When researching children's hospitals and oncology programs, you should have a list of questions that are relevant to the child's cancer. The same questions should be asked at each hospital so you can compare answers and make an informed decision about where to seek treatment.

Some questions include:

• What clinical trials are available?
• What type of research is going on for this type of cancer?
• What are the success rates?
• How many of these type of cancer cases do you see each year?
• Have you treated a child with this type of cancer?
• What cancers do you specialize in?
• Do you offer support groups?
• Do you allow family-centered care which allows families to be part of the treatment plan?

Pediatric cancer care is much different than cancer treatments in adults, many parents decide to go to a children's hospital like St. Jude's for care. Whatever the choice, make sure that you are getting the best possible care for the child as you can. Since you are their voice and their advocate, you have to do what you can to make sure that you are giving them the best opportunity to fight and beat childhood cancer.

Besides preventing birth defects in the brain and spine and other congenital abnormalities, the folic acid found in prenatal multivitamins has now been shown to prevent cancer in children whose mothers take the vitamins during pregnancy.

A new Canadian study, appearing online in the journal Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, estimates prenatal multivitamin supplements can save hundreds of children each year in Canada -- where only 40 to 50 percent of women take prenatal vitamins -- from developing leukemia, brain tumors, or neuroblastoma. And the vitamins may prevent 900 cases of pediatric leukemia and more than 300 brain tumor cases annually in the United States.

It's not clear which vitamins or minerals, and in what amounts, could be protecting babies from cancer, but it's possible folic acid -- critical for cellular function -- may be acting alone.

One thing is certain, says lead investigator Dr. Gideon Koren -- this is one inexpensive way to prevent cancer.

The primary recipient of the 2006 grants for Curing Kid's Cancer is the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins. Curing Kid's Cancer is a charity that raises money for leading edge pediatric cancer research. The organization was inspired by nine year old Killian Owen's battle with leukemia. The $100,000 grant was given to Johns Hopkins for research into new targeted therapies for acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

Curing Kid's Cancer has two national grassroots programs -- Coaches Curing Kid's Cancer and Teachers Curing Kid's Cancer.

The programs fund the development of cutting edge therapies which will revolutionize childhood cancer treatment by replacing traditional chemotherapy.

Curing Kid's Cancer aims to raise both awareness and money to find cures for all types of childhood cancers. Their objective is to turn this killer disease into a curable one in our lifetime.

Interferon is an agent that stimulates the immune cells to help fight cancer. In an article published in Bone Marrow Transplantation it said that the addition of interferon following an autologous stem cell transplant improves survival for children with recurrent Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Patients that have their Hodgkin's lymphoma return after initial treatment may undergo an autologous stem cell transplant. In an autologous stem cell transplant a patients own cells are collected prior to high-dose chemotherapy and then re-infused.

The researchers wanted to evaluate whether the addition of interferon to the stem cell transplant could improve outcomes. The trial included 13 children with recurrent Hodgkin's lymphoma who were treated with an autologous stem cell transplant. Ten of these patients then went on to receive the interferon.

Follow up at five years shows that nine of the ten patients treated with interferon are alive and cancer free. The researchers concluded that interferon provided significant anticancer activity following the transplant.

Brendan Borek High Tides Memorial Fund provides assistance to residents of Cape May County, New Jersey who have a child or young adult with cancer. Brendan was diagnosed with Ewing's Sarcoma and lost his battle in December of 1991. Brendan was a surfer and his friends wished him high tides during his cancer battle since the high tides at the Jersey shore would bring the best surfing conditions.

The memorial fund brings high tides conditions to those who need it in the Cape May area. Services provided include professional counseling and advocacy programs to financial and material assistance.

On August 15, 2006 the Avalon Yacht club is hosting The Local Artist and Friends Art Show. All ticket proceeds and fifty percent of all artwork sold benefits Brendan's fund.

Thanks to Chris Twonley for the tip and for donating some of her amazing paintings to the show!

