Persuasive Essay On Cancer

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In a perfect world, cancer would not exist, but the best that society can do is donate toward cancer research. Unfortunately, as a whole, our society is unaware of where donations are needed and where their donations are going. The diseases with the most victims receive less donations than diseases that do not kill nearly as many. One of the biggest aspects of the misallocation of donations is the simple fact that donations are being sent to the wrong places. Childhood cancer, of all the cancers, seems to receive the least amount of donations. Many people donate toward diseases with good intentions, but childhood cancer is not receiving an adequate amount compared to other foundations or associations. Cancer donations are not being allocated …show more content…

Consumers can buy a product under the assumption that their purchase is helping a worthy cause. What the common consumer does not know is that buying the product does not always affect the percentage that the company donates (Carmody par 2). For example, "In 2010, Dansko shoe company should pink ribbon clogs" (Carmody par 1).The consumer 's purchase had no effect on how much Dansko was donating, though, because the company initially donated $25,000 to Susan G. Komen (Carmody par 1). The average consumer would assume their purchase impacted the amount being donated, but it did not because Dansko had a set donation beforehand (Carmody par 1). It is normal to assume that the more you buy, the more money that is being donated, but that is not the case in many situations. In most cases, the company donates an initial amount of money, and the consumer really has no part in the donation (Carmody par 1). The person buying the product is simply paying the company, and their purchase is not a direct contribution to the charity. Companies profit greatly from selling cancer awareness products. They earn approximately $3 billion each year on breast cancer products, (Lieber par 7) and the less the consumer knows, the better …show more content…

The inadequate amount of donations leaves pediatric cancer victims with medications that were developed in the 1970s and 1980s ("Mission" par 5). Childhood cancer is greatly underfunded because adult cancer is said to earn a higher profit ("Childhood Cancer Facts" par 6). The medications used on childhood cancer patients were made for adults rather than children, and it has a harsh effect on small, usually weaker bodies ("Mission" par 5). The American Childhood Cancer Organization has said that the current treatments being used on children can cause serious long-term health problems ("Mission" par 5). Approximately 4.74% of childhood cancer survivors will suffer later in life from their cancer treatment ("Childhood Cancer Facts" par 5). According to statistics, cancer treatments used on small children can harm their future health, such as fertility and growth. ("Childhood Cancer Facts" par 5). Radiation may leave girls infertile in the future, and it can stunt the growth of young children. A very common form of treatment, radiation, is almost more hurtful than helpful when used on children. Radiation used on adults causes fatigue and skin irritation, and the effect on children is even more extreme (Gupta par 22 par 23). Considering children are smaller and weaker than adults, the fatigue hits harder and causes children to become even weaker.

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