KILLEEN, TX (KCEN) -- Cancer is the number one disease related killer of children in the U.S. and Canada.
In Killeen Saturday the nations leading foundation for cancer research for children held an event in hopes of changing that.
"Raising cancer awareness period is fantastic, but what the people here are doing here amazing," said Misty Rich, whose daughter has cancer.
For the first time Scott & White volunteers teamed up with the nationally known St. Baldrick's Foundation to raise money for cancer research for children.
"For him, the bald heads, every time he sees them he says they're bald just like me," said Krista Stanley, who's son is fighting cancer.
People got their heads shaved, as a way to show their support.
"He was diagnosed on June 18th with Ewing's sarcoma. It's a bone cancer, and it went through his tibia, and his growth plate, and his knee, and he did 12 rounds of chemotherapy," said Stanley.
"Alyssa has multifocal osteosarcoma, she has tumors in several spots, I mean her knees, her hips, her pelvis, her shoulders, her spine," said Rich.
When her daughter was diagnosed, doctors told Misty her daughter's cancer was terminal.
But because of research like the one the one St. Baldrick's funds, hope has been brought back into lives of thousands of children including Alyssa.
"In 1960, we were curing 10-percent of children, now we cure 80-percent of children with newly diagnosed cancer," said Scott & White Senior Staff Physician Guy Grayson.
But even though more children are being cured, the pain that comes along with that's not.
"He had his leg amputated on October 9th," said Stanley.
At only five years old, JP has one wish, to get a new leg so he can run.
"They fight, they do it with a smile, and honestly I don't know how they do it," said Stanley.
Click here to donate to St. Baldrick's Http://www.stbaldricks.org/
Click here to donate to JP Stanley http://www.heroescomeinallsizes.org/#!/about
To donate to Alyssa, there is an account set up under Alyssa Ranard at any Chase bank.
