg (Take Route 29 to Charlottesville)
Charlottesville (Take Route 29 to Route 28 to Route 50 Arlington Road)
WASHINGTON DC

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Here is the link to their blog site that is upated during their journey : http://loneliestroad.blogspot.com/

1 comment:

Vickie said...

I just found Isabella's blogspot and love how you pull so many resources together in one spot. it is an inspiration to read. Thank you.

VB
erinbuenger.blogspot.com