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Petition Tag - diagnosis
1. High Profile Campaign To Raise Government Awareness & Funding of Children's Neuroblastoma Cancer 
Neuroblastoma is one of the most aggressive forms of childhood cancer; after domestic accidents, cancer is the second most frequent cause of death in children.
It is the single most common type of cancer in infants and the 3rd most common type of cancer in children. However, very few people have ever heard of it and most do not know the signs and symptoms.
This means that although symptoms may have been present in the child for some time, in over 75% of children, the diagnosis is not made until the disease has metastasized and reached stage IV, the final stage. Prognosis for this group is very grim, offering a 30% chance of survival.
In contrast, children diagnosed in the early stages have up to a 95% chance of survival.
Treating a child who has stage IV neuroblastoma costs an average of $976,860 in the first year alone. 600-1000 kids a year are diagnosed with neuroblastoma in the US every year.
2. Raise awareness of Neuroblastoma by Government funded high profile national campaign
Neuroblastoma is a very aggressive form of childhood Cancer; after domestic accident, it is the second most frequent cause of mortality in children.
It is the single most common type of Cancer in infants and the 4th most common type of Cancer in children. However, few people have heard of it and most do not know the signs and symptoms.
This means that although symptoms may have been present in the child for some time, in over 75% of children the diagnosis is not made until the disease has reached stage 4, the final stage. Prognosis for this group is grim, offering around 5% chance of survival.
In contrast, children diagnosed in the early stages have up to a 95% chance of survival.
Treating a child who has stage 4 Neuroblastoma costs the NHS an average of £600,000 in the first year alone. Around 75 children per year will be diagnosed at stage 4. Several of those families will opt for treatment abroad, meaning an average of £300,000 of UK fundraised money, per child, will go overseas.
Most children will still not survive – largely because their symptoms were diagnosed too late.
3. Stroke patients to have CT/MRI scans within 45mins in casualty
My late mother suffered a stroke last year. She was taken to casualty where she took a second stroke. She was given aspirin and discharged, but whilst awaiting transport home she suffered a third stroke. It was only then that she was admitted to hospital.
Research I've done has shown it could have been fatal giving aspirin to a patient without having conducted a CT/MRI scan to determine the cause of same. I want to change the Greater Glasgow Health Board's policy of conducting a scan within 24 hrs of admission to hospital, and have them conduct scans ASAP as it is the only way to get a correct diagnosis.
4. Diagnosis Service for Asperger Syndrome in Leeds
Asperger Syndrome is a form of autism, a lifelong developmental disability that affects the way a person communicates and relates to others.
As with autism, people with Asperger Syndrome experience difficulties in:
• Social interaction
• Social Communication
• Social imagination
However people with Asperger Syndrome usually have fewer problems with language than those with autism, often speaking fluently though their words can sometimes sound formal or stilted.
People with Asperger Syndrome are often of average or above average intelligence.
Because their disability is less obvious than that of someone with autism, a person with Asperger Syndrome is, in a sense, more vulnerable.
As they get older they may realize that they are different from other people and feel isolated and depressed. People with Asperger Syndrome often want to be sociable and are upset by the fact that they find it hard to make friends.
Bearing all this in mind it seems incredible that although there will be over 2000 individuals in Leeds with Asperger Syndrome there is very little help or support for them.
5. Petition For Standard Referral To Local And/Or National Support Group At Time Of Diagnosis
I had a son who was diagnosed with multiple birth defects and who spent the first 10 months of his life in the hospital. The doctors gave me little information, and in terms that I didn't understand and they didn't refer my family to a support group or other knowledge bank. I felt alone and helpless. Most people who have been diagnosed with medical problems or people with family members who have been diagnosed with medical problems encountered the same problem that I did-- lack of information, no referrals for a support group, no one to turn to who could answer your questions. How many of you didn't find a support group until years later, if at all? How many of us stayed up until 3 a.m. searching the internet for information? How much difference would it have made in your child's care and outcome if you had that information and support? How much difference would it have made to your sanity if you knew that you weren't the only one going through all that you or your family member's medical problems has put you and your family?
