Contact: Alec Oughton
Grace Oughton Cancer Foundation
Attn: Loneliest Road Campaign
Tel. 888-900-4623
director@graceoughtoncancerfoundation.org
FIVE DADS RIDE COAST TO COAST TO FIGHT THEIR KIDS' CANCER
The Loneliest Road Campaign
The toys and dolls inside Grace Oughton's room will not be played with until the three-year-old returns home from New York. That is where the little girl is undergoing chemotherapy for her second bout of a pediatric cancer called Neuroblastoma.
The first time he learned his 18-month-old daughter had cancer, Alec Oughton cried himself to sleep every night for two months. The second time, he cried for a day. He decided from his experience as a fire fighter, the best way to handle difficult situations was to take action.
It was then that he decided to team up with four other fathers who are facing the same crisis to form the Loneliest Road Campaign. Their trek is a call for help. The five fathers began September 10, 2007, in Sacramento, California, to ride relay-style 3,700 miles across the United States where they will end in Washington, DC. Their journey is easily tracked on their website www.loneliestroad.org . Each rider is equipped with a GPS tracking device to follow their progress and a daily blog is being maintained to track their movement.
Neuroblastoma, a rapidly-progressing disease, is the third most common childhood cancer, and has one of the lowest cure rates. On average, kids are diagnosed around the age of two. The survival rate for high-risk Neuroblastoma is just 30 percent, with a relapse rate of 50 percent.
Over the past several years, federal funding for pediatric cancer research has dropped. The budget in 2007 forced more than 20 new studies to go on hold, and prevented 400 children from being enrolled in clinical trials.
The ultimate goal is to raise 2-3 million during the campaign, to begin clinical trials using monoclonal antibody therapy. Donations can be sent to:
Grace Oughton Cancer Foundation
Attn:Loneliest Road Campaign
9962 Brook Road
Suite 617
Glen Allen, Virginia 23059
Help these courageous fathers win their children’s lives back, check on www.loneliestroad.org to see when they will be coming through your area and show your support.
To speak to one of the Fathers at anytime while the campaign is going on they can be reached on the road at 1-888-900-4623.
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