I just received in the mail my Certificate of Completion for St. Jude's  Campaign for a Cure. I have never really known much about St. Jude Children's Research Hospital -- except that I can be brought to tears by the television specials that showcase sick children whose lives depend on the research and treatment that this hospital offers. But I came to know more about St. Jude this year after a friend asked me to make a donation for the Up 'til Dawn program he sponsors on the college campus where he works -- a program that involves more than 150 college campuses nationwide and partners faculty, staff, students, and communities in an extravaganza of activity, education, and fundraising to benefit the children at St. Jude. So I made a donation and then was contacted by St. Jude with an invitation to help them further -- and I did. I sent out 10 pre-written letters to friends and family asking for their support. I was given an attainable fundraising goal. And I met it. So this is why I received my certificate -- and some cheery address labels too.

In January of this year, Toby Keith founded the Toby Keith Foundation to benefit a number of charitable organizations within the state of Oklahoma, including Ally's House. Allison Faith Webb, affectionately called Ally by family and friends, was the daughter of Toby's friend and former band mate Scott Webb. Ally was diagnosed with Wilm’s Tumor, a form of kidney cancer before she was two years old, and lost her young life to cancer a year later. Her family, in memory of Ally, founded Ally's House, with a mission and purpose of helping other families get through the difficult journey when a child is diagnosed with cancer.

For the last three years, Keith has supported Ally's House with the Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic, an annual golf and music fundraiser. This year's celebrity golf tournament, silent auction, gala dinner and concert will take place on May 21-22, in Norman, Oklahoma.

Just before her 2nd birthday Allison Faith Webb, called Ally, was diagnosed with Wilm’s Tumor, a form of kidney cancer. At the time of diagnosis, the cancer had already spread to her lungs. Ally underwent 3 major surgeries, radiation and 3 different kinds of chemotherapy. She received care at Children’s Hospital in Oklahoma City and at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. While her mother cradled her little daughter in her arms, Ally lost her battle with cancer. Ally's House, founded in memory of Ally, assists Oklahoma families who have a child with cancer. Ally's House helps families with medical expenses, travel expenses, clothing, groceries, short-term housing, overdue bills, prescriptions, hospice care, and if needed, funeral expenses.

As important, Ally's House hosts events for children living with cancer, like ice cream parties, arts and crafts parties, concerts and music events, amusement park trips and picnics. The foundation relies on donations in providing many of these services. If you can help, visit Ally's House for more information. If you know of a family who needs help, tell them about Ally's House. Allison's family says that the name, Ally's House, was chosen because each time Ally came home from the hospital she would exclaim, “We’re at Ally’s house!” Ally's House symbolizes a safe place of comfort and love. This is the mission of the foundation for families they serve -- to create a comfort zone of love -- in memory of their beloved daughter Ally.

Once -- I asked an oncologist -- who was a school teacher before physician, why he did not treat children with cancer. Because I cannot, was his reply. From the anguish in his eyes I could see that the emotional costs were too high for him. We are all only human, with strengths and weaknesses that give each of us the capacity to absorb some kinds of pain and not others. So it is I hold a special awe for the extraordinary nature of oncologists who treat children with cancer. The heart of a pediatric oncologist must be as compassionately infinite as the universe is infinite, able to contain both the enormous joy of winning life for a child as it is in the pain of having another child's life slip away between all the training and knowledge meant to keep them from passing through the door of death. Who must have intimate knowledge into the mystery of miracles, as they work in a world where miracles can be very real. Of all the places on earth, a pediatric oncology ward is where mere mortals and angels work most closely side by side.

Meet Dr. Samuel Blackman, pediatric oncologist who blogs pediatric oncology at BlogMD. He is both philosophical and plainly real, in the best way one can be in honest vulnerabilities. It is easy to discern that he has the heart of a pediatric oncologist. He worries about patients and their families lost to followup; he runs for pediatric cancer research; he reflects on the personal aspects of life as a self-proclaimed nerd. That's his choice of description -- not mine. At times I find him delightfully humorous, and at all times insightful, intelligent and kind. I feel fortunate he made his presence known here in the blogosphere. I hope you enjoy his blog as much as I do.

Our sister blogs, Autoblog and Blogging Baby have posted stories that illustrate the benefits of internet connection in lives touched by cancer. In a you-can-run-but-you-can't-hide karmic twist of justice, Matt Frame found his stolen 1967 Camaro SS online at an eBay auction. Frame and his father had rebuilt the car before his father died of cancer. Of course, the seller denied that it was the same car, but Frame was able to identify the car as the one stolen from him.

