Defeat DIPG

DIPG - Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma.  The worst of the worst tumors, with a survival rate of 0%.  That's right, no survivors.  The average time between diagnosis and death is 9-12 months, and this cancer occurs ONLY in children.  About 10% of brain tumors are DIPG, and this terrible, terminal diagnosis is given to nearly 200 families in the US annually.
Why no survivors, you might ask?  This tumor occurs in the oldest, and one of the most important, part of the brain, the pons, which control autonomic functions, such as breathing, swallowing and vision.  This tumor can't be removed, and chemotherapies can't stop it.  Radiation only slows down the tumor, but will eventually become ineffective.  The only option for children with DIPG is to be made comfortable.
But, some researchers speculate that since DIPG occurs in the oldest part of the brain, it may hold insight in to cancer biology that could help cure other cancers.  Research is the only way to find out what secrets are locked away in the oldest part of our brain.  Defeat DIPG.  End childhood cancer.

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