Posted: November 13th, 2016

persuade my audience to support the Children’s Tumor Foundation

Children’s Tumor Foundation

Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience to support the Children’s Tumor Foundation.

Thesis: Children’s Tumor Foundation, which focuses on improving the health and well-being of patients suffering from neurofibromatosis, should be supported.

ATTENTION

1. There are three types of neurofibromatosis namely NF1, NF2 and schwannomatosis. The first, NF1 is the most common (Children’s Tumor Foundation) with one out of every 3,000 newborns diagnosed with it. NF2 occurs in once in every 25,000 live births while schwannomatosis occurs once in every 40,000 live births (Children’s Tumor Foundation).
2. There are currently more than 2 million people worldwide who suffer from form of neurofibromatosis or the other (Children’s Tumor Foundation).

• Neurofibromatosis is a genetic disorder, meaning that children of parent/s with the condition can also get the condition. However, the condition can also be brought on by spontaneous mutation that occurs in the sperm or the egg cell during fertilization. Suffices to state that each child of a parent/s suffering from the condition has a 50% chance of also acquiring the condition. Such children usually have the same type of the condition as their affected parent/s but might have different intensities as intensity of the condition is very individual (Children’s Tumor Foundation).

1. The condition if not well managed can lead to total blindness, disfigurement, tumors and learning disabilities (Children’s Tumor Foundation)
2. Common symptom is tumors that grow in both ears, on the eighth cranial nerve that can cause hear loss. Patient can also develop other types of tumors

NEED

1. Two million people in the world suffer from neurofibromatosis
2. There is limited knowledge on neurofibromatosis. Children’s Tumor Foundation admits that even scientists had a hard time understanding the condition. It was only recently that scientists agreed that neurofibromatosis is not the same as John Merrick’s the “Elephant Man’s Disease”. Due to the confusion, many patients were misdiagnosed.

• Patients and their families are encouraged to join support groups that help cope with living with NL. As the center mainly focuses on children, the parents of the children are put into support groups that also allow their children to interact with children with similar health conditions. Such parents are also encouraged to get as much information as possible and are linked to proper providers of information and services they need.

1. Poor management of the condition can lead to other health conditions. People suffering from the condition have highlighted health complications related to the eye, brain, spine and skin and joints (Children’s Tumor Foundation). Some of the most common eye problems experienced include cataracts and eye tumors (Jeong-Min, Cheon & Wang, 693).
2. There is little research on the condition. Children’s Tumor Foundation recognizes this and encourages people to donate and offer voluntary yet highly skilled services in regard to research.
3. Due to the necessity of research, Children’s Tumor Foundation is the biggest donor for neurofibromatosis research in the USA. It is incorporated in all 50 US states.

• Surgeries to remove tumors can be very expensive, thus, many children living in low income families are unable to avoid the treatment they deserve and need. Children’s Tumor Foundation finds such children and offers free care.

SATISFACTION

Support is needed to both enhance public awareness of the condition, and help with the management process. Upadhyay, Kate and Lori (417) explain that public awareness will go a long way in ensuring that people suffering from such special conditions are not stigmatized. Also, public awareness will lead to more research demand on the same, which in turn, will lead to better management o