On the cosmic scales of fairness, balance was achieved when Anthony McCoy found the 1969 Chevrolet Camaro that he had spent twenty years helping his father restore before the death of his father to cancer. Although it was not stolen from him by a thief, it was lost due to financial circumstances when his mother was forced to sell the car after the loss of his father. Found at eBay, McCoy made the successful bid. To McCoy, it is priceless.

As today's final example of the power of the internet to break down any barriers of time and space that can separate us from justice, the scales of fairness, or the ability to nurture relationships beyond the immediate, Jason Levine is a pediatric oncologist who stays in touch by email with his young cancer patients and their families by visiting their personal websites. Blogging Baby found a sweet and humorous story told of how a young patient role plays his email contact with her.

As part of a cancer fundraising campaign of the Yankees Universe fund for pediatric cancer research, education and patient care at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, the New York Yankees are offering a limited-edition Yankees Universe t-shirt. Yankees owner George M. Steinbrenner III feels this is an exciting program will help many kids and their families lead a better life.

Monday, Brian Cashman, manager Joe Torre and Hall of Famer Yogi Berra delivered the announcement of the new Yankee Universe campaign at a press conference. Torre mentioned his diagnosis of prostate cancer in 1999. He called Memorial Sloan-Kettering and the Yankees the two most important teams in his life during the last 11 years. Torre said that cancer is a word that scares you, but when you find out the kind of work people are doing to discover a cure, it's very reassuring. "This is the Yankee universe," O'Reilly said. "And as far as I'm concerned, there's no better place to be."

Photo credit: Ben Couch

The Paint Box Project, artWORKS for Cancer Cures features a selection of holiday cards and gifts for spring created by Roswell Park's pediatric patient-artists to benefit cancer research and patient care. They offer Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day and other occasion cards, as well as chocolates from Choco-Logo. To celebrate spring, you can say Thank You, Thinking of You, Congratulations and Happy Birthday with delightfully original artwork from the creativity of kids of the The Paint Box Project.

You can purchase chocolates like the Bunny’s Nest, the Chocolate Tower, Buffalo Bark chocolate covered pretzels or the Salty Bar. Gifts offered for sale include the Light of Hope soy wax candles, bright and cheerful wrapping paper, colorful spiral journals and an exclusive line of Buffalo-themed cards created by local artist Leslie Zemsky. While you are shopping, be sure to read the patient artists profiles of the children behind this spring's collection of cards. Oh! I love artwork by kids. Hurry, it's almost time for Mother's Day.

During the 18th annual Beyond the Rainbow luncheon and fashion show, the runway models will be young patients undergoing cancer treatments. A Generation of Hope ... A Generation of Survivors is this year's theme in a day of inspiration, fun, glamour and celebration of bravery and miracles for the children of Children's Medical Center of Dallas. Celebrities Dallas Cowboy quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Roger Staubach will escort the children down the runway as each child enjoys the limelight of celebrity and attention all famous models who walk the fashion runway experience. The organizers mission of this event is to create a day for the children of Children's Medical Center of Dallas living with cancer to forget the daily battle they wage against a disease threatening to steal their young life away.

The Children’s Cancer Fun Calendar, a calendar illustrated with the art of children living with cancer, will also be featured at the event. All proceeds of the event go to Children's Medical Center and UT Southwestern Medical Center pediatric oncology research and treatment to benefit children worldwide.

In 2000, Alexandra Scott, 4, known as Alex, came up with the idea of starting a lemonade stand to raise money to help her cancer doctors find a cure for kids with cancer. With the help of her older brother, Patrick, they set up Alex's first lemonade stand for pediatric cancer on the front lawn. For the next four years, Alex held an annual lemonade stand fundraiser for childhood cancer research. Since then, Alex's idea has caught on, and thousands of lemonade stands have been held across the country by children, schools, businesses, and organizations, all to benefit Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for pediatric cancer. As of December 2005, her national campaign has raised over $5 million for pediatric cancer research.

On August 1, 2004, Alex died peacefully at the age of 8 after battling cancer for 7 ½ years. In this world, bad happens to the good and innocent all the time. You can choose to be bitter, cynical and dark, or you can choose to meet the bad with the goodness of hope and light. A little girl had the spirit and wisdom to know, that when life gives you lemons -- you make lemonade.