Mother Of Infant With Cancer Makes Plea For Research, Funding
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Melissa Erlandson's one-year-old daughter, London, has a rare form of cancer.
Doctors made the diagnosis when she was just 3 months old.
Erlandson is asking for help to raise awareness about childhood cancer, and boost the funding needed for research.
"I just want everybody to know the truth about the reality of this horrible disease," Erlandson said.
London has infant leukemia. Chemotherapy treatments have taken away the full head of hair she was born with and her eyelashes.
"She receives the same chemo as adults. They don't have special baby chemo for little babies," Erlandson said. "I thought her hair falling out would hurt the most, but it's her eyelashes."
Melissa posted a heartfelt message on Facebook in a moment of weakness Monday, asking for help in raising awareness about childhood cancer and the need for more research.
"I need this post to go viral, so people will start taking action and being a voice for our kids who can't even talk," Erlandson wrote.
It's now been shared 115,000 times.
The American Cancer Society says childhood cancers make up one percent of all cancers diagnosed each year.
London's mom believes that's part of the reason less time and money is spent on childhood cancer research.
"There's little research because there's little funding, which makes her cancer hard to research," Erlandson said. "Right now her prognosis is 46-percent chance survival."
Her hope for London is that she will live to see more birthdays. London just celebrated her first birthday this month.
You can follow her progress on Facebook by clicking here.
Here is a list of the places that her mother would like to receive support:
Alex's Lemonade Stand Donation
